Rhode Island

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION SITING AND REGULATORY ACT - Requires applications for energy facilities to take into consideration the 2021 Act on Climate and how the facility may advance or delay the greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

PROPERTY -- CONDOMINIUM LAW - Requires condominium associations to conduct structural surveys and reserve studies, fund reserves at 15%, and plan for repairs.

PROPERTY -- CONDOMINIUM OWNERSHIP - Clarifies how condominium insurance deductibles and unpaid losses are divided between associations and unit owners, require owners to insure units if associations do not, and allow boards to manage and use insurance proceeds for repairs.

EDUCATION -- FOUNDATION LEVEL SCHOOL SUPPORT - Allows a different minimum salary schedule for Providence public school teachers and provides a process for the dismissal and demotion of teachers. The reconstitution and control of the Providence public schools would terminate on June 30, 2026.

HEALTH AND SAFETY -- BIODIESEL PRODUCTS - Establishes minimum percentages of bio-based product contained in heating oil sold in the state and sets dates for compliance to set standards.

EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT - Amends State funding calculations for special education, revising extraordinary cost calculations for FY 2028-2029, and providing additional funds for excess costs when special education students move into a district after the budget is approved.

EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT - Removes the fiscal year 2026 fourteen percent (14%) limitation for reduction to the local per-pupil funding for charter schools.

EDUCATION -- EDUCATION FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM - Establishes a new program where the per pupil funding, calculated annually by RIDE, would be transferred into a newly created educational funding account run by the children's scholarship fund to pay for educational expenses.

EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT - Removes funding requirement from department of elementary and secondary education.

DELINQUENT AND DEPENDENT CHILDREN -- PROCEEDINGS IN FAMILY COURT - Prohibits handcuffing children twelve (12) or under at initial police contact unless needed for public safety or if the child is using or threatening physical force against an officer.

EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT - Amends the school funding formula to ensure that local education authorities do not lose funding due to disruptions in the supplemental nutrition assistance program.

EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATIONAL EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT - Mandates public schools (K-12) have one full-time certified social worker for every 250 students and allocates $2 million in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget for school districts and municipalities to hire additional social workers.

EDUCATION -- UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND - Enhances and further defines the role of the board of trustees of the University of Rhode Island. This act would also provide a more efficient procurement process for the university.

DELINQUENT AND DEPENDENT CHILDREN -- PROCEEDINGS IN FAMILY COURT - Prohibits any questioning of a juvenile who is suspected of delinquent or criminal behavior, unless the parent of guardian of the juvenile is present, or unless an attorney is present or the juvenile and their parents have waived their presence.

EDUCATION -- TRANSPORTATION OF SCHOOL PUPILS BEYOND CITY AND TOWN LIMITS - Allows an individual school district that can utilize its own buses or vendors at a lower cost than the statewide system, to obtain reimbursement for these costs from state funds.

EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT - Amends the current law on education to address unfunded mandates.

EDUCATION -- THE BRIGHT TODAY SCHOLARSHIP AND OPEN ENROLLMENT EDUCATION ACT - Establishes a new educational program that allows students to enroll public and private schools of their choice.

PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- MEDICARE ENROLLMENT - Requires the EOHHS to disregard an individual’s assets or resources, when determining an individual’s eligibility for any Medicare beneficiary program, contingent on federal approval.

EDUCATION -- COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE - Authorizes school committees to deny or defer approval of a homeschooling proposed plan in certain circumstances.

DOMESTIC RELATIONS -- DOMESTIC ABUSE PREVENTION - Permits the family court to award possession of household pets to the plaintiff in a domestic abuse complaint, including the enforcement remedy of a restraining order or other injunctive relief.

DELINQUENT AND DEPENDENT CHILDREN -- PROCEEDINGS IN FAMILY COURT - Prohibits a peace officer, as defined in § 12-7-21, from employing threats, physical harm, deprivation, deception, coercion, or psychologically manipulative interrogation tactics during the custodial interrogation of a juvenile.

TAXATION -- SALES AND USE TAXES -- LIABILITY AND COMPUTATION - Exempts from sales tax the amount paid for food and beverages during summer restaurant week and winter restaurant week.

PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- RETIREMENT SYSTEM -- CONTRIBUTION AND BENEFITS - Limits retired, part-time or adjunct instructors, hired by any state college, university, or state school, to teaching no more than two classes per semester.