At a Jan. 22 meeting, the Providence City Council introduced a rent stabilization ordinance, which would cap annual rent increases at 4% in an attempt to control the city’s rental prices. Providence City Council President Rachel Miller (Ward-13) and President Pro Tempore Juan Pichardo (Ward-9), along with six other councilors, have co-sponsored the ordinance, but with Smiley’s impending veto, its passage through committee will depend on affirmative votes from two additional city council members. About half of Providence renters are housing-cost burdened, according to a 2025 City Council report. Many Providence renters have found themselves priced out of homes after property owners raised rent prices, Miller added. A city council committee will review the ordinance before the full city council conducts the first vote.