Rep. Nathan Biah

Maddy summaryHB 5593 changes how the Urban Collaborative - a partnership of school districts including Providence, Pawtucket, East Providence, and Central Falls - is governed. It requires the Collaborative to be managed by a board of trustees with specific members: the Providence superintendent, superintendents from other participating districts, and appointees from the council on education. The bill also clarifies that participating districts must transfer state and local education funding directly to the Collaborative, treating it like a school district for all funding purposes. This affects the participating school districts and their ability to coordinate services like alternate education programs. The bill takes effect upon passage.

Authorizes the Providence city council to set the veterans tax exemption limit to an amount determined by the city council via ordinance or resolution.

RDC), $250,000 TO HIGHER GROUND INTERNATIONAL, AND $250,000 TO DORCAS INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF RHODE ISLAND (Authorizes $250,000 to REFUGEE DREAM CENTER (RDC), $250,000 to HIGHER GROUND INTERNATIONAL, and $250,000 to DORCAS INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF RHODE ISLAND

Authorizes office of health and human services (EOHHS) to establish coverage for obesity treatments, including medication. Office of health and human services would seek a 1115(a) waiver.

Gives teachers who takes an unpaid parental or medical leave during the year credit for a year of service for that school year if they served a minimum of 135 days.

Authorizes a host city or town to impose a two percent (2%) tax on the endowment of a private institution of higher education that is in excess of one billion dollars ($1,000,000,000), to be used only for the host public school district.

Maddy summaryHB 5981, titled "The Education Equity and Property Tax Relief Act," proposes to establish a new state funding category specifically for civics education. This bill amends an existing section of law (16-7.2-6) that outlines various categorical state-funded education expenses. If enacted, public school districts would become eligible to receive direct state funding for their civics education programs, similar to support currently provided for areas like special education and career and technical education.

Dictates the length a search warrant involving a tracking device would be valid and provide a process to extend the time frame of the tracking device for good cause.

Maddy summaryHB 6107 establishes a pilot program for a virtual reality learning platform aimed at improving math and science skills for students in grades 6 through 12. Beginning in fiscal year 2026, the bill appropriates $2 million to fund this program. The Department of Education will select a platform through a request for proposal process, which must offer tactile, multimodal learning experiences and demonstrated improvement in Algebra 1. The funds will also be used to train middle and high school mathematics teachers in selected districts to use virtual reality technology in their classrooms.

Reduces the time, from three (3) years to six (6) months, required for a nonimmigrant foreign national student, who has resided in Rhode Island, to be eligible to pay the same in-state tuition as any other Rhode Island student.