Happy Monday! I'm Dan McGowan, and it was so fun watching Tyler Kolek save Christmas. Follow me on X (Twitter) @DanMcGowan, on Bluesky @DanMcGowan, or send tips to
dan.mcgowan@globe.com.
We’re only a couple of days away from a new set of laws in Rhode Island.
From an increase in the minimum wage and extended paid family leave to more data and privacy protections, here’s a look at some of the key pieces of legislation set to take effect on Thursday.
$16 minimum wage
Rhode Island’s minimum wage is increasing by $1 to $16 an hour Jan. 1, and it is scheduled to reach $17 an hour by Jan. 1, 2027. The latest increase puts Rhode Island ahead of Massachusetts ($15 an hour) but the state remains behind Connecticut ($16.94 on Jan. 1). The federal minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour.
Medical debt
State lawmakers are taking a multipronged approach to addressing the state’s health care needs, but one big focus is loosening the burdens around medical debt. As of Jan. 1, debt collectors can’t seek a lien against a person’s home for medical debt, and credit reporting agencies are prohibited from reporting a consumer’s medical debt. They also capped interest rates on this kind of debt.
Paid family leave
Temporary Caregiver Insurance will cover up to eight weeks of parental leave or to care for critically ill family members (up from six weeks). Beginning in 2027, wage replacement rates will increase from 60 percent to 70 percent.
Baby bonds
Children born beginning Jan. 1 whose parents are enrolled in the Rhode Island Works program within the child's first 12 months of life will be eligible for a $3,000 bond to help buy a home or pay for higher education when they turn 18. This is a pilot program that the treasurer’s office is still seeking private funding to expand.
Protecting privacy of judges
After the way Rhode Island’s federal judges have been treated this year, a new law requires agencies and data brokers to remove from public view the personal information (like home addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers) of federal and state judges and their immediate family members. The goal is to prevent doxing.
Data privacy
The Data Transparency and Privacy Protection Act was approved in 2024, but finally takes effect Jan. 1. It requires websites and online companies that collect your personal information to clearly explain what they’re taking, why they’re taking it, who they share it with, and when you can step in to control it.
🤔 So you think you're a Rhode Islander...
Can you name the US Supreme Court justice who died in Newport?
(Answer at the bottom.)
Do you have the perfect question for Rhode Map readers? Don't forget to send the answer, too. Send me an email today.
The Globe in Rhode Island
⚓ Charles “Chas” Calenda, a West Greenwich Town Council member who was the Republican nominee for attorney general in 2022, will be the interim US Attorney for Rhode Island. Read more.
⚓ The owners and operators of David Burke Prime, a steakhouse at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, have filed a $10 million federal lawsuit alleging a Rhode Island resort damaged their business and committed “deliberate and malicious interference” when it used the celebrity chef’s name on its own restaurant. Read more.
⚓ For the people who survived school shootings shootings, there are no easy answers, no right or wrong ways to grieve, no official guide for how to process such a harrowing event. But several survivors told the Globe that healing is possible, despite the haunting memories and lasting wounds. Read more.
⚓ From Dec. 13 and throughout the week as the manhunt for the Brown University shooter continued, local and national businesses, restaurants large and small, and nonprofit organizations, pitched in to feed the police. Read more.
⚓ 10 unforgettable moments in Rhode Island theater in 2025. Read more.
⚓ This week's Ocean State Innovators Q&A is with Suzanne Colby, a professor at Brown's School of Public Health, who has been studying Dry January. Email us with suggestions for this weekly interview. Read more.
You can check out all of our coverage at Globe.com/RI
Also in the Globe
⚓ Whether America has indeed reached an inflection point against Big Food — and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is actually helping or harming the cause — is a matter of debate. Read more.
⚓ A shipment of lobster meat valued at $400,000 vanished en route from a warehouse in Taunton to Costco locations in the Midwest, according to the the Indiana-based freight company hired to transport the costly crustaceans. Read more.
⚓ New England's dominant 42-10 win over the Jets, coupled with the Bills’ 13-12 home loss to the Eagles later Sunday, clinched the Patriots’ first division title since 2019 and ended Buffalo’s five-season reign. Read more.
⚓ Rhode Map readers, if you want the birthday of a friend or family member to be recognized Wednesday, send me an email with their first and last name, and their age.
Samuel Blatchford, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1882, died at his home in Newport in 1893. He was 73.
RHODE ISLAND REPORT PODCAST
We're re-upping Ed Fitzpatrick's classic episode on childhood chestnut fights in Greenville. Listen to all of our podcasts here.
Please tell your friends about Rhode Map! They can
sign up here. The Globe has other email newsletters on topics ranging from breaking news alerts to sports, politics, business, and entertainment –
check them out.
Boston Globe Media Partners thanks its sponsors for supporting our newsletters. The sponsoring advertiser does not influence or create any editorial content for this newsletter. If you are interested in advertising opportunities, please contact us here.
You are receiving this because you signed up for Rhode Map. Unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive this newsletter.
