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.
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.
Provides educators and administrators employed in a charter public school or mayoral academy with prevailing wage and benefits oversight and recourse if found in violation of the same.
Provides for the right to strike for public sector workers in Rhode Island, including teachers, with exceptions for police officers, firefighters, 911 employees, and correctional officers.
Maddy summarySB 2170 would allow workers who are on strike or locked out by their employer during a labor dispute to receive unemployment benefits. This directly affects employees participating in strikes or facing workplace lockouts due to labor disagreements. The bill changes current rules by expanding eligibility for unemployment benefits to cover these specific situations. It aims to provide financial support to workers during active labor disputes, rather than requiring them to exhaust other options first.
Authorizes the State of Rhode Island to issue up to eighteen million dollars ($18,000,000) in general obligation bonds, subject to voter approval, to support the Roger Williams Park Zoo.
Repeals 42-56-38.1 and requires the department of corrections to provide free communication services to inmates and juveniles held in residential placement or detention centers and requires that those facilities provide in-person contact visits.
Establishes the restrictive housing oversight committee ("committee") for the purpose of monitoring the use of restrictive housing ("solitary confinement"), as well as disciplinary and administrative confinement at the department of corrections.
Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes an $800,000 appropriation to WaterFire Providence, a nonprofit arts organization that hosts annual bonfire events on downtown Providence's three rivers. The funding is intended to provide operational support for the organization's programs, including its public events and community initiatives like the ArtLab and WaterFire Accelerate program. The resolution directs the state controller to draw payment from unappropriated treasury funds for the 2026-2027 fiscal year upon receipt of proper documentation.
Maddy summaryThis 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.
