| Chapter 170 |
| 2026 -- S 2678 Enacted 06/22/2026 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO EDUCATION -- TEACHERS' RETIREMENT |
Introduced By: Senators Britto, Raptakis, Felag, Appollonio, Gallo, Gu, DiMario, Zurier, Bissaillon, and Urso |
| Date Introduced: February 27, 2026 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Section 16-16-26 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-16 entitled "Teachers’ |
| Retirement [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby |
| amended to read as follows: |
| 16-16-26. Spouse’s, former spouse divorced, or domestic partner’s benefits. |
| (a) Spouse’s, former spouse divorced, and domestic partner’s benefits are payable |
| following the decease of a member as provided in §§ 16-16-25 — 16-16-38. |
| (b) The spouse, former spouse divorced, or domestic partner shall be entitled to benefits |
| upon attaining the age of sixty (60) years. |
| (c) The spouse, former spouse divorced, or domestic partner was living with the deceased |
| member at the time of the member’s death. A spouse, former spouse divorced, or domestic partner |
| is deemed to have been living with the deceased member if they were both members of the same |
| household on the date of the deceased member’s death, or the spouse, former spouse divorced, or |
| domestic partner was receiving contributions from the deceased member toward support on that |
| date, or the deceased member had been ordered by a court to contribute to the spouse’s, former |
| spouse divorced, or domestic partner’s support. |
| (d) Remarriage of the spouse, former spouse divorced, or domestic partner or establishment |
| of a domestic partnership shall render the person ineligible to receive current or future benefits |
| under this section. |
| (e) The spouse or domestic partner of a member, as defined in this section, shall be entitled |
| to monthly benefits payable in accordance with the following table: |
| Spouse's or Domestic |
| Highest Annual Partner's Monthly |
| Salary Minimum Benefit |
| $17,000 or less $825 $1,025 |
| $17,001 to $25,000 $963 $1,200 |
| $25,001 to $33,000 $1,100 $1,375 |
| $33,001 to $40,000 $1,238 $1,550 |
| $40,001 and over $1,375 $1,725 |
| (f) The former spouse divorced shall be entitled to monthly benefits, payable in accordance |
| with the table provided in subsection (e) of this section, only if there are no dependent children, |
| parents, or other spouse or domestic partner entitled to benefits. |
| (g) A yearly adjustment of the base benefit, and a yearly cost-of-living adjustment for |
| spouse’s, former spouse divorced, or domestic partner’s benefits shall be based on the annual social |
| security adjustment. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC005838 |
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