Requires all certified independent or district charter schools upon application for a renewal of said charter or an application for a new charter school to provide a union neutrality clause in the charter.
Maddy summarySB 118 creates the Rhode Island Nursing Home Workforce Standards Advisory Board to address staffing and care quality in nursing homes. The board, composed of 13 members representing employers, workers, community organizations, and state agencies, will advise the legislature and labor department on wages, working conditions, and training standards for nursing home staff. It will recommend statewide minimum compensation and workplace standards but cannot enforce them directly. The bill directly affects nursing home workers, employers, and residents by aiming to improve staffing stability and care quality through data-driven recommendations. (SB 118, "Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board Act," focuses on advisory recommendations, not direct regulation.)
Maddy summarySB 1141 clarifies the tax treatment for qualifying low-income housing properties in Rhode Island. It requires new qualifying housing units to meet federal definitions (26 U.S.C. §42) for low-income housing, while allowing existing units meeting the state's affordable housing definition (as of December 31, 2024) to retain their tax benefits. The bill mandates that these properties pay a tax equal to 8% of their previous year's gross rental income (or a lower rate set by the municipality). This applies to residential properties with rent or income restrictions recorded in land records, directly affecting housing developers and property owners managing such units.
Maddy summarySB 475, the "David Casey Act," requires public and private golf courses to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) on-site. This law expands existing requirements for AEDs at healthcare facilities and other public places (like schools, restaurants, and sports arenas) to specifically include golf courses. The bill mandates that all golf courses, regardless of whether they are publicly or privately operated, must maintain an AED accessible for immediate use in emergencies. This policy change directly affects golf course operators by adding a new safety equipment requirement.
Prohibits any city, town, quasi-municipal corporation or public corporation from assessing any existing agricultural operation or agricultural land for the extension of any water utilities past the property and from imposing any connection fee.
Maddy summarySB 757 allows Rhode Island National Guard members in good standing to allocate their state tuition assistance benefits to their dependents. Dependents must be registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) and enrolled in Rhode Island state colleges or universities. The bill requires members to commit to one additional year of service for every 12 course credits covered for themselves or their dependents, with repayment required if obligations aren't met. This expands existing tuition benefits for National Guard members to include family members, subject to specific eligibility and service requirements.
Recognizes that municipal employees have the opportunity to utilize interest arbitration and would establish new factors for the arbitrators to consider. These factors include comparisons of wages/hourly conditions of employment in similarly skilled jobs.
Maddy summarySB 988 adds Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday and Washington's Birthday to the list of recognized holidays under state labor law for purposes of work regulations on holidays and Sundays. This means employers must follow the same rules for these two holidays as they do for other designated holidays, such as requiring overtime pay or time off for eligible employees. The bill specifically amends the definition of "Holidays" in the labor code to include these days, affecting all employers covered by the state's work-on-holidays and Sundays provisions. It does not change existing exemptions for certain industries or employees. The bill passed the Senate and takes effect upon passage.
Imposes a hospital licensing fee for fiscal year 2026 against net patient-services revenue of every non-government owned hospital for the hospital’s first fiscal year ending on or after January 1, 2024.
Allows retired state employees who worked for the unified judicial system as certified or qualified court interpreters to be employed or reemployed for a limited period in a given year.
