Rep. Karen Alzate

Maddy summaryThis bill restructures governance for the Central Falls School District by replacing its current board of trustees with a new seven-member board appointed by the state Board of Regents. The new board will include at least four local parents of current or former students, while the state commissioner of education retains significant oversight over budget parameters and superintendent appointments. Additionally, the legislation creates a stabilization fund to provide direct state funding for specific educational costs, including high expenses for special education students and career and technical education programs. By transferring authority from a special state administrator to this new board, the bill aims to centralize policy-making and operational management within a single elected body under state supervision.

Establishes the Super Speeder Accountability Act to be used as a sentencing option or enhancement for drivers charged with certain driving violations.

Maddy summaryHR 8204 authorizes the City of Pawtucket to issue up to $22.5 million in city bonds, notes, or other debt instruments to finance school construction, renovations, or repairs at Samuel Slater Middle School or for a new middle school facility. It directly affects Pawtucket's public school infrastructure by enabling funding for building projects, design costs, demolition, athletic fields, landscaping, and parking. The bill does not change existing school policies but provides a financial mechanism for capital improvements. The resolution is pending in the House Finance Committee after introduction on February 27, 2026.

Provides that a student's enrollment in Medicaid would be included in calculating and determining the student success factor for use in the foundation education-aid formula.

In effect repeals the provisions of the newly enacted law prohibiting smoking in pari mutual facilities with the exception for businesses operating as a pari mutual facility smoking lounge.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Rhode Island Voting Rights Act to prevent discrimination in voting by creating new legal standards that political subdivisions must follow. It prohibits election policies or practices that disproportionately affect protected classes based on race, color, language, disability, or other characteristics, without requiring proof of intentional discrimination to establish a violation. The law also addresses vote dilution by restricting election methods that impair the ability of protected groups to elect candidates of their choice, particularly when racially polarized voting is present. Local governments and election administrators would need to ensure their procedures do not create material disparities in voter access or participation opportunities.

Permits the family court to retain jurisdiction over juveniles and allow the family court to order juveniles detained in the training school until the age of twenty-one if the court finds that it is in the best interest of the child.

Restore the rights of school administrators and staff members, who have retired to exceed the ninety-day (90) cap on post-retirement employment and work up to one hundred eighty (180) days during a school year.

Prohibits handcuffing children twelve (12) or under at initial police contact unless needed for public safety or if the child is using or threatening physical force against an officer.

Maddy summaryHB 7132 prohibits judges from imposing life without parole sentences on individuals convicted of homicide who were 21 years old or younger at the time of the offense. The bill directly affects juvenile defendants (ages 21 and under) in homicide cases by requiring alternative sentencing options, such as lengthy prison terms with parole eligibility. It changes sentencing guidelines to ensure youth offenders are not subject to irreversible life sentences. This policy shift applies specifically to homicide convictions under the state's criminal code.