The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Rhode Island bill eliminates benefit waiting period for lawful permanent residents and raises cash assistance to 100% of federal poverty level
Last action · May 14, 2026: Committee recommended measure be held for further studySponsors: Arthur Handy and 9 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Rhode Island House Bill 7689 amends the Rhode Island Works program to allow s to receive benefits without any waiting period and increases the monthly cash benefit to one hundred percent (100%) of the , effective July 1, 2026.
Qualifying families gain immediate access to cash assistance programs upon obtaining lawful permanent residency, and recipients see monthly support levels tied directly to the full federal poverty threshold.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Lawful permanent residents
Lawful permanent residents gain immediate access to Rhode Island Works program benefits without a waiting period.
Rhode Island Works program participants
Participants receive an increase in their monthly cash benefit amount to one hundred percent of the federal poverty level.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is newly eligible to receive benefits without waiting?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
7 actions- May 14, 2026Committee recommended measure be held for further study
- May 8, 2026Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/14/2026)
- Mar 5, 2026Committee transferred to House Finance
- Mar 4, 2026Committee recommended measure be held for further study
- Feb 27, 2026Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/04/2026)
- Feb 27, 2026Committee transferred to House Judiciary
Show 1 earlier action
- Feb 11, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, referred to House Finance
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
status.rilegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools