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HB 5530

AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Karen Alzate and 5 co-sponsors

HB 5530 would allow eligible state and education employees to negotiate longevity pay starting July 1, 2025, with defined payout schedules for certain non-classified staff.

04/22/2025 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Bill Summary · HB 5530

Summary — HB 5530 (AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION)

Status: Committee recommended measure be held for further study (4/22/2025)
Introduced: Feb 13, 2025 (filed Mar 14, 2025) — Referred to House Finance; subsequent referrals and hearings listed below.

Purpose / Intent

HB 5530 would restore the ability for state employees and certain education-sector non‑classified employees to negotiate longevity pay in future collective bargaining agreements (effective July 1, 2025). The bill also re-establishes explicit longevity payment schedules for certain non‑classified education employees and clarifies reemployment longevity credit under the Merit System.

Key provisions

  • Amends multiple statutes (R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 16-59-7.2, 16-60-7.2, 36-4-17.1, 36-4-17.2, and 36-6-22) to:
    • Provide a longevity schedule for non‑classified employees of the Board of Governors for Higher Education and the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education (applies only to employees under grade 19 and excludes faculty and those already receiving longevity):
    • 5% of base salary after 10 years of service
    • 10% of base salary after 20 years of service
    • Longevity payments are not included in base salary
    • Authorize the respective boards to promulgate implementing regulations.
    • Confirm that employees who were reemployed by the state may receive an aggregate longevity increase for the period of initial employment (applies retroactively to reemployment prior to June 1, 1980, and thereafter).
    • Reinstate the ability for state employees to negotiate longevity payments in subsequent collective bargaining agreements beginning July 1, 2025 (overrides the 2011 statewide freeze on future longevity increases).
  • Section 4 (amending § 36-6-22) appears to apply comparable changes to officers and employees of the legislative, judicial and certain executive offices; the provided text is partially truncated but follows the same pattern of permitting negotiation of longevity starting 7/1/2025.

Who is affected

  • Non‑classified education employees of the Board of Governors (higher education) and Board of Regents (K–12) under grade 19 (excluding faculty).
  • Classified and unclassified state employees generally (Merit System).
  • Officers and employees in legislative, judicial, and specified executive offices (per §36-6-22).
  • Public-sector unions/collective bargaining units (will be able to negotiate longevity provisions after 7/1/2025).

Fiscal and practical impact

  • The bill does not appropriate funds. If negotiated and adopted in future contracts, longevity payments could increase state personnel costs; the actual fiscal impact would depend on negotiated terms and affected employee counts.
  • Regulatory and implementation details would be developed by the applicable boards and through collective bargaining.

Procedural history (selected)

  • 02/13/2025: Introduced; referred to House Finance
  • 04/07/2025: Read first time; referred to Corrections
  • 04/18/2025: Scheduled for hearing (04/22/2025)
  • 04/22/2025: Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Note: Text for §36-6-22 included in the bill is truncated in the provided version; available language indicates the same principle of allowing longevity negotiation beginning July 1, 2025.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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