Sen. Frank Ciccone

Maddy summarySB 514 requires the state retirement board to post all archived and future video or audio recordings of its meetings online on the employees' retirement system website. This applies to all retirement board meetings and any subsidiary investment boards. The law, effective January 1, 2026, mandates this transparency for all recordings, both past and future. It does not change retirement benefits or funding but makes board deliberations more publicly accessible.

Provides that a person over 18 yrs can purchase/possess a stun gun or electronic dart gun, prohibits sale of a stun gun or electronic dart gun to anyone under18 yrs, and criminalizes the use of a stun gun or electronic dart gun in any criminal offense.

Makes it a felony for any person required to register as a sex offender to live within three hundred feet (300’) of a school as defined in § 11-37.1-2.

Reduces the time, from three (3) years to one year, required for a nonimmigrant foreign national student, who has resided in Rhode Island, to be eligible to pay the same in-state tuition as any other Rhode Island student.

Makes students in workforce-ready certificate programs at the Community College of Rhode Island eligible to receive the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship.

Maddy summarySB 623 updates state casino crime laws to include online gambling (iGaming), adding "iGaming" to key definitions and ensuring age restrictions apply to digital platforms. It clarifies prohibited actions like cheating, fraud, or using unauthorized devices in both physical casinos and online games, maintaining existing penalties of up to 10 years in prison or $100,000 fines. The bill directly affects casinos, online gambling operators, and players by extending legal prohibitions to cover digital cheating methods. Key provisions include defining iGaming, updating "cheating device" rules for digital systems, and requiring compliance with age limits for online participation.

Provides that businesses awarded tax credits, under the qualified jobs incentive act, within a specified time period are able to submit certain required documentation by December 31, 2025.

Amends the Identity Theft Protection Act by eliminating current definitions and establishing new definitions. This act also raises the penalty provisions for violations.

Maddy summarySB 414 permits retired state employees, including paid members of the state labor relations board, to continue receiving their full retirement benefits while working in specific post-retirement roles. The bill amends retirement rules to clarify that retired members may serve in certain positions - such as on the labor relations board, as part-time teachers, or in limited judicial roles - without forfeiting benefits. Key provisions require employers to notify the retirement board monthly about such employment and prohibit additional retirement contributions or service credits for this work. The law specifically allows continued benefit receipt for roles like municipal board members, classroom instruction, or part-time nursing services, subject to annual pay limits.

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.