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5/5/2025
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MEDIA ADVISORY: Senate Finance Committee meets twice this week to hear legislation
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STATE HOUSE – The Senate Finance Committee will be meeting twice this week to hear testimony on several bills.
The committee is chaired by Sen. Louis P. DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Little Compton, Newport, Tiverton).
Among the legislation scheduled to be heard on Tuesday, May 6, at the Rise of the Senate (approximately 5 p.m.) in Room 211 of the State House are the following bills:
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2025-S 0094, sponsored by Sen. John P. Burke (D-Dist. 9, West Warwick), exempts from the sales and use tax, the sale of beer and malt beverages at retail.
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2025-S 0097, sponsored by Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis (D-Dist. 33, Coventry, West Greenwich), establishes the Office of Inspector General which would be charged with preventing fraud and mismanagement of public funds, regardless of their source and would oversee all state programs and operations.
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2025-S 0244, sponsored by Sen. Walter S. Felag Jr. (D-Dist. 10, Warren, Bristol, Tiverton), increases the Rhode Island earned-income credit to 20% on January 1, 2026. Such credit would not exceed the amount of state income tax.
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2025-S 0892, sponsored by Sen. Melissa Murray (D-Dist. 24, Woonsocket, North Smithfield), establishes a core state behavioral health crisis services system, to be administered by the director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals.
Among the legislation scheduled to be heard on Thursday, May 8, at the Rise of the Senate (approximately 5 p.m.) in Room 211 of the State House are the following bills:
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2025-S 0420, sponsored by Sen. Jacob E. Bissaillon (D-Dist. 1, Providence), reduces the current varying percentages for early retirement penalty for teachers, municipal and state employees to a cumulative annual reduction of 3% and monthly reduction of .25%.
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2025-S 0449, sponsored by Senator Burke, requires a reamortization of the state pension fund for 2026.
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2025-S 0659, sponsored by Sen. Robert Britto (D-Dist. 18, East Providence, Pawtucket), recalculates the retirement allowance related to early retirement and pension benefits for teachers, state employees and municipal employees.
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2025-S 1000, sponsored by Sen. Mark McKenney (D-Dist. 30, Warwick), ends the difference between teachers retired before or after June 30, 2012, for pension adjustments and difference between COLA adjustments between state and municipal pensions.
The meetings will be televised by Capitol Television on: Cox Communications, channels 15 and 61 for high definition; i3Broadband (Formerly Full Channel) on 15; and Verizon, on channel 34. Senate committee hearings may also air on Channel 75 for Cox subscribers. Livestreaming is available at https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv
For more information, contact:
Greg Pare, Director of Communications for the Senate
State House Room 112
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 276-5558
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