R.I. MAY DELAY LEAD PAINT RULES:

Lead-paint regulations for thousands of old housing units were to take effect July 1 in Rhode Island, but real estate agents and a growing number of lawmakers say owners need more time to prepare for the changes. The legislation with the new rules covers apartments and housing units built before 1978, and was approved two years ago. The state has begun in recent weeks to run an advertising campaign highlighting requirements for landlords that include inspections, attending a seminar and timetable for cleaning up hazards. House and Senate committees last week considered bills to delay for one year implementation of the law. Gov. Don Carcieri would support a delay in the date the law takes effect, though he thinks a few more months is all that is needed, spokesman Jeff Neal said. The new regulations would take away the so-called “innocent owner status” that protected landlords from lawsuits over lead poisonings. The Rhode Island Association of Realtors said the new law will affect an estimated 145,000 rental properties, mostly when they are sold or leased to a new tenant. Landlords are paying rates for lead-liability insurance that in some cases have tripled since the law was passed, said Rep. William San Bento Jr., an insurance agent who supports a one-year delay. “This act, while it has noble intentions, unwittingly created a second property tax for people,” said San Bento (D-Pawtucket). He questions whether there are enough certified inspectors in the state and whether the need for the law has been lessened by the steady decline in the number of new childhood lead-poisoning cases in the state.