Rhode Island

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- PUBLIC ACCOUNTANCY - Updates the state’s public accountancy act for consistency with the 9th edition of the Uniform Accountancy Act, as issued by NASBA and AICPA in July 2025.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARD - Amends the obligation of entities to sell at retail to Rhode Island and use customers.

PROPERTY -- RHODE ISLAND FAIR HOUSING PRACTICES ACT - Allows a tenant with a disability who needs a service animal or an emotional support animal to house the animal on the rented premises.

EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT - Increases the state’s regionalization bonus to six percent (6.0%) of the state’s fiscal year share of foundation education aid. This bonus would be ongoing and continuing so long as the district remains a regional school district.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT - Establishes an agricultural restricted receipt account within the department of environmental management. An advisory committee to be established to determine suggested uses of the funds in said account.

EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT - Ensures that transportation categorical funds between the state and regional school districts would be fully funded.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT - Prohibits defendants who are serving probation for driving under the influence death resulting from earning good time off their probationary period.

HUMAN SERVICES -- MEDICAL ASSISTANCE -- LONG-TERM CARE SERVICE AND FINANCE REFORM - Authorizes an increase in resource eligibility limits for persons with long-term-care needs who reside at home and requires semi-annual reports from Medicaid certified assisted living facilities and adult day service providers to the EOHHS.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION -- UTILITY OWNERSHIP OF ELECTRIC GENERATING FACILITIES - Applies to electric generating facilities generating electricity on/after 1/1/25 regarding sale/transmission of electricity/facility restructing/last-resort service.

HEALTH AND SAFETY -- CONSENT TO MEDICAL AND SURGICAL CARE - Requires that an individual's caregiver be present when healthcare decisions are discussed with the hospice team. It would also prevent a denial of home hospice care because of age or income.

EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND EARLY EDUCATOR WORKFORCE ACT - Directs the manage existing workforce development and compensation programs for the early educators workforce.

EDUCATION -- BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES IN OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME - Provides $100,000 to support the mental health and emotional well-being of children in OST settings.

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.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- ACCIDENTS AND ACCIDENT REPORTS - Provides for a single, increased range of penalties for all driving offenses which result in serious bodily injury or death.

Specifies that pre-k programs for three (3) – and four (4) – year olds be added to programs to increase access to voluntary, free, high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION - Requires the PUC to produce yearly reports beginning on January 1, 2027 on the ability of the current electric grid to handle electrification loads needed to power cars, buildings, and heating of homes within the state.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION -- THE EQUITABLE PARTICIPATION IN UTILITY REGULATION ACT - Creates an intervenor compensation program to provide compensation in the form of grants for legal fees, expert witness fees, and other reasonable costs to an intervenor in both, energy siting board and public utilities commission proceedings.

PROPERTY -- RHODE ISLAND FAIR HOUSING PRACTICE ACT - Amends the Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act to clarify housing-status enforcement, ban discriminatory housing notices, align state law with federal standards and remove a ban on public discussion of fair housing cases.

EDUCATION -- RHODE ISLAND PREKINDERGARTEN EDUCATION ACT - Establishes guidelines, rules and regulations for the implementation and expansion of prekindergarten education programs for children ages 3-4 to increase children’s school readiness statewide.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- REGULATORY POWERS OF ADMINISTRATION - Provides that every gas distribution company that charges for the distribution of would need to include certain information on any bill or statement provided to the consumer.

EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION EQUITY AND PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT - Establishes a new categorical funding category for civics education.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS -- SMALL LOAN LENDERS - Allows a lender to charge an origination fee, increase interest rates and collect a monthly service fee, on loans up to three hundred dollars ($300) but not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000).