AN ACT RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- THE RHODE ISLAND WORKS PROGRAM (Eliminates the sunset on the provision of funding, modify eligibility requirement to 85% of state median income and expand funding to at least 20 hours per week.)

S2085

2026 -- S 2085
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LC004022
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- THE RHODE ISLAND WORKS PROGRAM

Introduced By:
Senators DiMario, Lawson, Gallo, Valverde, Murray, Kallman, Acosta,
Vargas, Lauria, and Quezada

Date Introduced:
January 16, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Finance
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 40-5.2-20 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-5.2 entitled "The Rhode
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Island Works Program" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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40-5.2-20. Childcare assistance — Families or assistance units eligible.
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(a) The department shall provide appropriate child care to every participant who is eligible
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for cash assistance and who requires child care in order to meet the work requirements in
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accordance with this chapter.
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(b)
Low-income child care.
The department shall provide child care to all other working
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families with incomes at or below two hundred sixty-one percent (261%) of the federal poverty
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level if, and to the extent, these other families require child care in order to work at paid
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employment as defined in the department’s rules and regulations. The department shall also provide
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child care to families with incomes below two hundred sixty-one percent (261%) of the federal
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poverty level if, and to the extent, these families require child care to participate on a short-term
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basis, as defined in the department’s rules and regulations, in training, apprenticeship, internship,
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on-the-job training, work experience, work immersion, or other job-readiness/job-attachment
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program sponsored or funded by the human resource investment council (governor’s workforce
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board) or state agencies that are part of the coordinated program system pursuant to § 42-102-11.
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Effective from January 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, the department shall also provide childcare
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assistance to families with incomes below one hundred eighty percent (180%) of the federal poverty
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level when such assistance is necessary for a member of these families to enroll or maintain

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enrollment in a Rhode Island public institution of higher education provided that eligibility to
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receive funding is capped when expenditures reach $200,000 for this provision. Effective July 1,
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2022 through December 31, 2024, the department shall also provide childcare assistance to families
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with incomes below two hundred percent (200%) of the federal poverty level when such assistance
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is necessary for a member of these families to enroll or maintain enrollment in a Rhode Island
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public institution of higher education. Effective January 1, 2025, the department shall also provide
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childcare assistance to families with incomes below two hundred sixty-one percent (261%) of the
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federal poverty level when such assistance is necessary for a member of these families to enroll or
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maintain enrollment in a Rhode Island public institution of higher education.
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(c) No family/assistance unit shall be eligible for childcare assistance under this chapter if
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the combined value of its liquid resources exceeds one million dollars ($1,000,000), which
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corresponds to the amount permitted by the federal government under the state plan and set forth
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in the administrative rulemaking process by the department. Liquid resources are defined as any
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interest(s) in property in the form of cash or other financial instruments or accounts that are readily
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convertible to cash or cash equivalents. These include, but are not limited to: cash, bank, credit
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union, or other financial institution savings, checking, and money market accounts; certificates of
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deposit or other time deposits; stocks; bonds; mutual funds; and other similar financial instruments
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or accounts. These do not include educational savings accounts, plans, or programs; retirement
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accounts, plans, or programs; or accounts held jointly with another adult, not including a spouse.
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The department is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to determine the ownership and
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source of the funds in the joint account.
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(d) As a condition of eligibility for childcare assistance under this chapter, the parent or
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caretaker relative of the family must consent to, and must cooperate with, the department in
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establishing paternity, and in establishing and/or enforcing child support and medical support
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orders for any children in the family receiving appropriate child care under this section in
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accordance with the applicable sections of title 15, as amended, unless the parent or caretaker
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relative is found to have good cause for refusing to comply with the requirements of this subsection.
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(e) For purposes of this section, “appropriate child care” means child care, including infant,
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toddler, preschool, nursery school, and school-age, that is provided by a person or organization
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qualified, approved, and authorized to provide the care by the state agency or agencies designated
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to make the determinations in accordance with the provisions set forth herein.
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(f)(1) Families with incomes below one hundred percent (100%) of the applicable federal
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poverty level guidelines shall be provided with free child care. Families with incomes greater than
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one hundred percent (100%) and less than two hundred percent (200%) of the applicable federal

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poverty guideline shall be required to pay for some portion of the child care they receive, according
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to a sliding-fee scale adopted by the department in the department’s rules, not to exceed seven
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percent (7%) of income as defined in subsection (h) of this section.
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(2) Families who are receiving childcare assistance and who become ineligible for
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childcare assistance as a result of their incomes exceeding two hundred sixty-one percent (261%)
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of the applicable federal poverty guidelines shall continue to be eligible for childcare assistance
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until their incomes exceed three hundred percent (300%) of the applicable federal poverty
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guidelines. To be eligible, the families must continue to pay for some portion of the child care they
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receive, as indicated in a sliding-fee scale adopted in the department’s rules, not to exceed seven
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percent (7%) of income as defined in subsection (h) of this section, and in accordance with all other
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eligibility standards.
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(g) In determining the type of child care to be provided to a family, the department shall
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take into account the cost of available childcare options; the suitability of the type of care available
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for the child; and the parent’s preference as to the type of child care.
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(h) For purposes of this section, “income” for families receiving cash assistance under §
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40-5.2-11 means gross, earned income and unearned income, subject to the income exclusions in
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§§ 40-5.2-10(g)(2) and 40-5.2-10(g)(3), and income for other families shall mean gross, earned and
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unearned income as determined by departmental regulations.
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(i) The caseload estimating conference established by chapter 17 of title 35 shall forecast
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the expenditures for child care in accordance with the provisions of § 35-17-1.
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(j) In determining eligibility for childcare assistance for children of members of reserve
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components called to active duty during a time of conflict, the department shall freeze the family
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composition and the family income of the reserve component member as it was in the month prior
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to the month of leaving for active duty. This shall continue until the individual is officially
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discharged from active duty.
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(k)
Effective from August 1, 2023, through July 31, 2028, the

The
department shall provide
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funding for child care for eligible childcare educators, and childcare staff, who work at least twenty
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(20) hours a week in licensed childcare centers and licensed family childcare homes as defined in
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the department’s rules and regulations. Eligibility
is limited to qualifying childcare educators and
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childcare staff with family incomes up to three hundred percent (300%) of the applicable federal
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poverty guidelines and

for child care assistance for these children will fall under the federal Child
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Care Development Funds definition of a “protected population” and would be determined on a
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case-by-case basis by the department using the affordability guideline of eighty-five (85%) percent
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of state median income. Families determined eligible by the department under this “protected

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population” category
will have no copayments. Qualifying participants may select the childcare
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center or family childcare home for their children. The department shall promulgate regulations
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necessary to implement this section, and will collect applicant and participant data to report
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estimated demand for state-funded child care for eligible childcare educators and childcare staff.
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The report shall be due annually to the governor and the general assembly by November 1.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- THE RHODE ISLAND WORKS PROGRAM
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This act would eliminate the sunset on the provision of funding for child care educators.
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This act would also modify the eligibility requirement to eighty-five (85%) percent of state median
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income to waive any copayment.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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