Rep. Cherie Cruz

Maddy summaryHB 7688 establishes the Rhode Island Child Care for All Act, creating a new Office for Early Learning by June 2028 to centralize and improve the state’s child care system. It directly affects families with young children (by reducing costs to under 7% of income), child care providers (through annual funding to cover costs beyond family fees), and early educators (by requiring wage supplements to match K-12 standards). Key provisions include consolidating child care administration from other agencies, funding providers to expand affordability and quality, and developing a statewide system offering free pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds alongside accessible care for children from birth to age 12. The bill aims to address current market failures by treating child care as a public good, similar to K-12 education.

Maddy summaryHB 7044 establishes an 11-member committee to develop regulations for homeless shelters in Rhode Island. The committee, including homeless individuals, advocates, shelter providers, and housing officials, will draft standards covering access policies, residents' rights, health and safety protocols, and emergency operations. These regulations will ensure shelters provide non-discriminatory services, prohibit fees, protect privacy, and maintain safe environments for residents. The bill does not immediately implement rules but creates a process for developing them through the committee's recommendations.

Establishes rules and procedures for licensing emergency shelters for homeless persons, including setting minimum standards and prohibiting the charging of fees to the residents.

Requires law enforcement agencies to obtain search warrants for electronic information, data, location information and other identifying information of subscribers and customers, except in specified circumstances.

Maddy summaryHB 7353 amends Rhode Island's 2015 Comprehensive Community-Police Relationship Act to require police departments to collect detailed data during traffic stops (including officer-perceived race/ethnicity, stop reasons, and outcomes) and submit it monthly to the Department of Transportation's Office of Highway Safety. It mandates an annual external study analyzing this data for racial disparities in traffic stops and searches, to be conducted by a qualified independent agency chosen by the Office of Highway Safety. The study's findings, along with quarterly public summary reports showing racial and demographic breakdowns of stops, must be released annually. This directly affects all Rhode Island municipal police departments and the state police, requiring them to implement new data collection and reporting procedures. The law aims to provide transparent, data-driven insights into policing practices without speculating on outcomes.

Bans the sale of parrots at pet stores from a breeder or broker. The pet store may sell parrots obtained from animal care facilities or animal rescue organizations. The sale also prohibits at any outdoor markets or retail parking lots.

Commencing July 1, 2026, this act eliminates the provision of this section that requires new applicants for employment under this section to pay the expense for their criminal background checks.

Maddy summaryHB 7419 extends current teacher certifications for three or five years without fees or penalties for all teachers certified as of July 1, 2026. It waives all application fees and Praxis exam costs for new teacher certifications from July 2026 through June 2029 to support recruitment. The bill also requires the Rhode Island Department of Education to revise certification rules to create multiple pathways, including accepting non-traditional experience and competency demonstrations for credentialing. These changes aim to reduce barriers for teachers seeking initial or additional certifications while streamlining the process.

Increases the membership of the state crime laboratory commission from five (5) to nine (9). The overseer and co-executive secretaries of the commission have been changed to the deans of URI's colleges of pharmacy and engineering.

Prohibits psychological abuse in the workplace by employers or co-workers, ensuring a safe environment for employees, provides protection, civil remedies, and penalties for employers based on revenue.