Rep. Lauren Carson

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new program in Rhode Island to fund primary care training sites, aiming to address a shortage of healthcare providers by supporting medical education at local clinics. The legislation establishes an office within the Department of Health to manage the program and authorizes grants of up to $90,000 per year for individual clinics that meet specific standards. To qualify for funding, participating clinics must demonstrate they provide comprehensive, team-based care that includes behavioral health services and have achieved a recognized quality accreditation. The state has appropriated $2.7 million for the initial fiscal year to implement these grants, with future funding to be determined annually by the General Assembly.

Imposes a seventy-five cent (0.75) surcharge on fares charged by rideshare companies as well as an account to benefit RIPTA from the payment of sales taxes collected from rideshares.

Imposes an additional local hotel tax in the city of Newport, at a rate of two and one-half percent (2.5%) to be retained and used for its public infrastructure and resiliency purposes.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a tax credit for Rhode Island residents who convert their existing gas-powered vehicles to run on alternative fuels like electricity, natural gas, or hydrogen. The credit covers up to 50% of the equipment and labor costs for the conversion, with a maximum limit of $2,000 for lighter vehicles and $3,000 for heavier ones. To claim the credit, taxpayers must apply it in the same year the conversion is completed, and the amount cannot exceed their total income tax liability for that year. Additionally, the bill prohibits fuel sellers from claiming this credit if they convert their own vehicles to use the fuel they sell.

Amends tax law on renewable energy products to exempt certain additional products from sales tax including battery energy storage system equipment, if supplied by a manufacturer of solar photovoltaic equipment.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the city of Newport to impose a 9% amusement tax on specific ticket sales within its limits. The tax applies only to events that sold more than 100,000 tickets in the previous year and explicitly excludes movie theaters and other venues with lower attendance. All revenue collected from this tax must be used exclusively for public infrastructure and public safety projects. The city council is responsible for creating the necessary rules and regulations to put this tax into effect.

Requires that the state's share to public libraries be fixed at twenty-five percent (25%) of the amount appropriated by the city or town in their budgets for fiscal year 2024, utilizing funds from the general fund or the American Rescue Plan Act.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the laws governing the Newport and Bristol County Convention and Visitors Bureau, officially rebranding it as "Discover Newport." The legislation establishes the bureau as a public corporation with a board of directors composed of eighteen to nineteen members appointed by local town councils and various hospitality industry representatives. Key provisions include a ban on state legislators from serving on the board, a requirement that directors serve without pay but receive expense reimbursements, and a mandate that the organization promote tourism across both counties.

Relocates certain provisions of the general laws relating to child care assistance from the Rhode Island Works Program to the chapter on child care state subsidies.

Establishes a tax credit against income tax based on eligible expenses incurred for care and support of an eligible family member.