Bill
HB 7053
Allows teachers on unpaid parental or medical leave to receive a full year of retirement service credit if they work at least 135 days in the year.
Title: AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- TEACHERS' RETIREMENT
Status: Introduced January 9, 2026; referred to House Finance. Committee recommended holding for further study (April 16, 2026). Sponsors: Donovan, Fellela, McNamara, Speakman, Serpa, Messier, Phillips, Cotter, Boylan, with several co-sponsors.
Purpose and intent
- The bill amends the Rhode Island Teachers’ Retirement law to adjust how service credit is earned when a teacher takes an unpaid parental or medical leave during a school year.
- Specifically, it allows a teacher who takes an unpaid leave of up to a full school year to still receive a full year of service credit if they complete at least 135 days of service during that year.
Key provisions and changes
- Section 16-16-5 (a) through (f) (current framework for service credit) is amended to add:
- New eligibility for service credit: A teacher who takes an unpaid parental or medical leave in a school year may receive a full year of service credit if they serve at least 135 school days during that year.
- Existing rules remain:
- Full-year service credit for a year of service when the teacher serves as a teacher, with potential full actuarial cost payments for partial service due to illness or unpaid leave (as currently defined).
- Limited aggregate leaves of absence credit to four years total in a teacher’s career.
- Maternity leave credit provisions requiring a contribution with regular interest upon return, based on expected compensation.
- Provisions for service credit for days the public schools are in session and for 135+ days served by substitutes, and for prior service credits (pre-1949) with actuarial cost payments.
- Credit for part-time or job-share employment on a proportional basis, with the restriction that credit cannot be purchased for remaining time not actually worked.
- No more than one year of service credit can be credited for any single calendar year.
- No member may purchase service credit for a portion of a year for which they already have service credit.
What is changing in practical terms
- Teachers on unpaid parental or medical leave who work at least 135 days in the school year would receive a full year of service credit toward retirement, rather than potentially prorated or reduced credit.
- This creates a more favorable credit option for teachers returning from such leaves, aligning credit with actual months of service in the year, provided the 135-day threshold is met.
Who is affected
- Current and future teachers enrolled in Rhode Island’s Teachers’ Retirement system.
- Administering bodies and the state retirement system, which would apply the 135-day rule when calculating annual service credit for years with unpaid parental or medical leaves.
Procedural/timeline aspects
- Referred to House Finance upon introduction.
- The committee recommended holding the measure for further study on April 16, 2026, indicating ongoing consideration and potential refinement before a full chamber vote.
Notes
- The bill’s explanatory section emphasizes the aim to credit a school year for unpaid parental or medical leaves if the teacher meets the 135-day service threshold.
- The act would become law upon passage.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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