SB 639 Rhode Island Senate · 2025 Regular Session

AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE SCHOOL LIBRARIES ACT

SB 639, known as "The School Libraries Act," establishes new requirements for public schools across the state. It mandates that every public school must have a permanent, dedicated school library equipped with an adequate collection, technology, and budget. The bill also requires all public schools to employ certified school librarians, with specific staffing levels (full-time for schools with 250+ students, half-time for smaller schools) to be phased in by the 2030-2031 school year. This legislation aims to ensure students in all public schools have daily access to these libraries and their resources.
Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 7, 2025 Last action Apr 21, 2025
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
5
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Mar 12, 2025
Committee
03/12/2025 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
legislature
Mar 7, 2025
Introduced
03/07/2025 Introduced, referred to Senate Education
upper
7 primary · 0 co-sponsors

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