The bill amends Section 44-3-3 of the General Laws in Chapter 44-3, adding specific exemptions for property owned by the Pokanoket Management Group, a Rhode Island nonprofit corporation and trustee of the Pokanoket Tribe Land Trust. This property, located in the town of Bristol, Rhode Island, is used directly to cultivate, preserve, and protect the natural, cultural, traditional, and historical resources, watersheds, habitats, ecosystems, and archaeological sites within the ancestral territory of the Pokanoket people.

The bill concurrently exempts this property from municipal property tax obligations while allowing the Pokanoket Management Group to receive appropriations in lieu of property tax. The state will annually appropriate a sum equal to 27% of the tax that would have been collected on certain exempt properties, including those owned by nonprofit institutions of higher education and nonprofit hospital facilities. This ensures that municipalities receive financial support despite these tax exemptions. The provisions of the bill are set to take effect on December 31, 2025.

Statutes affected:
1043: 44-3-3, 45-13-5.1
1043  SUB A: 44-3-3, 45-13-5.1