Rhode Island Bills

died · Rhode Island · House May 12, 2026

HB 8173: AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- LEAD POISONING PREVENTION ACT

Amends current law so that private side lead service replacement costs, financed by the water supplier's customers that may be eligible for reimbursement from the state, would no longer be subject to appropriation by the general assembly.

Cherie Cruz (D) Megan Cotter (D) Brandon Potter (D) David Morales (D) Joshua Giraldo (D)

died · Rhode Island · House May 12, 2026

HB 8148: AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY

Directs the RITBA design a safety barrier or netting system on the several bridges within its authority. Any newly constructed bridges with a deck height of over one hundred feet (100 ft) would be required to have safety barriers of safety netting.

Topics ✓ Transportation

died · Rhode Island · House May 12, 2026

HR 8209: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $250,000 TO THE REFUGEE DREAM CENTER

HR 8209 is a joint resolution that authorizes the federal government to provide $250,000 in direct funding to the Refugee Dream Center (RDC). This bill directly affects the RDC, a nonprofit organization supporting refugees, by providing it with a specific sum of money for its operations. The key provision is a one-time appropriation of $250,000, which the RDC would use to support its refugee assistance programs. The bill was introduced on February 27, 2026, and referred to the House Finance Committee.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Immigration

died · Rhode Island · House May 12, 2026

HR 8210: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF $2,300,000 TO THE RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

DEM) TO TRANSPLANT QUAHOGS INTO NARRAGANSETT BAY AND ESTABLISH A SHELLFISH HATCHERY PROGRAM (This resolution would authorize the appropriation of the sum of $2,300,000 to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for the transplantation of quahogs and the establishment of a shellfish hatchery program.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Environment

died · Rhode Island · Senate May 12, 2026

SB 2044: AN ACT RELATING TO WATERS AND NAVIGATION -- WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Requires 10% of all rental fees collected by the water resources board pursuant to a lease with the Coventry Pines Golf Club be paid to the town of Coventry and 10% to the Central Coventry Fire District.

died · Rhode Island · House May 12, 2026

HB 7057: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- PERSONAL INCOME TAX

Gradually phases in modifications to federal adjusted gross income over a five (5) year period for social security income, from twenty percent (20%) up to one hundred percent (100%), beginning on or after January 1, 2027.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

died · Rhode Island · Senate May 12, 2026

SB 2159: AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINALS -- CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS -- PAROLE

Requires one elector of the parole board to be a person directly impacted by the criminal justice system who has completed the probation/parole process three (3) or more years prior to selection with a professional background in certain enumerated areas.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

died · Rhode Island · Senate May 12, 2026

SB 2156: AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING

Adds a rebuttable defense if any person shall die or sustain a personal injury while committing robbery of the owner, lessor, or occupant of a motor vehicle and that the owner or occupant of the vehicle acted in self-defense.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

died · Rhode Island · House May 12, 2026

HB 7255: AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- RETIREMENT SYSTEM -- CONTRIBUTIONS AND BENEFITS

HB 7255 adds two specific state correctional roles - administrator of community confinement and home confinement coordinator - to the state retirement system. This change directly affects employees in these positions by making them eligible for retirement benefits under the existing system. The bill amends the retirement law to explicitly include these titles in the list of covered positions within the Department of Corrections. It does not alter retirement age requirements or benefit calculations for existing members. The bill takes effect upon passage.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

died · Rhode Island · House May 12, 2026

HB 7254: AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- RETIREMENT SYSTEM -- MEMBERSHIP AND SERVICE CREDITS

Allows members of the retirement system who served in the national guard or reserves and qualify as veterans, to purchase retirement service credits based on their years of service in the National guard or reserves.

Topics ✓ Veterans

died · Rhode Island · Senate May 12, 2026

SB 2303: AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY-- POLICE RELATIONSHIP ACT OF 2015

SB 2303 amends Rhode Island's 2015 Comprehensive Community-Police Relationship Act to require all state and municipal police departments to collect detailed data on every routine traffic stop and vehicle search, including the officer's perception of the driver's race/ethnicity, reason for the stop, and outcome (e.g., citation, arrest, or search). This data must be submitted monthly to the Department of Transportation's Office of Highway Safety for a 48-month period starting in 2027. An independent outside agency chosen by the Department will then conduct an annual statistical study analyzing the data for racial disparities in policing, with findings and quarterly summary reports made public. The bill also mandates police agencies to review data monthly for compliance and annually to address any identified disparities.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

died · Rhode Island · Senate May 12, 2026

SB 2307: AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING

SB 2307 creates a legal presumption that property owners, tenants, or occupants acted in justified self-defense if a person dies or is injured while committing a violent crime (like burglary or assault) on their property. It applies when the property owner reasonably believed the intruder posed an imminent threat of serious harm or death to themselves or others lawfully present. The law presumes self-defense without requiring the owner to retreat, and this presumption can be challenged ("rebutted") in court. It directly affects property owners facing criminal or civil cases involving violent offenders injured or killed during crimes committed on their premises. The bill would take effect immediately upon passage.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill results