H8229

To Vacate the Forfeiture or Revocation of the Charter of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Parent-Teacher Organization

This bill restores the legal non-profit status of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. PTO upon payment of past-due fees.

Introduced

03/04/2026

Business & Labor: Licensing & Accreditation

Bill Sponsors

Representative Rebecca M. Kislak

Committee

House Corporations

Last Action

04/24/2026
Effective without Governor's signature

Summary

Select

This legislation reinstates the corporate status of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Parent-Teacher Organization. The organization failed to file required annual reports with the Rhode Island Secretary of State from 1983 through the present. This bill allows the organization until December 31, 2026, to file all missing reports and pay the associated filing fees. Additionally, they must pay a penalty determined by the Attorney General. Once these conditions are met, the revocation of their charter will be voided, and their legal status will be fully restored.

There is a group called the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parent-Teacher Organization that helps a school. To be an official group, they have to send a report to the government every year. This group forgot to send their reports for a very long time, so the government said they couldn't be an official group anymore. This new law gives them a second chance. If they send in all the missing reports and pay the money they owe by the end of 2026, they can be an official group again.

Sponsor

Analysis

Pros for Progressives

Facilitates the operation of a Parent-Teacher Organization, which directly supports student welfare, education, and community engagement in schools.
Demonstrates administrative leniency, allowing a community-based non-profit to correct clerical errors rather than being permanently shut down.
Ensures that funds raised by the organization can be legally utilized for the benefit of the school community and the children it serves.

Cons for Progressives

Raises concerns about the lack of transparency and financial oversight for an organization that failed to file public reports for over forty years.
Utilizes the legislative process to bypass standard administrative consequences, potentially favoring connected organizations over others who follow the rules.
Does not mandate an audit or review of the organization's past activities during the decades it was non-compliant before reinstating it.

Pros for Conservatives

Supports private, voluntary association and civil society organizations rather than relying solely on government-run school programs.
Generates revenue for the state through the collection of decades of back-filing fees and compromise penalties.
Reduces government bureaucracy by allowing an existing entity to function rather than forcing them to dissolve and re-incorporate.

Cons for Conservatives

Undermines the rule of law by granting special legislative exceptions to an entity that ignored legal requirements for over four decades.
Rewards gross incompetence and negligence in management, as the organization failed to perform basic duties since 1983.
Wastes legislative resources and time on a specific private entity's paperwork when the legislature should be focused on statewide issues.

Constitutional Concerns

None Likely

Impact Overview

Groups Affected

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parent-Teacher Organization
Parents and Teachers associated with the PTO
Students benefiting from PTO activities
Secretary of State
Attorney General

Towns Affected

All

Cost to Taxpayers

None

Revenue Generated

Amount unknown

BillBuddy Impact Ratings

Importance

Measures population affected and overall level of impact.

Freedom Impact

Level of individual freedom impacted by the bill.

Public Services

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Regulatory

Estimated regulatory burden imposed on the subject(s) of the bill.

Clarity of Bill Language

100

How clear the language of the bill is. Higher ambiguity equals a lower score.

Enforcement Provisions

100

Measures enforcement provisions and penalties for non-compliance (if applicable).

Environmental Impact

Impact the bill will have on the environment, positive or negative.

Privacy Impact

Impact the bill is likely to have on the privacy of individuals.

Bill Status

Current Status

Held

Comm Passed

Floor Passed

Law

History

• 03/04/2026 Introduced, referred to House Corporations
• 03/27/2026 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (04/02/2026)
• 04/02/2026 Committee recommends passage
• 04/03/2026 Placed on House Calendar (04/09/2026)
• 04/09/2026 House read and passed
• 04/14/2026 Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar (04/16/2026)
• 04/16/2026 Senate passed in concurrence
• 04/16/2026 Transmitted to Governor
• 04/24/2026 Effective without Governor's signature

Bill Text

SECTION 1. The time within which the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Parent-Teacher Organization incorporated on November 4, 1983 shall file the reports for the years 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, as required under the provisions of Chapter 6 of Title 7 of the General Laws, 1956, is hereby extended to the 31st day of December, A.D., 2026, if said corporation shall file in the office of the secretary of state before December 31, 2026, the reports which it should have filed in the said years and shall pay to the secretary of state the filing fees therefor, having previously thereto paid to the general treasurer for the use of the state such sum as the attorney general shall decide should be paid by said corporation as a compromise for the penalty or penalties for its failure to file such reports then the forfeiture or revocation of the charter of said corporation shall thereupon, to wit, upon the filing of said reports and the payment of said fees, be vacated and said corporation shall thereupon be entitled to all of the privileges, benefits and powers and subject to the same duties and liabilities as though no forfeiture or revocation of its said charter had taken place.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.