Sen. Tiara Mack

Maddy summaryThis resolution authorizes $200,000 in state funding for the Rhode Island Black Business Association (RIBBA) to support its programs assisting entrepreneurs and business owners in Rhode Island. The funds, to be drawn from the 2026-2027 state treasury, will help RIBBA provide business development, training, advocacy, and access to capital services. The association serves all Rhode Islanders regardless of background, with its services open to businesses of all sizes. This is a funding allocation, not a policy change.

Requires one elector of the parole board to be a person directly impacted by the criminal justice system who has completed the probation/parole process three (3) or more years prior to selection with a professional background in certain enumerated areas.

Includes municipal detention facility corporations as exempt from taxation, and requires that an amount equal to 27% of all tax that would have been collected if the property was taxable be paid to the municipality annually.

Maddy summarySB 2303 amends Rhode Island's 2015 Comprehensive Community-Police Relationship Act to require all state and municipal police departments to collect detailed data on every routine traffic stop and vehicle search, including the officer's perception of the driver's race/ethnicity, reason for the stop, and outcome (e.g., citation, arrest, or search). This data must be submitted monthly to the Department of Transportation's Office of Highway Safety for a 48-month period starting in 2027. An independent outside agency chosen by the Department will then conduct an annual statistical study analyzing the data for racial disparities in policing, with findings and quarterly summary reports made public. The bill also mandates police agencies to review data monthly for compliance and annually to address any identified disparities.

Provides that prisoners who committed offenses prior to age 18 and were sentenced as adults be eligible for parole after completing 15 yrs of their sentence. Would not lengthen parole eligibility should prisoner be eligible for parole earlier than 15 yrs.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new seven-member board of trustees to govern the Central Falls School District, replacing the current special state administrator and advisory group. The board members will be appointed by the state Board of Regents, with at least four required to be local residents and parents of current or former students in the district. Under this structure, the state commissioner of education retains significant oversight, including the power to intervene in school management if deemed necessary, while the new board handles policy-making, budget approval, and superintendent appointments. Additionally, the legislation amends state funding rules to provide direct state support for high-cost special education students and career and technical education programs.

Provides for warming center and cooling center alerts to trigger certain procedures municipalities shall follow during extreme heat or cold to help at-risk individuals with resources including, but not limited to, warming and cooling centers.

Clarifies the role of a corporation electing to be governed as a workers' cooperative to allow it to operate as a hiring hall under certain circumstances.

Maddy summarySB 2212 automatically extends teaching licenses for 3 or 5 years without fees or penalties for all teachers certified as of July 1, 2026. It also waives all application and Praxis exam fees for new teacher certifications through June 30, 2029, to support recruitment. The bill requires the Rhode Island Department of Education to revise certification rules to create flexible pathways, including credit for work experience or competency demonstrations, for both initial and additional teaching credentials.

Maddy summarySB 2208 establishes a board of trustees to govern the urban collaborative, which includes Providence and other participating Rhode Island school districts. The board will be appointed by member districts (one member plus one additional for every 30 students attending the collaborative), and it will manage collaborative programs for students needing alternative education services. The bill ensures the collaborative receives state education funding directly and prevents Providence from being removed from the collaborative without its school board's approval during state oversight of Providence schools. It also clarifies that the collaborative qualifies for all state and federal education funding as a school district.