AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW--GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES (Deceptive trade practice to sell vehicle used in violent crime or exposed to biohazards without notice to purchaser.)

S2609

2026 -- S 2609
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW--GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS --
DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES

Introduced By:
Senator Pamela J. Lauria

Date Introduced:
February 13, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Judiciary
(by request)
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 6-13.1-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 6-13.1 entitled "Deceptive
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Trade Practices" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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6-13.1-1. Definitions. [Effective March 31, 2026.]
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As used in this chapter:
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(1) “Documentary material” means the original or a copy of any book, record, report,
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memorandum, paper, communication, tabulation, map, chart, photograph, mechanical
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transcription, or other tangible document or recording wherever situated.
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(2) “Examination” of documentary material includes the inspection, study, or copying of
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any documentary material, and the taking of testimony under oath or acknowledgment in respect
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of any documentary material or copy of any documentary material.
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(3) “Person” means natural persons, corporations, trusts, partnerships, incorporated or
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unincorporated associations, and any other legal entity.
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(4) “Rebate” means the return of a payment or a partial payment that serves as a discount
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or reduction in price.
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(5) “Trade” and “commerce” mean the advertising, offering for sale, sale, or distribution
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of any services and any property, tangible or intangible, real, personal, or mixed, and any other
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article, commodity, or thing of value wherever situate, and include any trade or commerce directly
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or indirectly affecting the people of this state.

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(6) “Unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices” means any
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one or more of the following:
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(i) Passing off goods or services as those of another;
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(ii) Causing likelihood of confusion or of misunderstanding as to the source, sponsorship,
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approval, or certification of goods or services;
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(iii) Causing likelihood of confusion or of misunderstanding as to affiliation, connection,
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or association with, or certification by, another;
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(iv) Using deceptive representations or designations of geographic origin in connection
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with goods or services;
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(v) Representing that goods or services have sponsorship, approval, characteristics,
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ingredients, uses, benefits, or quantities that they do not have or that a person has a sponsorship,
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approval, status, affiliation, or connection that the person does not have;
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(vi) Representing that goods are original or new if they are deteriorated, altered,
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reconditioned, reclaimed, used, or secondhand; and if household goods have been repaired or
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reconditioned, without conspicuously noting the defect that necessitated the repair on the tag that
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contains the cost to the consumer of the goods;
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(vii) Representing that goods or services are of a particular standard, quality, or grade, or
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that goods are of a particular style or model, if they are of another;
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(viii) Disparaging the goods, services, or business of another by false or misleading
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representation of fact;
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(ix) Advertising goods or services with intent not to sell them as advertised;
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(x) Advertising goods or services with intent not to supply reasonably expectable public
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demand, unless the advertisement discloses a limitation of quantity;
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(xi) Making false or misleading statements of fact concerning the reasons for, existence of,
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or amounts of price reductions;
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(xii) Engaging in any other conduct that similarly creates a likelihood of confusion or of
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misunderstanding;
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(xiii) Engaging in any act or practice that is unfair or deceptive to the consumer;
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(xiv) Using any other methods, acts, or practices that mislead or deceive members of the
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public in a material respect;
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(xv) Advertising any brand name goods for sale and then selling substituted brand names
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in their place;
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(xvi) Failure to include the brand name and/or manufacturer of goods in any advertisement
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of the goods for sale, and, if the goods are used or secondhand, failure to include the information

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in the advertisement;
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(xvii) Advertising claims concerning safety, performance, and comparative price unless
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the advertiser, upon request by any person, the consumer council, or the attorney general, makes
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available documentation substantiating the validity of the claim;
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(xviii) Representing that work has been performed on or parts replaced in goods when the
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work was not in fact performed or the parts not in fact replaced;
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(xix) Failing to separately state the amount charged for labor and the amount charged for
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services when requested by the purchaser as provided for in § 44-18-12(b)(3);
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(xx) Advertising for sale at a retail establishment the availability of a manufacturer’s rebate
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by displaying the net price of the advertised item (the price of the item after the rebate has been
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deducted from the item’s price) in the advertisement, unless the amount of the manufacturer’s
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rebate is provided to the consumer by the retailer at the time of the purchase of the advertised item.
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It shall be the retailer’s burden to redeem the rebate offered to the consumer by the manufacturer;
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(xxi) Advertising, displaying, or offering a price for live-event tickets or short-term lodging
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in violation of 16 C.F.R. Part 464;
or
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(xxii) Engaging in any act or practice that is unfair or deceptive by a person advising or
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assisting any veteran filing a claim for disability benefits with the Department of Veterans Affairs
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;
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or
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(xxiii) Selling, offering for sale, transporting into this state with the intent to sell, or
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transferring any motor vehicle used in a crime of violence as defined in § 12-1.3-1, or which has
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been exposed to biohazardous contamination, without notifying the buyer in writing prior to sale,
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of the vehicle's use in or involvement with a crime of violence, or of exposure to biohazardous
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contamination. For purposes of this subsection, "biohazardous contamination" means
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contamination to any motor vehicle that has been exposed to blood, bodily fluids, human remains,
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infectious disease materials, or other biological contaminants arising from a crime scene, accident,
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natural disaster, or other incident, or a vehicle that has been exposed to, or contains observable
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matter or materials, odors or damage that a reasonable person could easily identify and recognize
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as a biohazard, such that professional biohazard remediation is required before the vehicle may be
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safely operated or resold.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW--GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS --
DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES
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This act would provide protections for a purchaser from unknowingly purchasing a vehicle
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used in a crime of violence or that has been exposed to a biohazard, and ensures that written notice
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of the vehicle's use in a crime of violence or exposure to biohazardous contamination be disclosed
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to the purchaser in writing prior to sale, with any violation of the act declared an unfair or deceptive
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trade practice.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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