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5/6/2024 MEDIA ADVISORY: House Finance Committee meets three times this week to hear a variety of bills and budget amendments
STATE HOUSE – The House Finance Committee will meet three times this week to hear testimony on a variety of legislation and proposed budget amendments.

On Tuesday, May 7 at the RISE of the House (approximately 5 p.m.) in Room 35 of the State House the committee will meet to hear testimony on several bills.

Among the legislation scheduled to be heard are the following bills:
  • 2024-H 7337, sponsored by Rep. Enrique George Sanchez (D-Dist. 9, Providence), requires free breakfast and lunches to be provided for all elementary and secondary students attending public schools.
  • 2024-H 7916, sponsored by Rep. Stephen M. Casey (D-Dist. 50, Woonsocket), adds Department of Corrections' correctional officers to the list of public safety employees that are entitled to their full salary if they are injured and become disabled as a result of performance of their job duties.
  • 2024-H 8048, sponsored by Rep. Mary Ann Shallcross Smith (D-Dist. 46, Lincoln, Pawtucket), creates the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority which would allow eligible individual to discharge student loan debt.
  • 2024-H 8149, sponsored by Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Dist. 70, Tiverton), reduces the number of years from five to three, when calculating for retirement purposes, the average of the highest consecutive years of compensation for state and municipal employees.
  • 2024-H 8193, sponsored by Rep. Patricia A. Serpa (D-Dist. 27, West Warwick, Coventry), provides a three percent pension increase and annual COLAs.
On Wednesday, May 8 at 4 p.m. in Room 35, the committee will meet to hear testimony on budget amendments and several pieces of legislation.

The committee will hear the following proposed budget amendments:
The committee will also hear testimony on the following bills:
  • 2024-H 7905, sponsored by Rep. Julie A. Casimiro (D-Dist. 31, North Kingstown, Exeter), establishes a tuition waiver program for children in the Rhode Island foster care program. The purpose would be to increase the number of youths in foster care enrolling in and obtaining degrees in a timely fashion from Rhode Island College.
  • 2024-H 8099, sponsored by Rep. Samuel A. Azzinaro (D-Dist. 37, Westerly), extends the time for which a student may enroll in the Community College of Rhode Island Promise Scholarship program to one year after the student's high school graduation.
  • 2024-H 8108, sponsored by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist. 19, Warwick, Cranston), extends the sunset date of the Rhode Island Hope Scholarship pilot program from 2028 to 2030, in order to allow the program to provide eligible students with funding for tuition and mandatory fees for an additional two years.
On Thursday, May 9 at the RISE of the House in Room 35, the committee will hear testimony on several bills.

Among the legislation scheduled to be heard are the following bills:
  • 2024-H 7124, sponsored by Rep. Grace Diaz (D-Dist. 11, Providence), creates the Rhode Island Child Care Assistance Program that governs both family eligibility for the state's child care subsidy program and the rates paid to child care providers serving families receiving a subsidy.
  • 2024-H 7187, sponsored by Representative Casimiro, exempts any individual who is aging out of foster care from the payment of any fee associated with the issuance of an operator's license as well as driver's education class fees. The fee waiver is in effect until the individual reaches 27 years of age.
  • 2024-H 7490, sponsored by Rep. Susan R. Donovan (D-Dist. 69, Bristol, Portsmouth), establishes a tax credit against the income tax based on eligible expenses incurred for care and support of an eligible family member.
  • 2024-H 7547, sponsored by Rep. Cherie L. Cruz (D-Dist. 58, Pawtucket), establishes the Rhode Island Child Care for All Act which would provide high quality and affordable child care to families throughout the state.
The meetings will be televised by Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channel 61, on i3Broadband channel 15 and on Verizon channel 34. It will be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv. 



For more information, contact:
Larry Berman, Communications Director for the Office of the Speaker
State House Room 322
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2466