This bill appropriates $1,167,100 to the Rhode Island Auditory Oral Program for fiscal year 2026-2027. The program, based in the Foster School Department, provides specialized auditory-oral instruction using hearing technology to support children with hearing loss, helping them achieve academic success and social inclusion. The funds will directly support this educational service for affected children and their families.
Requires the PUC to produce yearly reports beginning on January 1, 2027 on the ability of the current electric grid to handle electrification loads needed to power cars, buildings, and heating of homes within the state.
Requires that an individual's caregiver be present when healthcare decisions are discussed with the hospice team. It would also prevent a denial of home hospice care because of age or income.
Authorizes the appropriation of the sum of $991,000 for the town of Middletown to upgrade the gymnasium at the new Middletown middle high school to serve a regional emergency shelter.
Provides that a portion of state income taxes from employees working at not-for-profit healthcare institutions, health service institutions, and educational institutions be allocated to the city of Providence.
Amends State funding calculations for special education, revising extraordinary cost calculations for FY 2028-2029, and providing additional funds for excess costs when special education students move into a district after the budget is approved.
SB 2294 would require landlords to have a valid "just cause" reason to evict most residential tenants in Rhode Island, rather than allowing evictions without justification at the end of a lease term. It prohibits evictions for reasons like arbitrary tenant preferences, and specifies acceptable grounds such as non-payment of rent (unless the increase was unreasonable), lease violations, or property damage. The law applies to most rental housing, excluding owner-occupied buildings with fewer than four units, sublet properties where the sublessor needs the space, and job-site housing. This bill directly affects renters and landlords under the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, aiming to prevent arbitrary displacement.
This bill amends Rhode Island's Fair Housing Practices Act to explicitly allow tenants with disabilities to keep service animals (trained dogs) and emotional support animals (dogs or cats providing emotional support, without certification) in rental housing. It prohibits landlords from denying housing or imposing fees based on these animals. The law directly affects renters with disabilities who rely on such animals for daily living and ensures they cannot be discriminated against for this accommodation. Key provisions clarify definitions of "emotional support animal" and require landlords to make reasonable accommodations for these animals under fair housing law.
Removes the five (5) year waiting period for filing a motion to seal an eviction court file. It also deletes the numerical limitation on filing seal requests.
Increases the state’s regionalization bonus to six percent (6.0%) of the state’s fiscal year share of foundation education aid. This bonus would be ongoing and continuing so long as the district remains a regional school district.
HB 7317, the Rhode Island Early Educator Workforce Act, directs the Department of Human Services and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to collaborate on managing existing programs supporting early childhood educators. It specifically requires maintaining the Child Care WAGE$ program with at least $1 million annually to provide salary supplements for educators in licensed childcare centers and family childcare homes, while also overseeing workforce development scholarships (T.E.A.C.H.) and registered apprenticeships. The bill directly affects early educators in Rhode Island’s licensed childcare and early learning programs, who currently earn an average of $16.74 per hour - among the lowest wages in the state. These provisions aim to improve retention and compensation by aligning early educator wages with K-12 standards through existing, research-backed programs.
This bill appropriates $3 million from the state treasury for fiscal year 2026-2027 to the Rhode Island Food Bank. It directly supports the Food Bank’s 137 member agencies across Rhode Island, which serve communities facing heightened food insecurity. The resolution responds to rising demand (over 102,000 people using pantries in November 2025) and the loss of $9.5 million in federal SNAP benefits affecting up to 32,000 residents. The funds will be paid via state vouchers to the Food Bank as needed, supplementing reduced federal support. This is a funding measure, not a new policy.
