Changes the teacher and state employees' retirement benefit calculations' cutoff date from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2009, for all retirement members eligible to and who retire on or after the new July 1, 2009, cutoff date.
Authorizes an annual two and one-half percent (2.5%) escalation for all active and retired police and firefighter's retirement pension allowance, compounded each year on January 1 following the year of retirement and continuing yearly, on that date.
Maddy summarySB 2247 amends retirement rules to allow retired state employees to work in specific part-time roles without losing retirement benefits. It permits retired teachers to teach at state colleges (capped at $25,000 annually), retired nurses to provide per diem care at state facilities (capped at 75 working days yearly), and retired driver education instructors to teach (capped at $15,000 annually), with no additional retirement contributions or service credits. Employers must report such employment monthly to the retirement board. The bill also includes other exemptions, like for mayors or school committee members, but these do not grant additional retirement benefits.
Maddy summarySB 2090 changes retirement benefit calculations for police officers and firefighters employed by towns and cities. Starting July 1, 2026, their retirement allowance will be based on their accrued benefit as of June 30, 2026, plus 2.5% of their final compensation for each year of service after that date. Retirees who are 57 with at least 30 years of service will continue using the previous formula until 2026 and then switch to the new calculation for service after that date. The bill preserves existing options for how benefits are paid to survivors after retirement.
Affords an option for police and firefighters to receive retirement allowances, without reduction, who seek retirement after twenty (20) years of service, upon reaching age fifty-seven (57).
Maddy summarySB 2625 requires school districts sending students to regional vocational schools for career and technical education (CTE) or pathways programs to receive regular updates from the receiving district. It mandates quarterly reports on student status (or immediate updates for major changes like withdrawal) and adjusts cost-sharing: home districts pay only the actual cost of services provided by the receiving district (not their own higher per-pupil spending), and only the actual transportation cost to the vocational school. This directly affects all Rhode Island school districts participating in CTE or pathways programs outside a student’s home district. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, aiming to clarify financial responsibilities and improve communication between districts.
Maddy summarySB 2407 would extend the maximum term of employment for school superintendents in Rhode Island from three to five years. This change directly affects school committees, which hire and set terms for superintendents, by allowing them to establish longer contracts. The bill amends Section 16-2-9(12) of state education law to update the term limit from three years to five years. The change would take effect immediately upon the bill's passage.
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.
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.
Enlarges definitions of prohibited acts that constitute hazing, make principals, coaches, athletic directors and others responsible for knowingly failing to take reasonable measures to prevent hazing and punishes serious injury.
