The proposed bill introduces a new chapter, CHAPTER 61, titled "Protecting Rhode Islanders from Coercive Economic Tactics at Grocery Stores," to Title 6 of the General Laws concerning commercial law. This chapter, known as the Price Tags Act, aims to protect consumers in Rhode Island from coercive economic tactics employed by grocery suppliers and retailers. It establishes definitions for key terms such as "covered goods," "covered retailers," "covered suppliers," "covered wholesalers," and "dominant covered retailers," and outlines the obligations of covered suppliers to ensure price fairness.

Specifically, the act prohibits covered suppliers from failing to extend the same terms of sale to all covered retailers and wholesalers purchasing covered goods on the same volume unit basis. It also requires suppliers to provide anonymized terms of sale from contracts with dominant covered retailers upon request and prohibits suppliers from refusing to sell covered goods to non-dominant retailers or wholesalers without commercially reasonable justification. Additionally, it prohibits dominant covered retailers from taking actions that would coerce suppliers into violating these provisions.

The bill outlines enforcement mechanisms, allowing the Attorney General or affected parties to file suit to obtain injunctions and civil penalties for violations. It also provides defenses for suppliers against liability claims, provided they can demonstrate that any pricing differences were due to legitimate business practices or pressures from dominant retailers. Furthermore, the act emphasizes that it does not supersede existing antitrust laws, ensuring that the protections offered do not conflict with broader competition regulations. The bill is set to take effect upon passage.