This resolution appropriates $3,000,000 from the state treasury for fiscal year 2026-2027 to Rhode Island Legal Services, Inc. (RILS), a nonprofit providing legal aid to vulnerable Rhode Islanders. The funding directly supports RILS’s work assisting low-income residents, domestic violence victims, veterans, and seniors with critical issues like housing, food security, family safety, and employment rights. The appropriation allows RILS to maintain its statewide services, which historically handle thousands of cases annually to help clients achieve stability and self-sufficiency.
Creates a publicly funded program for uninsured individuals requiring on an appropriation of $53,200,000 for fiscal year 2027 and an appropriation of 109,600,000 for fiscal year 2028 and every fiscal year thereafter.
HR 8207 is a joint resolution that would allocate $100,000 in state funds to the Rhode Island Commission on Prejudice & Bias. This resolution directly provides financial support to the Commission, which is tasked with addressing issues related to prejudice and bias in the state. The key provision is the specific appropriation of $100,000 for the Commission's operations or initiatives. As a procedural funding measure, it does not create new policies but provides resources for an existing state body. The resolution was introduced on February 27, 2026, and referred to the House Finance Committee.
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.
This bill (SR 2252) is a joint resolution appropriating $75,000 from the state treasury to Jewish Collaborative Services (JCS) for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The funds will support JCS’s existing programs providing culturally specific services, including food assistance (like Rhode Island’s only kosher pantry), senior meals, housing support, and resources for underserved groups such as low-income families, immigrants, seniors, and people with disabilities. The resolution directly affects JCS, which serves all Rhode Islanders in need regardless of religion, and aims to sustain their community-wide support services. This is a funding allocation, not a new policy, with no additional requirements or changes to existing laws.
Authorizes the appropriation of the sum of $500,000 to Sojourner House to support its permanent housing development program that provides safe, secure housing to individuals and families fleeing from dangerous situations.
SR 2377 is a joint resolution appropriating $200,000 from the state treasury for the fiscal year 2026-2027 to support the Rhode Island Free Clinic. This funding directly helps the clinic provide free medical care and preventive services to uninsured adults who cannot afford healthcare, while also supporting its role as a training site for healthcare students. The resolution authorizes the state controller to pay the funds upon receipt of proper documentation, ensuring the clinic can continue its mission of serving vulnerable residents. This is a straightforward funding measure with no additional policy provisions.
This bill appropriates $100,000 from the state treasury for the Rhode Island Commission on Prejudice and Bias for fiscal year 2026-2027. The funds will support the Commission’s existing work studying prejudice and bias, providing hate crime training to law enforcement and community groups, receiving hate crime reports, and advising state officials. The Commission, established in 1981, serves all Rhode Islanders and has been impacted by reduced federal and state funding. This resolution directly provides financial support to maintain the Commission’s ongoing operations.
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.
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.
