Signed by Governor Gina Raimondo

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates funds for fiscal year 2015-2016.

Highlights:

• Exempts an individual who has reached the Social Security retirement benefits age from paying taxes on Social Security income if that individual takes 1 of the following actions (Art. 11, Sec. 11):

• Files a return as an unmarried individual, head of household, or married-filing-separate with a federal adjusted gross income of less than $80,000; or

• Files a return as married-filing-jointly, or as a qualifying widower with a federal adjusted gross income of less than $100,000.

• Establishes the Reinventing Medicaid Act of 2015 to increase the affordability and quality of health care (Art. 5).

• Requires a school district to offer full-day kindergarten to every eligible student in order to qualify for state education aid (Art. 6, Sec. 1).

• Requires the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to provide funding to support transition expenses for all districts that do not offer universal full-day kindergarten programs (Art. 6, Sec. 1).

• Prohibits the appropriation for transition expenses from exceeding the amount of state aid that would have otherwise been provided to the district for operating a universal full-day kindergarten program (Art. 6, Sec. 1).

• Amends the public pension system by lowering the retirement age, dependent on the number of years of service, and providing benefit adjustment payments (Art. 21, Sec. 11).

Full Bill Text