(a)  Beginning on January 1, 2020, no manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer may manufacture, knowingly sell, offer for sale, or distribute for use in this state any residential upholstered bedding or furniture that contains one thousand parts per million (1,000 ppm) or greater of any non-polymeric organohalogen flame retardant chemical. This class includes any chemical containing the element bromine or chlorine bonded to carbon that is added to a plastic, foam, fabric, or textile.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 23-26-3.1

  • sold: includes offering or exposing for sale or exchange or lease or consigning or delivering in consignment for sale, exchange, or lease or holding in possession with like intent. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-26-1
  • Upholstered furniture: means any article of household furniture wholly or partly stuffed or filled with soft material, and which is used or intended for use for sitting, reading, or reclining purposes. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-26-1

(b)  Internal electric and electronic components of residential upholstered furniture or bedding or residential furniture or bedding sold for use in commercial or public spaces are not subject to the restrictions in this section.

(c)  A manufacturer of products that are banned from sale under this section must notify persons or entities that sell the manufactured products in this state about the provisions of this section no less than ninety (90) days prior to the effective date of the ban.

(d)  The prohibition and any related regulations shall not apply to products sold or in use prior to January 1, 2020.

History of Section.
P.L. 2017, ch. 380, § 1; P.L. 2017, ch. 381, § 1; P.L. 2019, ch. 90, § 1.