Sen. John Burke

Maddy summaryThis bill approves amendments to Rhode Island's Medicaid program under a federal waiver, directly affecting Medicaid beneficiaries and healthcare providers. It limits nursing facility and hospital rate increases to 2.3% (aligned with state tax revenue growth) for 2025-2026, eliminates annual home care rate increases, and removes hospital upper payment limits. The bill also establishes an interprofessional consultation program starting October 2025 and authorizes $396 million for hospital payments through Medicaid Managed Care Organizations. These changes require state plan amendments but must not increase overall program spending beyond the 2024-2025 budget. The resolution takes effect July 1, 2025.

Extends time for a party to apply for stay of arbitration to180 days; invalidates any provision that penalizes a party for seeking legal representation; requires arbitrator to provide notice of default to a party for failure to pay fees.

Requires state use actual residences of persons in government custody for redistricting purposes. Information would be collected by the department of corrections and forwarded to the division of statewide planning, to be utilized for redistricting.

Provides that minor subdivisions would include oversized lot subdivisions under certain circumstances and relative to zoning ordinances, permit a modification to allow "neighborhood character-based modifications" under certain circumstances.

Allows school bus drivers in Massachusetts and Connecticut who have a valid CDL license in good standing be exempt from the licensing requirements in Rhode Island to transport school children.

Maddy summarySB 341 proposes to provide a full property tax exemption for real property owned by a veteran and used as their primary residence. Currently, veterans receive various partial property tax exemptions, with amounts differing based on their service and the specific municipality. This bill would replace those existing partial exemptions with a complete property tax exemption for their primary home, directly affecting eligible veteran homeowners.

Requires every school district to render assistance and cooperation within its jurisdictional power to further the objects of this chapter, to wit, providing the courts with any information concerning a child as the court may require.

Maddy summarySB 1046 amends the state's sales and use tax laws related to hotel taxes. Currently, there is a 5% state hotel tax and a 1% local hotel tax on hotel stays and similar accommodations. This bill introduces a new provision that allows individual cities and towns to levy an *additional* local hotel tax, up to a maximum of two percent (2%). This means a community could increase its total local hotel tax from one percent to up to three percent, with the state's division of taxation generally collecting and distributing these local taxes to the respective municipalities.

Maddy summarySB 330 allows cities and towns to create ordinances that permit the waiver of interest on one quarter's overdue property tax payment. This applies to both residential and commercial property owners who meet specific criteria, such as owning the property for at least five years and having a history of timely tax payments. The bill stipulates that the maximum interest waiver cannot exceed $500 and requires a written request from the taxpayer. If granted, the remaining tax balance can still be paid on a quarterly basis.

Protects bullying/psychological abuse in workplace inflicted upon employees by employers/co-employees/provides civil remedies to affected employees/fines against employers/imprisonment/fines against co-employees.