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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0363 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC001234 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE -- MILITARY CHILD ACT |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators Felag, Raptakis, Appollonio, Burke, Euer, Bissaillon, and Lauria |
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| 17 | 17 | | Date Introduced: February 21, 2025 |
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| 18 | 18 | | Referred To: Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 1. Title 30 of the General Laws entitled "MILITARY AFFAIRS AND 1 |
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| 23 | 23 | | DEFENSE" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 2 |
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| 24 | 24 | | CHAPTER 30.3 3 |
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| 25 | 25 | | THE MILITARY CHILD ACT 4 |
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| 26 | 26 | | 30-30.3-1. Short title. 5 |
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| 27 | 27 | | This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Military Child Act." 6 |
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| 28 | 28 | | 30-30.3-2. Definitions. 7 |
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| 29 | 29 | | As used in this chapter: 8 |
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| 30 | 30 | | (1) “Military-connected student” means a student who is the dependent of either a person 9 |
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| 31 | 31 | | in the active military service of the United States or in a full-time status during active service with 10 |
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| 32 | 32 | | a force of the Rhode Island national guard. 11 |
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| 33 | 33 | | 30-30.3-3. Advance enrollment. 12 |
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| 34 | 34 | | A military-connected student whose parent or guardian is being relocated to this state under 13 |
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| 35 | 35 | | military orders and is transferred to or is pending transfer to a military installation within the state, 14 |
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| 36 | 36 | | shall be deemed to be a resident pupil of a school system of a city or town for the purposes of 15 |
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| 37 | 37 | | enrollment. The Rhode Island board of education shall permit military-connected students to enroll 16 |
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| 38 | 38 | | preliminarily by remote registration without charge and shall not require the parents or guardians 17 |
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| 39 | 39 | | of the military-connected student or the student himself or herself to physically appear at a location 18 |
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| 40 | 40 | | within the district to register the student, if the parents or guardians present evidence of military 19 |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | LC001234 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 44 | 44 | | orders that a parent or guardian will be stationed in this state during the current or following school 1 |
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| 45 | 45 | | year. The parents or guardians may use an address within the school district where the military-2 |
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| 46 | 46 | | connected student is to be enrolled of a temporary on-base billeting facility, a purchased or leased 3 |
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| 47 | 47 | | home or apartment, or federal government or public-private venture off-base military housing. 4 |
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| 48 | 48 | | Proof of required residency shall not be required at the time of the remote registration but shall be 5 |
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| 49 | 49 | | required within ten (10) days of the student’s attendance in the school system of the city or town 6 |
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| 50 | 50 | | where he or she resides. 7 |
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| 51 | 51 | | 30-30.3-4. Open enrollment. 8 |
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| 52 | 52 | | (a) Military-connected students who are the dependent children of a member of the active 9 |
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| 53 | 53 | | uniformed military services of the United States on full-time active-duty status and students who 10 |
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| 54 | 54 | | are the dependent children of a member of the military reserve on active duty orders shall be eligible 11 |
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| 55 | 55 | | for admission to the school district of their choice regardless of the capacity of the district. 12 |
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| 56 | 56 | | (b) Students shall be eligible if: 13 |
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| 57 | 57 | | (1) At least one parent of the student has a Department of Defense-issued identification 14 |
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| 58 | 58 | | card; and 15 |
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| 59 | 59 | | (2) At least one parent can provide evidence that he or she will be on active duty status or 16 |
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| 60 | 60 | | active duty orders, meaning the parent will be temporarily transferred in compliance with official 17 |
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| 61 | 61 | | orders to another location in support of combat, contingency operation or a natural disaster 18 |
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| 62 | 62 | | requiring the use of orders for more than thirty (30) consecutive days. 19 |
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| 63 | 63 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 20 |
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| 65 | 65 | | LC001234 |
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| 68 | 68 | | |
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| 69 | 69 | | LC001234 - Page 3 of 3 |
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| 70 | 70 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 71 | 71 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 72 | 72 | | OF |
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| 73 | 73 | | A N A C T |
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| 74 | 74 | | RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE -- MILITARY CHILD ACT |
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| 75 | 75 | | *** |
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| 76 | 76 | | This act would define "military-connected student", "advance enrollment" and "open 1 |
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| 77 | 77 | | enrollment" to give the military connected student flexibility in choosing a school district. 2 |
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| 78 | 78 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 3 |
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| 80 | 80 | | LC001234 |
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