General Assembly passes bill that seals eviction records

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island General Assembly adopted legislation Friday that seals eviction court records.

The bill would authorize the sealing of court files in residential eviction proceedings upon the filing of a motion and the meeting of certain requirements.

The legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Tiara Mack and in the House of Representatives by Rep. Teresa Tanzi.

“Publicly available eviction filing records do not reflect what actually happened and cases can be dismissed or resolved, but these records continually negatively impact the tenant for years, unfairly preventing them from getting suitable housing,” Mack said.

The bill will now be considered by Gov. Dan McKee.