Rep. Deb Fellela

Mandates public schools (K-12) have one full-time certified social worker for every 250 students and allocates $2 million in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget for school districts and municipalities to hire additional social workers.

Adds probation officer and parole officer to the list of public safety employees that are entitled to their full salary if they are injured and become disabled as a result of performance of their job duties.

Provides that retirees in the state pension system receive cost of living adjustments compounded into the retiree’s total retirement benefits each year beginning January 1, 2026. This act would be prospective only.

Amends the current law on teacher’s creditable service so that a teacher who takes an unpaid parental or medical leave during the year would be given credit for a year of service for that school year if they served a minimum of 135 school days.

Maddy summaryHB 7162 would modify Rhode Island's personal income tax calculation by allowing the exclusion of public pension benefits administered by the Employees Retirement System from federal adjusted gross income. This change directly affects state and local government retirees who receive pensions through the Employees Retirement System. The key provision adjusts how these pension payments are treated for tax purposes, effectively reducing taxable income for eligible recipients. The bill is currently pending in the House Finance Committee after its January 16, 2026, introduction.

Changes the teacher and state employees' retirement benefit calculations' cutoff date from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2012, for all retirement members eligible to and who retire on or after the new July 1, 2012, cutoff date.

Allows teachers, state and municipal employees to retire upon the earlier of reaching age sixty (60) with thirty (30) years of service or the employee's retirement eligibility date under present state statutes.

Creates "Harter's Law" to extend the civil statute of limitations, for injuries resulting from first degree child abuse, to thirty-five (35) years and cap civil damages recovery at five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000).

Authorizes the town of Johnston, if an aggregate of two hundred fifty (250) or more units should be proposed in comprehensive permit project(s), to enact an emergency moratorium until the permit requirement of § 45-53-4 are amended.

Maddy summaryHB 8041 allows the town of Johnston to set density bonuses - incentives for higher-density development - based on its existing zoning ordinances. This bill directly affects Johnston's local planning decisions by giving the town authority to determine these bonuses according to its current zoning framework. The key provision removes a previous restriction, enabling Johnston to align density incentives with its specific zoning classifications. This change streamlines the town's ability to manage development patterns within its designated zones. The bill is currently under review by the House Municipal Government & Housing committee.