---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW--GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- UNFAIR SALES PRACTICES"
description: "Provides that gift certificates issued by state-chartered institutions of higher education would be exempt from the provisions of the gift certificate statute relating to expiration, escheatment, reissuance and refund."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ri"
legislature: "Rhode Island General Assembly"
session: "2024"
identifier: "HB 7509"
citation: "Rhode Island HB 7509 (2024)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Batista", "Cotter", "Dawson", "Finkelman", "Morales", "Noret", "O'Brien", "Perez", "Shanley", "Vella-Wilkinson"]
version_count: 1
action_count: 17
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2024-02-07"
last_action: "2024-05-31"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c13c140c-8212-493e-b9a2-3e29edfc86a6"
source_url: "https://status.rilegislature.gov/"
source_hash: "9164ff0a83ef653305bdce7325c870a33cf719e112305a0309e38c355eac779d"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ri"]
---

# Rhode Island HB 7509 (2024) — AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL LAW--GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- UNFAIR SALES PRACTICES

Provides that gift certificates issued by state-chartered institutions of higher education would be exempt from the provisions of the gift certificate statute relating to expiration, escheatment, reissuance and refund.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **7509 SUB A** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText24/HouseText24/H7509A.pdf)

## Votes

- PASSAGE — **68–0** (pass) · lower
- IN CONCURRENCE — **65–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Batista — primary (person)
- Cotter — primary (person)
- Dawson — primary (person)
- Finkelman — primary (person)
- Morales — primary (person)
- Noret — primary (person)
- O'Brien — primary (person)
- Perez — primary (person)
- Shanley — primary (person)
- Vella-Wilkinson — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-02-07** 02/07/2024 Introduced, referred to House Corporations `introduction, referral-committee`
- **2024-02-23** 02/23/2024 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (02/27/2024)
- **2024-02-27** 02/27/2024 Committee recommended measure be held for further study `committee-failure`
- **2024-03-15** 03/15/2024 Scheduled for consideration (03/21/2024)
- **2024-03-21** 03/21/2024 Committee recommends passage `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-03-22** 03/22/2024 Placed on House Calendar (03/26/2024) `reading-3`
- **2024-03-26** 03/26/2024 House read and passed `passage`
- **2024-04-03** 04/03/2024 Referred to Senate Commerce `referral-committee`
- **2024-05-03** 05/03/2024 Scheduled for consideration (05/07/2024)
- **2024-05-06** 05/06/2024 Proposed Substitute `substitution`
- **2024-05-07** 05/07/2024 Committee recommends passage of Sub A `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2024-05-22** 05/22/2024 Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar (05/23/2024) `reading-3`
- **2024-05-23** 05/23/2024 Senate passed Sub A `passage`
- **2024-05-24** 05/24/2024 Placed on House Calendar (05/29/2024) `reading-3`
- **2024-05-29** 05/29/2024 House passed Sub A in concurrence `passage`
- **2024-05-29** 05/29/2024 Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2024-05-31** 05/31/2024 Signed by Governor `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c13c140c-8212-493e-b9a2-3e29edfc86a6`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Rhode Island legislature records).