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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- S 0453 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC001335 |
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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 LIBRARIES -- STATE AID TO LIBRARIES |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Senators McKenney, Britto, Burke, LaMountain, Appollonio, Sosnowski, |
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| 17 | 17 | | Murray, DiMario, Dimitri, and Gallo |
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| 18 | 18 | | Date Introduced: February 26, 2025 |
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| 19 | 19 | | Referred To: Senate Finance |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 1. Section 29-6-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 29-6 entitled "State Aid to 1 |
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| 24 | 24 | | Libraries" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
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| 25 | 25 | | 29-6-2. Public library services. 3 |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a) The general assembly makes the following findings: 4 |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) The Constitution of the State of Rhode Island Article XII of Education, Section 1 states 5 |
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| 28 | 28 | | that it "shall be the duty of the general assembly to promote public schools and public libraries, and 6 |
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| 29 | 29 | | to adopt all means which it may deem necessary and proper to secure to the people the advantages 7 |
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| 30 | 30 | | and opportunities of education and public library services." 8 |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) Free public libraries are essential to the general enlightenment of citizens in a 9 |
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| 32 | 32 | | democracy; 10 |
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| 33 | 33 | | (3) Free public libraries provide for the cultural, educational, informational, and research 11 |
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| 34 | 34 | | needs of all citizens; 12 |
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| 35 | 35 | | (4) Free public libraries are an integral part of the educational system at all levels and a 13 |
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| 36 | 36 | | source for vocational information and continued learning following the period of formal education; 14 |
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| 37 | 37 | | (5) It is the responsibility of government at all levels to provide adequate financial support 15 |
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| 38 | 38 | | for all free public libraries; 16 |
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| 39 | 39 | | (6) Throughout the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, public libraries across Rhode Island 17 |
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| 40 | 40 | | have adopted creative strategies to support their communities through daily virtual programming, 18 |
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| 41 | 41 | | free audiobook subscriptions, takeaway activity bags for youth, curbside book pick-ups, printing 19 |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | LC001335 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 45 | 45 | | services, and limited indoor browsing. 1 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (b) For each city or town, the state’s share to support local public library services shall be 2 |
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| 47 | 47 | | equal to at least twenty-five percent (25%) of both the amount appropriated and expended in the 3 |
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| 48 | 48 | | second preceding fiscal year by the city or town from local tax revenues and funds from the public 4 |
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| 49 | 49 | | library’s private endowment that supplement the municipal appropriation; provided, however, the 5 |
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| 50 | 50 | | state in any year shall not be obligated to match any amount from the endowment that exceeds six 6 |
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| 51 | 51 | | percent (6%) of the three-year (3) average market value, calculated at the end of the calendar year, 7 |
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| 52 | 52 | | of the investments in the endowment. The amount of the grant payable to each municipality in any 8 |
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| 53 | 53 | | year in accordance with this section shall be reduced proportionately in the event that the total of 9 |
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| 54 | 54 | | those grants in any year exceeds the amount appropriated that year for the purposes of this section. 10 |
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| 55 | 55 | | (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, in fiscal year 2026, the 11 |
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| 56 | 56 | | state shall pay each city and town a fixed twenty-five percent (25%) of the amount appropriated 12 |
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| 57 | 57 | | and expended by the city or town in the second preceding fiscal year from local tax revenues and 13 |
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| 58 | 58 | | from the public library's private endowment that supplement the municipal appropriation for public 14 |
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| 59 | 59 | | library services. 15 |
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| 60 | 60 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 16 |
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| 61 | 61 | | ======== |
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| 62 | 62 | | LC001335 |
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| 65 | 65 | | |
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| 66 | 66 | | LC001335 - Page 3 of 3 |
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| 67 | 67 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 68 | 68 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 69 | 69 | | OF |
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| 70 | 70 | | A N A C T |
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| 71 | 71 | | RELATING TO LIBRARIES -- STATE AID TO LIBRARIES |
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| 72 | 72 | | *** |
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| 73 | 73 | | This act would require that the state’s share to support public library services in fiscal year 1 |
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| 74 | 74 | | 2026 be fixed at twenty-five percent (25%) of the amount appropriated and expended by the city 2 |
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| 75 | 75 | | or town in the second preceding fiscal year. 3 |
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| 76 | 76 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 4 |
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| 77 | 77 | | ======== |
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| 78 | 78 | | LC001335 |
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