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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO MAKING REVISED APPROPRIATIONS IN SUPPORT OF FISCAL YEAR

2022

     Introduced By: Senators Pearson, Ruggerio, McCaffrey, and Goodwin

     Date Introduced: December 07, 2021

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     (Governor)

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 16 of Article 1 of Chapter 162 of the Public Laws of 2021 is hereby

amended to read as follows: The appropriations from federal funds contained in Section 1 shall not

be construed to mean any federal funds or assistance appropriated, authorized, allocated or

apportioned to the State of Rhode Island from the State Fiscal Recovery Fund, and the Coronavirus

Capital Projects Fund enacted pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2. For

fiscal year 2022, State Fiscal Recovery Fund monies apportioned to the State of Rhode Island

pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2, are hereby appropriated in the

following amounts for the stated departments and purposes set forth below. The state controller is

hereby authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment

of such sums or such portions thereof as may be required from time to time upon receipt by him or

her of properly authenticated vouchers.

     (a) Executive Office of Commerce $74,500,000

     (1) Of this amount, thirty-two million dollars ($32,000,000) shall be allocated to a program

of financial and technical assistance to small businesses and COVID-impacted industries as

follows: twelve million five hundred thousand dollars ($12,500,000) shall be provided as direct

payments to businesses for lost revenue, ten million five hundred thousand dollars ($10,500,000)

shall support technical assistance for long-term business capacity building, seven million five

hundred thousand dollars ($7,500,000) shall support capital improvements for public health

upgrades and outdoor programming, and one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000)

shall be allocated to support administration of these programs. To be eligible to receive funds or

support under this program a business must have less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) in

annual gross revenues and demonstrate a negative impact from the COVID-19 pandemic as

determined by the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. Under this program, total support in the

form of direct payments, technical assistance, or capital improvement grants shall not exceed ten

thousand dollars ($10,000) per eligible business through any single program and shall not exceed

twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) in the aggregate. Provided further that at least twenty percent

(20%) of all funds must be reserved for awards to assist minority business enterprises as defined in

chapter 14.1 of title 37.

     (2) Of this amount fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) shall be allocated under the

administration of the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation to the development

of affordable housing units by allocating these funds to projects in conjunction with general

obligation bond funds and other sources of available financing provided that the Coordinating

Committee of the Housing Resources Commission has established guidelines for the use of

Housing Production Fund resources authorized pursuant to § 42-128-2.1.

     (3) Of this amount thirteen million dollars ($13,000,000) shall be allocated to a program

of assistance to the tourism, hospitality, and events industries as follows: eight million dollars

($8,000,000) shall be provided as direct payments to businesses for lost revenue, three million

dollars ($3,000,000) shall support outdoor and public space capital improvements and event

programming, and two million dollars ($2,000,000) shall support tourism marketing in

coordination with state tourism regions and the Airport Corporation. A business is eligible to

receive funds or support under this program if it can demonstrate a negative impact from the

COVID-19 pandemic as determined by the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation.

     (4) Of this amount twelve million dollars ($12,000,000) shall be allocated to the Rhode

Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation toward the acquisition of properties for

redevelopment as affordable housing and supportive housing to finance projects that include

requirements for deed restrictions not less than thirty (30) years, and a non-recourse structure.

     (5) Of this amount one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) shall be

allocated to the Office of Housing and Community Development in conjunction with the Rhode

Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation for grants to providers to expand housing

navigation, stabilization, and mental health services, of which not more than two hundred fifty

thousand dollars ($250,000) shall be for training. The Chief of the Office shall send monthly reports

beginning thirty (30) days after passage to the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, and

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chairs of the House and Senate finance committees and the respective fiscal advisors which

describe the state of progress in achieving these goals and the goals in subsection (a)(7) below as

of the date of the report, and describe marginal changes from the prior month’s report.

     (6) Of this amount five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) shall be allocated to

broadband services as follows: one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to support a state

broadband director at the Commerce Corporation, two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) to

coordinate and develop a statewide strategic plan to provide broadband access to unserved and

underserved households and businesses, and two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) to conduct

broadband access mapping in support of future state broadband investment.

     (7) Of this amount five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) shall be dedicated to

expanding programmatic and administrative capacity for affordable housing in Rhode Island.

     (b) Executive Office of Health and Human Services $13,000,000

     (1) Of this amount, seven million five hundred thousand dollars ($7,500,000) shall be

allocated to support relief to pediatric providers in response to the decline in visitation and

enrollment caused by the public health emergency as follows: six million dollars ($6,000,000) for

stabilization grant funding if certain targets established by the Executive Office of Health and

Human Services are met by the pediatric providers and one million five hundred thousand dollars

($1,500,000) to be awarded to incentivize pediatric providers to increase developmental and

psychosocial behavioral screenings.

     (2) Of this amount, five million five hundred thousand dollars ($5,500,000) shall be

allocated to early intervention providers in response to a decline in enrollment for early

intervention, family home visiting, and screening programs as follows: two million six hundred

thousand dollars ($2,600,000) for stabilization grant funding to be used for operating costs such as

staffing, outreach activities and professional development and to address a loss of revenue and two

million nine hundred thousand dollars ($2,900,000) for performance bonuses if certain metrics

established by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services are met by the providers, which

may include staff retention, expanding access to services and reducing disparities in coverage.

     (c) Department of Children, Youth, and Families $12,500,000

     This amount shall be allocated to support workforce stabilization supplemental wage

payments up to seven hundred dollars ($700) monthly to eligible direct care and supporting care

staff of contracted service providers. To be eligible, an employee must earn an annual salary of less

than seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000). Funding may be used to provide hiring incentives of

up to seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) per employee, provided that employers may not disburse

funding obligated through hiring incentives until ninety (90) days of work has been completed by

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the employee and the employee earns an annual salary of less than seventy-five thousand dollars

($75,000). The Director of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families shall provide to the

Speaker of the House and President of the Senate at least every sixty (60) days beginning January

15, 2022, a report that includes the amount of funding disbursed to date, progress in improving

staffing levels of any provider receiving these funds, including the number of new hires and staff

attrition, and changes in placement availability of any provider receiving these funds.

     (d) Department of Human Services $19,000,000

     (1) Of this amount, eighteen million seven hundred thousand dollars ($18,700,000) shall

be allocated to pay one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) semiannual retention bonuses for

direct care staff at childcare centers and licensed family providers in response to pandemic-related

staffing shortages.

     (2) A total of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) shall be reserved for family

childcare incentive start up and technical assistance grants. The Director of the Department of

Human Services and the Director of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families may waive

any fees otherwise assessed upon childcare provider applicants who have been awarded the family

childcare provider incentive grant.

     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 MAKING REVISED APPROPRIATIONS IN SUPPORT OF FISCAL YEAR

2022

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     This act would appropriate federal funds awarded to Rhode Island as part of the State Fiscal

Recovery Fund (SFRF) by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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