Bill Sponsors
Cortvriend, McNamara, Knight, and Handy
Committee
House Education
Summary
Select
This bill updates the law regarding the transition of students with disabilities from school to adulthood. It updates the names of certain state boards and titles represented on the interagency transition council. The bill also modernizes the language used to describe various disabilities, replacing outdated terms like "mental retardation" with "intellectual disabilities." Finally, it expands the definition of a "young person with a disability" to include students who have a Section 504 plan under the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Removes outdated and stigmatizing language, such as "mental retardation," replacing it with respectful terminology like "intellectual disabilities," which aligns with social justice and disability rights movements.
- Expands the definition of eligible students to include those with Section 504 plans, broadening the social safety net and ensuring more disadvantaged youth receive vital transition services.
- Updates the interagency transition council's representation to include the governor's workforce board, potentially improving public services and post-school employment support for young people with disabilities.
Cons for Progressives
- Fails to allocate additional funding or resources to support the expanded pool of eligible students, which could strain existing public services and dilute the quality of care.
- Focuses primarily on administrative and linguistic updates rather than enacting sweeping systemic reforms to address the severe housing and employment inequities faced by adults with disabilities.
- Maintains a council composition heavily dominated by state bureaucrats rather than giving majority representation and voting power directly to disabled individuals and their advocates.
Pros for Conservatives
- Promotes self-sufficiency by focusing on transitioning students into the workforce, which can ultimately reduce long-term reliance on government welfare programs.
- Aligns state definitions with established federal law (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act), creating regulatory consistency without inventing new, burdensome state-level mandates.
- Updates and clarifies government administrative titles and roles, ensuring the interagency council operates accurately within the current governmental structure.
Cons for Conservatives
- Expands the scope of government assistance by broadening the eligibility pool to include students with Section 504 plans, potentially increasing taxpayer costs.
- Places additional administrative and planning burdens on local school districts by requiring individualized transition planning for a larger number of students.
- Spends legislative time and resources on updating terminology to appease modern linguistic sensitivities rather than focusing on fiscal responsibility and reducing the size of government.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Students with disabilities
- Students with Section 504 plans
- Parents and guardians of students with disabilities
- Local school districts
- State education and workforce agencies
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
Amount unknown
Revenue Generated
None
BillBuddy Impact Ratings
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Freedom Impact
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Public Services
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Regulatory
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Clarity of Bill Language
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Environmental Impact
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Privacy Impact
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Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 04/17/2026 Introduced, referred to House Education
• 05/01/2026 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/07/2026)
• 05/07/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
• 05/01/2026 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/07/2026)
• 05/07/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Section 16-24-18 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-24 entitled "Children With Disabilities [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended to read as follows:
16-24-18. Transition from school to self-sufficient adulthood for students with disabilities.
(a) There is established within the department of elementary and secondary education an interagency transition council (the “transition council”) composed of:
(1) The administrators or their designees of the following:
(i) Department of human services — office of rehabilitation services;
(ii) Department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals — division of developmental disabilities;
(iii) Department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals — division of behavioral healthcare;
(iv) Department of children, youth, and families;
(v) Department of elementary and secondary education — office of student, community and academic supports;
(vi) Department of elementary and secondary education — office of adult and career and technical education;
(vii) Department of labor and training —human resource investment council governor’s workforce board;
(viii) Department of health — division of community, family health, and equity; and
(2)Commissioner of higher education Postsecondary commissioner or his or her designee; and
(3) Two (2) young persons with disabilities, two (2) parents of young persons with disabilities, and two (2) representatives of local school districts and one transition coordinator from one of the regional educational collaboratives, appointed by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education.
(4) One representative of community-based providers of services to adults with developmental disabilities and one representative of community-based providers of adult behavioral healthcare services, appointed by the director of the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals.
(b) The goal of the transition council is to ensure the preparedness of students with disabilities, upon leaving school, to live and work in the community.
(c) The transition council shall draft and propose periodic revisions to the cooperative agreement among the state departments and offices for the provisions of services in the transition of young persons with disabilities from school to self-sufficient adult life. The directors of the state departments and agencies shall sign the cooperative agreement and any revisions, prior to their implementation. The transition council shall oversee the implementation of the cooperative agreement. The council shall issue guidelines or instructions and recommend to the state departments and agencies appropriate directives necessary to effectuate the implementation of the cooperative agreement. The transition council shall develop joint plans for state departments and agencies and local school districts for providing transition services to assist young persons with disabilities. The transition council shall, after hearing from the public, issue an annual report to the governor, children’s cabinet, and general assembly on the status of transition services and recommendations for improving opportunities for young persons with disabilities to make a successful transition from school to self-sufficient adult life.
(d) Individualized transition planning will be initiated by the school district to include the young person with a disability, guardian, general education and special education personnel as appropriate, career and technical education, and representatives of any party to the delivery and implementation of the individual plan. Transition planning will begin by age fourteen (14) or younger if determined appropriate in the individualized education program, for each eligible young person with a disability and shall be reviewed and updated annually.
(e) As used in this section: LC006332 - Page 2 of 4
(1) “Transition services” means a coordinated set of activities for a young person with a disability, designed within an outcome oriented process, that promotes movement from school to post-school activities including postsecondary education, vocational training, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation. The activities shall be based on the needs of the individual young person with a disability, taking into account the young person with a disability’s preferences and interests; and shall include needed activities in the areas of:
(i) Instruction:
(ii) Community experiences;
(iii) The development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives; and
(iv) If appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.
(2) “Young person(s) with a disability” means those students:
(i) Evaluated in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq., as havingmental retardation, hearing impairments including deafness, speech or language impairments, visual impairments including blindness, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities intellectual disabilities, hearing impairments (including deafness), speech or language impairments, visual impairments (including blindness), serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this chapter as “emotional disturbance”), orthopedic impairments, autism, traumatic brain injury, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities; or
(ii) Who, by reason of the evaluation, needs special education and related services, or because of those impairments needs special education and related services,and or
(iii)Age fourteen (14) or younger if determined appropriate in the individualized education program Who have a Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended Section 504 plan, "29 U.S. Code § 794 - Nondiscrimination under federal grants and programs"; or
(iv) Age fourteen (14) or younger if determined appropriate.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
16-24-18. Transition from school to self-sufficient adulthood for students with disabilities.
(a) There is established within the department of elementary and secondary education an interagency transition council (the “transition council”) composed of:
(1) The administrators or their designees of the following:
(i) Department of human services — office of rehabilitation services;
(ii) Department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals — division of developmental disabilities;
(iii) Department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals — division of behavioral healthcare;
(iv) Department of children, youth, and families;
(v) Department of elementary and secondary education — office of student, community and academic supports;
(vi) Department of elementary and secondary education — office of adult and career and technical education;
(vii) Department of labor and training —
(viii) Department of health — division of community, family health, and equity; and
(2)
(3) Two (2) young persons with disabilities, two (2) parents of young persons with disabilities, and two (2) representatives of local school districts and one transition coordinator from one of the regional educational collaboratives, appointed by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education.
(4) One representative of community-based providers of services to adults with developmental disabilities and one representative of community-based providers of adult behavioral healthcare services, appointed by the director of the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals.
(b) The goal of the transition council is to ensure the preparedness of students with disabilities, upon leaving school, to live and work in the community.
(c) The transition council shall draft and propose periodic revisions to the cooperative agreement among the state departments and offices for the provisions of services in the transition of young persons with disabilities from school to self-sufficient adult life. The directors of the state departments and agencies shall sign the cooperative agreement and any revisions, prior to their implementation. The transition council shall oversee the implementation of the cooperative agreement. The council shall issue guidelines or instructions and recommend to the state departments and agencies appropriate directives necessary to effectuate the implementation of the cooperative agreement. The transition council shall develop joint plans for state departments and agencies and local school districts for providing transition services to assist young persons with disabilities. The transition council shall, after hearing from the public, issue an annual report to the governor, children’s cabinet, and general assembly on the status of transition services and recommendations for improving opportunities for young persons with disabilities to make a successful transition from school to self-sufficient adult life.
(d) Individualized transition planning will be initiated by the school district to include the young person with a disability, guardian, general education and special education personnel as appropriate, career and technical education, and representatives of any party to the delivery and implementation of the individual plan. Transition planning will begin by age fourteen (14) or younger if determined appropriate in the individualized education program, for each eligible young person with a disability and shall be reviewed and updated annually.
(e) As used in this section: LC006332 - Page 2 of 4
(1) “Transition services” means a coordinated set of activities for a young person with a disability, designed within an outcome oriented process, that promotes movement from school to post-school activities including postsecondary education, vocational training, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation. The activities shall be based on the needs of the individual young person with a disability, taking into account the young person with a disability’s preferences and interests; and shall include needed activities in the areas of:
(i) Instruction:
(ii) Community experiences;
(iii) The development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives; and
(iv) If appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.
(2) “Young person(s) with a disability” means those students:
(i) Evaluated in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq., as having
(ii) Who, by reason of the evaluation, needs special education and related services, or because of those impairments needs special education and related services,
(iii)
(iv) Age fourteen (14) or younger if determined appropriate.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.