Expands the definition of "employee," and clarifies that the board may defer a pending unfair labor practice charge to allow for the grievance and arbitration process to move forward pursuant to the charging parties collective bargaining agreement.
Maddy summarySB 1147 names the Rhode Island Senate Chamber in the State House as the "President Dominick J. Ruggerio Senate Chamber." This bill directly affects the official designation of a state government building used by legislators. It requires the chamber's name to be updated to honor Ruggerio, who previously served as Senate President. As a purely ceremonial naming resolution with no policy changes or funding impacts, it has no broader legislative effect beyond the chamber's official title.
Increases insurance coverage for hearing aids from one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) to one thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($1,750), per ear, for all people regardless of age effective January 1, 2026.
Grants the director of the department of health the authority to approve or deny any applications for professional licensure pending before certain boards of licensure that have been unable to establish a quorum for 30 business days.
Maddy summarySB 559 increases penalties for animal fighting offenses under § 4-1-9. For a second or subsequent conviction, imprisonment increases from up to two years to up to five years, and fines rise to a maximum of $5,000. The bill also mandates mandatory community service: 20 hours for a first offense and 50 hours for repeat offenses, with no option to suspend or defer this requirement. This law directly affects individuals convicted of organizing, hosting, or betting on animal fights, applying to all such cases under the existing cruelty to animals statute.
Requires the employers of unionized public school teachers, municipal employees and state employees, to provide the union, at least once every 120 days, a list of all their employees in their union, as well as their personal and demographic information.
Extends the sunset provision allowing retired teachers to substitute teach in excess of 90 days. The sunset provision is extended from June 20, 2025 until July 1, 2026.
Prohibits casualty insurers from assessing any premium surcharge or penalty against an insured solely for inquiring about the terms of the insured's policy.
Maddy summarySB 950 creates a new felony offense for attempting to kidnap a minor. It defines this as taking any action toward kidnapping a minor (as defined in existing law) but failing to complete the act. Conviction carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. This law directly affects individuals who take steps toward kidnapping a minor but do not succeed in completing the crime.
Maddy summarySB 1060 clarifies which police and firefighters are covered under Rhode Island's workers' compensation system. It specifies that sworn employees of city, town, or regional school district police and fire departments (outside Providence) are generally **not** covered by standard workers' comp benefits for work-related injuries. However, it explicitly includes members of the Rhode Island airport's police and aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) units in coverage. The bill also updates definitions related to earnings capacity and disability determinations but does not change coverage for most other workers. This change primarily affects local public safety employees' access to workers' comp benefits for job-related injuries.
