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HB 7682

AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- TRANSPORTATION OF SCHOOL PUPILS BEYOND CITY AND TOWN LIMITS

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Mike Chippendale and 8 co-sponsors

Rhode Island would run a statewide fee-for-service school transportation system to cut duplication, shorten rides, and reduce local costs, with district options and EV preferred co

04/28/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
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Bill Summary · HB 7682

Bill Summary: HB 7682 (Rhode Island) — 2026

Title: AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- TRANSPORTATION OF SCHOOL PUPILS BEYOND CITY AND TOWN LIMITS

Session: 2026

Jurisdiction: Rhode Island

Status: Introduced February 11, 2026; referred to House Finance; recommended held for further study (April 28, 2026)

Purpose and Intent
- To implement a statewide transportation system for all public school students while allowing districts to preserve cost-effective, district-provided transportation options through a defined process.
- Aims to reduce duplication of transportation costs and routes across cities and towns, shorten ride times, improve service quality for students, and reduce overall costs to local school committees.

Key Provisions and Changes

1) Establishment and operation of a statewide transportation system (Section 16-21.1-8)
- The state would operate a statewide, fee-for-service integrated transportation system for all students.
- Each school committee would purchase transportation services for resident students through this statewide system, paying fees on a per-child basis.
- Districts that currently use district-owned buses or district staff may apply for a variance to continue operating transportation with district buses and employees.
- If a district uses its own buses or external vendors at a lower cost than the statewide system, those costs can be reimbursed from state funds similarly to the statewide system.
- All fees collected for transportation under the statewide system go into a dedicated statewide student transportation services restricted receipt account within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Expenditures from this account are limited to payments to transportation service providers and to transportation system consultants; the account is not subject to indirect cost recoveries under § 35-4-27.
- Goals of the statewide system include:
- Reducing duplication of routes and costs across municipalities
- Shortening ride times and creating more efficient routes
- Reducing costs for local school committees by avoiding multiple district-specific contracts

2) Fiscal and financial administration (Sections 10-16)
- Deductions: At fiscal year-end, any amounts owed by a district to the state for transportation under the statewide system are deducted from the district’s final aid payment and redirected to the statewide restricted receipt account.
- District invoicing: Districts will receive monthly invoices detailing the basis for transportation fees.

3) Workforce and contract protections (Sections 16-21.1-8 provisions)
- Public transportation contracts must provide for payment to bus drivers, attendants, monitors, and aides for 180 days or the length of the school year, whichever is longer.
- Preferences in contracts/subcontracts: When awarding contracts, preference must be given to public transportation providers that use electric buses to the greatest extent, with the EV preference weighted equally with other procurement preferences.
- Collective bargaining protections: No adverse disciplinary action against a bus driver, attendant, monitor, or aide under a contract may be taken before any investigation or action required by the applicable collective bargaining agreement; discipline cannot exceed what is provided in the agreement.

4) Effectuation and implementation (Effective date)
- The act would take effect upon passage.

Who is Affected

  • Rhode Island school committees (districts) and local education agencies (LEAs) that currently transport students beyond district borders.
  • Transportation service providers (including public bus operators) and potential electric-bus vendors.
  • DESE, through the administration of the statewide transportation system, the restricted receipts account, and invoicing/fees collection.
  • District employees and bus drivers, attendants, monitors, and aides who work for school transportation services (with protections under existing collective bargaining agreements).

Potential Impacts

  • Financial: Creation of a statewide transportation fee-for-service model and a dedicated restricted receipt account; potential reimbursement of district transportation costs if they are lower than the statewide system; year-end deductions from district aid to cover transportation costs.
  • Operational: Encourages consolidation of transportation into a centralized system to reduce duplication, improve efficiency, and shorten ride times; districts could opt to maintain district-owned buses via a variance process.
  • Procurement: Strong preference for electric buses in contract awards; potential shift in vendor composition toward electrified fleets.
  • Labor: Maintains protections for bus staff under collective bargaining agreements; requires contractually compliant scheduling and compensation.

Notes

  • The act emphasizes cost-efficiency, inter-district coordination, and modernizing the transportation fleet (with EV considerations) while safeguarding existing labor and contractual rights.
  • The bill was recommended to be held for further study by the committee as of April 28, 2026.

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

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