Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new fund within the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to support bilingual education programs in public schools. The primary mechanism is a grant program that provides financial assistance to school districts, community organizations, and universities for planning and implementing dual language instruction models, particularly in areas with high numbers of multilingual learners. Additionally, the legislation creates a strategy to increase the number of certified bilingual teachers by streamlining certification processes and funding professional development. Eligible recipients must adhere to specific high-quality standards and focus on developing curricula and staffing plans that serve students in both English and their home languages.
Sponsored bills
Establishes sales and use tax exemptions for commercial forest product operations and creates a new motor vehicle registration for "forestry vehicles".
Clarifies and updates language in the office of state medical examiners statute to address outdated or ambiguous language, outdated practices, outdated position titles/qualifications, and ensure compliance with federal HIPAA requirements.
Creates a new class of retirement status license for retirees that had possessed a professional license issued by the department of labor and training.
Establishes the criminal offense of real estate title fraud and allows municipalities to refuse to record “suspicious documents” from persons who are not trusted submitters and creates penalties for real estate title fraud.
Ends transaction fees for school lunches in all districts. This act requires at least one no-fee payment method for school lunches and a full disclosure whether fees will be charged by a payment platform.
Expands the requirement that all high schools and middle schools, whether they are publicly or privately run to maintain on site a functional AED while establishing and implementing a cardiac emergency response plan in these schools.
Requires that before any fire fighter or police officer is eligible to receive benefits for illness or injury sustained off duty, they prove they had reasonable grounds to believe that an emergency existed that required immediate need of their assistance.
Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution expresses the state's deepest condolences on the passing of Honorable Joseph A. Abbate, a former judge and public servant from Lincoln. The bill formally acknowledges his distinguished career, which included roles as a municipal judge, director of the Law Revision Office, and long-time community leader. It authorizes the Secretary of State to send certified copies of the resolution to Abbate's surviving family members as a gesture of sympathy.
Applies to electric generating facilities generating electricity on/after 1/1/25 regarding sale/transmission of electricity/facility restructuring/last-resort service.