Labor & Employment

died · Rhode Island · House Feb 5, 2026

HB 7442: AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- INSPECTION OF PERSONNEL FILES

Expands the obligations of employers to create, maintain and retain their employees' personnel records, it requires that records be retained for at least 3 years after employee's termination. It also increases the financial penalties for each violation.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands employer record-keeping requirements and increases penalties, strengthening worker access to personnel records for dispute resolution.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Public Employees

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signed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 10, 2026

SB 2326: AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELIEF OF INJURED AND DECEASED FIRE FIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS

Requires that before any fire fighter or police officer is eligible to receive benefits for illness or injury sustained off duty, they prove they had reasonable grounds to believe that an emergency existed that required immediate need of their assistance.

Topics ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentRequires proof of emergency before benefits, restricting access to worker protections for first responders.90% confidence

in committee · Rhode Island · Senate Jan 23, 2026

SB 2222: AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- ECONOMIC AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE ACT OF 2026

SB 2222 establishes a fee on fossil fuel sellers (like gasoline, diesel, and natural gas companies) operating in Rhode Island. The collected fees will fund the "Economic and Climate Resilience Fund," which will support clean energy programs, energy efficiency upgrades for low-income households and small businesses, and worker transition initiatives for jobs in low-carbon industries. The bill aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, address climate impacts disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities, and help Rhode Island meet its 2035 emissions goals. This is a proposed legislative measure introduced in January 2026 and not yet enacted.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesImposes fossil fuel fee to fund clean energy, efficiency, and worker programs, directly advancing fiscal management through targeted taxation for essential services.95% confidence ✓ EnergySupports EnergyFunds clean energy programs, energy efficiency, and low-carbon worker transitions via fossil fuel fees to reduce emissions and advance climate resilience.95% confidence ✓ EnvironmentSupports EnvironmentImposes fossil fuel fees to fund clean energy programs, energy efficiency, and emissions reduction, directly advancing climate resilience and environmental protection goals.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill explicitly funds 'worker transition initiatives for jobs in low-carbon industries' through the Economic and Climate Resilience Fund, directly advancing labor employment support.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Energy Efficiency Oil & Gas Renewable Energy Climate Change

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died · Rhode Island · Senate May 6, 2026

SB 2325: AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MINIMUM WAGES

Effective January 1, 2028, Increases the hourly minimum wage in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for the Northeast Region for the previous four (4) fiscal years.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentIncreases minimum wage via CPI adjustment, directly advancing worker compensation standards per Labor & Employment topic indicators.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards Minimum Wage

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signed · Rhode Island · House Jun 10, 2026

HB 7149: AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELIEF OF INJURED AND DECEASED FIRE FIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS

Requires that before any fire fighter or police officer is eligible to receive benefits for illness or injury sustained off duty, they prove they had reasonable grounds to believe that an emergency existed that required immediate need of their assistance.

Topics ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentAdds eligibility barrier for first responder benefits, requiring proof of emergency before receiving compensation, restricting access to worker protections.90% confidence

signed · Rhode Island · House Jun 22, 2026

HB 7040: AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MUNICIPAL POLICE ARBITRATION

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.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExtends existing collective bargaining agreement for municipal police arbitration, maintaining labor relations framework without disruption per bill summary.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining

died · Rhode Island · House Apr 16, 2026

HB 7100: AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES -- RETIREMENT SYSTEM--CONTRIBUTIONS AND BENEFITS

Increases the yearly amount of money that retired teachers, who had been certified driver education teachers, could earn from fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), without a reduction in their retirement benefits.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentIncreases retirement income limit for retired teachers without benefit reduction, expanding post-employment benefits for public employees.95% confidence

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died · Rhode Island · House Apr 28, 2026

HB 7456: AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- THE EDUCATION 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.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAllocates $2M in FY2025 budget for school social workers, increasing public service funding per bill summary.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationAllocates $2M for social worker hiring with 1:250 student ratio mandate, directly enhancing K-12 student support services and funding.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareFunds school social workers for mental health services, directly advancing student mental health care access per bill's allocation and mandate.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentAllocates $2M to hire school social workers, directly funding employment positions in education sector per mandate.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Property Tax K-12 Education School Funding Student Health

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signed · Rhode Island · Senate Jun 18, 2026

SB 2342: AN ACT RELATING TO LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- RESTRICTIONS ON SELF-SERVICE CHECKOUT STATIONS ACT

Places limits on the number of self-service checkout stations a grocery store can have and on the workload of employees assigned to monitor those checkout stations.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentRestricts self-checkout stations and limits employee monitoring workload, protecting workers from excessive duties and potential job displacement per bill's explicit labor relations focus.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Labor Standards

died · Rhode Island · House Feb 5, 2026

HB 7039: AN ACT RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- PEACE OFFICER MAXIMUM WORKDAY AND OVERTIME COMPENSATION

HB 7039 sets a maximum 8-hour workday for most state peace officers (defined under §12-7-21) and a 10-hour limit for correctional officer stewards, prohibiting forced overtime except during unforeseeable emergencies like riots. It requires the state to pay affected officers double time and a half if they are compelled to work beyond these limits, with exceptions for true emergencies after exhausting reasonable staffing efforts. The bill directly affects Rhode Island Department of Corrections peace officers, aiming to protect their health and safety while ensuring emergency response flexibility. This policy change takes effect upon passage, with no impact on existing collective bargaining agreements.

Topics ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill enforces 8-hour workday limits and mandates double-time pay for overtime, directly protecting workers' rights and compensation standards under Labor & Employment.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Collective Bargaining Labor Standards

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