§ 42-112-1 — § 42-112-1. Discrimination prohibited.

Rhode Island § 42-112-1

• Jurisdiction: Rhode Island
• Title 42: State Affairs and Government
• Ch. 42-112: The Civil Rights Act of 1990

Text

§ 42-112-1. Discrimination prohibited.

(a) All persons within the state, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, or country of ancestral origin, have, except as is otherwise provided or permitted by law, the same rights to make and enforce contracts, to inherit, purchase, to lease, sell, hold, and convey real and personal property, to sue, be parties, give evidence, and to the full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of persons and property, and are subject to like punishment, pains, penalties, taxes, licenses, and exactions of every kind, and to no other.

(b) For the purposes of this section, the right to "make and enforce contracts, to inherit, purchase, to lease, sell, hold, and convey real and personal property� includes the making, performance, modification and termination of contracts and rights concerning real or personal property, and the enjoyment of all benefits, terms, and conditions of the contractual and other relationships.

(c) Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to affect chapter 14.1 of title 37, chapter 5.1 of title 28, or any other remedial programs designed to address past societal discrimination.

(d) For the purposes of this section, the terms "sexâ€� and "ageâ€� have the same meaning as those terms are defined in § 28-5-6, the state fair employment practices act. The term "disabilityâ€� has the same meaning as that term is defined in § 42-87-1, and the terms, as used regarding persons with disabilities, "auxiliary aids and services,â€� "readily achievable,â€� "reasonable accommodation,â€� "reasonable modification,â€� and "undue hardshipâ€� shall have the same meaning as those terms are defined in § 42-87-1.1.

(e) For the purposes of this section, the term:

(1) "Protective hairstyles� means and includes, but is not limited to, hair texture or hairstyles, if that hair texture or that hairstyle is commonly associated with a particular race or national origin (including a hairstyle in which hair is tightly coiled or tightly curled, locks, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, and Afros).

(2) "Race� means and includes traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles.

Legislative History

P.L. 1990, ch. 231, § 1; P.L. 1990, ch. 283, § 1; P.L. 1997, ch. 77, § 2; P.L. 1997, ch. 150, § 19; P.L. 1999, ch. 83, § 120; P.L. 1999, ch. 130, § 120; P.L. 2009, ch. 96, § 9; P.L. 2009, ch. 97, § 9; P.L. 2025, ch. 381, § 3, effective July 1, 2025; P.L. 2025, ch. 382, § 3, effective July 1, 2025.