2023 -- H 5194
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LC000392
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
____________
A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POST SECONDARY EDUCATION
Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, Vella-Wilkinson, Azzinaro, Fellela, and
Solomon
Date Introduced: January 19, 2023
Referred To: House Finance
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 16-59-7.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-59 entitled "Council on 1
Postsecondary Education [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" 2
is hereby amended to read as follows: 3
16-59-7.2. Longevity payments — Nonclassified employees. 4
(a) The non-classified employees of the board of governors for higher education, except 5
for faculty employees and except for non-classified employees already receiving longevity 6
increases, shall be entitled to a longevity payment in the amount of five percent (5%) of base salary 7
after ten (10) years of service and increasing to a total of ten percent (10%) of base salary after 8
twenty (20) years of service. The provisions of this section will apply only to employees under the 9
grade of nineteen (19). The longevity payments shall not be included in base salary. 10
(b) The board of governors is authorized to promulgate regulations implementing the 11
provisions of this section. 12
(c) Beginning on July 1, 2011, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the 13
public laws or general laws to the contrary, there shall be no further longevity increases for 14
employees of the board of governors; provided, however, for employees with longevity provisions 15
pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, longevity increases shall 16
cease beginning on July 1, 2011 or beginning upon the expiration of the applicable collective 17
bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. To the extent an employee has previously accrued 18
longevity payments, the amount of the longevity payment earned by the employee for the last pay 19
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period in June, 2011 shall be added to the employee’s base salary as of June 30, 2011, or in the 1
case of an employee with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in 2
effect on June 1, 2011, the amount of the longevity payment earned by the employee for the latter 3
of the last pay period in June or the last pay period prior to the expiration of the applicable collective 4
bargaining agreement shall be added to the employee’s base salary as of June 30, 2011 or upon the 5
expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. 6
Beginning on July 1, 2023, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the pubic 7
laws or general laws to the contrary, state employees shall be entitled to a longevity payment of 8
five percent (5%) of base salary after ten (10) years of service and increasing in total of ten percent 9
(10%) of base salary after twenty (20) years of service. 10
SECTION 2. Section 16-60-7.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-60 entitled "Council on 11
Elementary and Secondary Education [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of 12
Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows: 13
16-60-7.2. Longevity payments — Nonclassified employees. 14
(a) The non-classified employees of the board of regents for elementary and secondary 15
education, except for non-classified employees already receiving longevity increases, shall be 16
entitled to a longevity payment in the amount of five percent (5%) of base salary after ten (10) 17
years of service and increasing to a total of ten percent (10%) of base salary after twenty (20) years 18
of service. The provisions of this section shall apply only to employees under the grade of nineteen 19
(19). The longevity payments shall not be included in base salary. 20
(b) The board of regents is authorized to promulgate regulations implementing the 21
provisions of this section. 22
(c) Beginning on July 1, 2011, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the 23
public laws or general laws to the contrary, there shall be no further longevity increases for 24
employees of the board of regents for elementary and secondary education; provided, however, for 25
employees with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on 26
June 1, 2011, longevity increases shall cease beginning on July 1, 2011 or beginning upon the 27
expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. To the extent 28
an employee has previously accrued longevity payments, the amount of the longevity payment 29
earned by the employee for the last pay period in June, 2011 shall be added to the employee’s base 30
salary as of June 30, 2011, or in the case of an employee with longevity provisions pursuant to a 31
collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, the amount of the longevity payment 32
earned by the employee for the latter of the last pay period in June or the last pay period prior to 33
the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement shall be added to the employee’s 34
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base salary as of June 30, 2011 or upon the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining 1
agreement, whichever occurs later. 2
Beginning on July 1, 2023, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the pubic 3
laws or general laws to the contrary, state employees shall be entitled to a longevity payment of 4
five percent (5%) of base salary after ten (10) years of service and increasing in total of ten percent 5
(10%) of base salary after twenty (20) years of service. 6
SECTION 3. Sections 36-4-17.1 and 36-4-17.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-4 7
entitled "Merit System" are hereby amended to read as follows: 8
36-4-17.1. Longevity payments. 9
A state employee in the classified or unclassified service who terminates employment and 10
is subsequently reemployed by the state, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the 11
general laws to the contrary, shall be eligible to receive an aggregate longevity increase for the 12
period of initial employment. The provisions of this section shall be applied retroactively to those 13
persons reemployed prior to June 1, 1980, and thereafter. 14
36-4-17.2. Future longevity payments. 15
Beginning on July 1, 2011, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the public 16
laws or general laws to the contrary, there shall be no further longevity increases for state 17
employees; provided, however, for employees with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective 18
bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, longevity increases shall cease beginning on July 19
1, 2011 or beginning upon the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, 20
whichever occurs later. To the extent an employee has previously accrued longevity payments, the 21
employee shall continue to receive the same longevity percentage in effect on June 30, 2011, or in 22
the case of an employee with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in 23
effect on June 1, 2011, the same longevity percentage in effect on June 30, 2011 or upon the 24
expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. 25
Beginning on July 1, 2023, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the pubic 26
laws or general laws to the contrary, state employees shall be entitled to a longevity payment of 27
five percent (5%) of base salary after ten (10) years of service and increasing in total of ten percent 28
(10%) of base salary after twenty (20) years of service. 29
SECTION 4. Section 36-6-22 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-6 entitled "Salaries and 30
Traveling Expenses" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31
36-6-22. Longevity payments. 32
Beginning on July 1, 2011, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the public 33
laws or general laws to the contrary, there shall be no further longevity increases for officers, 34
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secretaries, and employees of the legislative branch, the judicial branch, the office of the governor, 1
the office of the lieutenant governor, the department of state, the department of the attorney general, 2
and the treasury department; provided, however, for employees with longevity provisions pursuant 3
to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, longevity increases shall cease 4
beginning on July 1, 2011 or beginning upon the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining 5
agreement, whichever occurs later. To the extent an employee has previously accrued longevity 6
payments, the employee shall continue to receive the same longevity percentage in effect on June 7
30, 2011, or in the case of an employee with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining 8
agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, the same longevity percentage in effect on June 30, 2011 or 9
upon the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. 10
Beginning on July 1, 2023, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the pubic 11
laws or general laws to the contrary, state employees shall be entitled to a longevity payment of 12
five percent (5%) of base salary after ten (10) years of service and increasing in total of ten percent 13
(10%) of base salary after twenty (20) years of service. 14
SECTION 5. Section 36-16.2-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-16.2 entitled "Quasi 15
Public Corporations — Longevity" is hereby amended to read as follows: 16
36-16.2-1. Longevity payments — Quasi public employees. 17
(a) Beginning on July 1, 2011, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the 18
public laws or general laws to the contrary, there shall be no further longevity increases for 19
employees of the quasi-public corporations; provided, however, for employees with longevity 20
provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, longevity 21
increases shall cease beginning on July 1, 2011, or beginning upon the expiration of the applicable 22
collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. To the extent an employee has previously 23
accrued longevity payments, the amount of the longevity payment earned by the employee for the 24
last pay period in June, 2011 shall be added to the employee’s base salary as of June 30, 2011, or 25
in the case of an employee with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement 26
in effect on June 1, 2011, the amount of the longevity payment earned by the employee for the 27
latter of the last pay period in June or the last pay period prior to the expiration of the applicable 28
collective bargaining agreement shall be added to the employee’s base salary as of June 30, 2011 29
or upon the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. 30
(b) For purposes of this section “quasi-public corporation” means a body corporate and 31
politic acting as a public corporation, which has been organized pursuant to law and granted certain 32
powers, rights and privileges by the general laws, while exhibiting a distinct legal existence from 33
the state, and not constituting a department of the state government, in order to perform a 34
LC000392 - Page 5 of 6
governmental function. 1
Beginning on July 1, 2023, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the pubic 2
laws or general laws to the contrary, state employees shall be entitled to a longevity payment of 3
five percent (5%) of base salary after ten (10) years of service and increasing in total of ten percent 4
(10%) of base salary after twenty (20) years of service. 5
SECTION 6. This act shall take effect upon passage. 6
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LC000392
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON POST SECONDARY EDUCATION
***
This act would restore longevity payments of five percent (5%) of base salary for 1
employees after ten (10) years of service and increase to ten percent (10%) of base salary after 2
twenty (20) years of service, beginning July 1, 2023. 3
This act would take effect upon passage. 4
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LC000392
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