Sen. John Burke

Maddy summarySenate Bill 140 amends state law regarding the Corrections Department to modify probation sentences. It specifically prohibits individuals serving a probationary period for driving under the influence offenses that result in death from earning "good time" credits. These credits would typically reduce the length of a probation sentence for compliance with court-ordered terms and conditions. This bill ensures that those convicted of driving under the influence death resulting will serve the full term of their court-ordered probation without such reductions.

Maddy summarySB 661 amends the state's retirement system by adding state probation and parole officers to the list of state law enforcement professionals. This change makes probation and parole officers eligible for the same specific retirement benefits and service allowances as other state law enforcement personnel, such as deputy sheriffs and capitol police officers. The bill specifies that service credits earned before January 1, 2026, will be determined by prior laws, with the new provisions taking effect on January 1, 2026.

Maddy summarySB 298 increases penalties for various motor vehicle offenses. It raises the maximum imprisonment for "driving so as to endanger, resulting in death" from 10 to 20 years, and for "driving so as to endanger, resulting in serious bodily injury" from 5 to 10 years. For first-time convictions of "driving under the influence, resulting in death," the bill increases maximum imprisonment to 30 years and maximum fines to $20,000. Additionally, for first-time "driving under the influence, resulting in serious bodily injury," maximum imprisonment rises to 20 years, maximum fines to $10,000, and license revocation periods increase from up to 2 years to 3-5 years.

Reduces the current varying percentages for early retirement penalty for teachers, municipal and state employees to a cumulative annual reduction of 3% and monthly reduction of .25%.

Amends the pension benefits for both current and former Rhode Island state police members, and would extend the time period a member may serve in the Rhode Island state police.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 659 proposes to revise how retirement allowances are calculated for teachers, state employees, and municipal employees. The bill introduces new formulas and percentage allowances based on an employee's years of service and the date their membership in the retirement system began. It also modifies the period of compensation used to determine a retirement allowance, shifting between three and five highest consecutive years depending on the employee's retirement eligibility and date. These changes would apply to different groups of employees based on their service dates and retirement timelines, with some provisions taking effect as late as July 1, 2025.

Gives teachers who takes an unpaid parental or medical leave during the year credit for a year of service for that school year if they served a minimum of 135 days.

Extends provisions of an existing collective bargaining agreement for municipal police arbitration purposes until a successor agreement is reached or an interest arbitration award is rendered.

Provides that all contractual provisions in a firefighters collective bargaining agreement continue until a successor agreement has been reached or an interest arbitration award has been rendered.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 1022 proclaims April 29, 2025, as "Community College of Rhode Island Day" in the State of Rhode Island. This resolution honors the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) for its 60th anniversary and its contributions to education and workforce development.