AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WORKERS' COMPENSATION -- GENERAL PROVISIONS

HB 6319 clarifies workers' compensation coverage for sworn police and fire department employees in Rhode Island. The bill explicitly excludes most city and town police and fire department members from standard workers' compensation benefits under chapters 29-38, except for appeals related to retirement board orders. However, it specifically includes Rhode Island Airport Corporation police and aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) units in coverage for all benefit determinations. This change directly affects municipal police/fire personnel (who lose standard workers' comp access) and airport ARFF staff (who gain consistent coverage), while maintaining existing rules for other employee categories.