Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos has repeated the same call to lawmakers for two straight years: ban grocery stores from using restrictive covenants.

The message is part of her “Fair Price Grocery Agenda,” a bill package aimed at lowering grocery costs in Rhode Island. Prices rose 2.8% in New England over the past year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects food prices will climb nearly 3% nationwide this year.

Lawmakers introduced the measures in 2025, but only one reached the floor. It didn’t see any movement in the opposite chamber. Most of the bills have been reintroduced in the House and Senate this year, with two drawing pushback from the state’s business community.

S2644/H8106: Restrictive Covenants

The Senate Committee on Commerce has advanced legislation banning restrictive covenants that prevent a property from being used as a grocery store, sending it to the Senate floor. Lawmakers are expected to determine the fate of S2644 on May 5.

Sen. Melissa Murray, D-Woonsocket, reintroduced the measure, which would bar large retailers such as Stop & Shop and Walmart from using restrictive covenants to limit competition.

Phoenix Wheeler, facilitation and education manager for the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, told lawmakers they live in a food desert in Providence and asked them to support the bill.

Between a full-time job and raising a 5-year-old, traveling farther for groceries isn’t always feasible, Wheeler wrote in testimony, adding that their most practical option is two chain convenience stores, where prices are high and options are limited and lack nutritional value.

The House Judiciary Committee hasn’t acted on the companion bill from Rep. Stephen Casey, D-Woonsocket, since recommending it for further study.

The bill hasn’t drawn opposition and has the attorney general’s approval. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Local Return, American Economic Liberties Project, and the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns support the legislation.

Murray introduced the bill last year; it passed the Senate but stalled in the House.

 S2642/H7514: Price Tags Act

The Senate Commerce Committee hasn’t scheduled legislation modeled on the federal Robinson-Patman Act for consideration to advance after voting in March to hold it for further study.

Sen. Robert Britto, D-East Providence, reintroduced the “Price Tags Act,” which empowers the attorney general to act against retailers that can’t justify price discrimination and bar them from coercing suppliers into exclusive deals.

Enacted in 1936, the Robinson-Patman Act authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to pursue sellers accused of charging different buyers different prices for the same goods. Federal enforcement waned in the 1980s, a shift that contributed to consolidation in the grocery market.

Independent grocers accounted for more than half of grocery sales between the 1930s and the 1980s, according to Local Return, a nonprofit dedicated to building community wealth. Representatives from the organization added in written testimony that four of the largest grocery chains controlled more than 55% of sales by 2022.

The Rhode Island Retail Federation, the Rhode Island Business Coalition, and the Rhode Island Food Dealers Association oppose the act, arguing it could harm businesses and discourage manufacturers and suppliers from operating in the state.

“If this is a federal law, why do we need state legislation?” the food dealers association wrote in testimony, adding that the bill goes beyond grocery stores and includes other retail sectors.

The House Corporations Committee hasn’t acted on a companion bill from Rep. Grace Diaz, D-Providence, since recommending it for further study.

S2643/H7719: Unfair Sales Practices

The Senate Commerce Committee hasn’t scheduled a hearing on the “Unfair Sales Practices” bill after its March recommendation to hold it for further study.

Sen. Victoria Gu, D-Westerly, introduced the measure, which would require stores to offer the same discounts to in-store shoppers as those available through electronic coupons.

“This is a common-sense bill that protects the 22% of seniors and 18% of people making under $30,000 per year who don’t have a smartphone,” Matos wrote in testimony.

The Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns support the bill.

The Rhode Island Food Dealers Association, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Rhode Island Business Coalition, ibotta, the Rhode Island Retail Federation, and the New England Convenience Store and Energy Markets Association oppose it.

“We believe that there are industry solutions already in place that address the concerns of this legislation and that a legislative solution is not necessary,” the Food Dealers Association wrote in testimony. “We are open to meeting to discuss what can be done in-store to further support customers that don’t have access to technology.”

The House Corporations Committee hasn’t acted on a companion bill from Rep. Thomas Noret, D-West Warwick, since recommending it for further study.