Bill Sponsors
Raptakis, DiPalma, Felag, Burke, Tikoian, Ciccone, Gallo, Famiglietti, Appollonio, and Patalano
Committee
Senate Finance
Summary
Select
This legislation updates the benefits provided to members of the Rhode Island National Guard who are mobilized for active duty for more than thirty days. Currently, the state reimburses these members for the cost of premiums on federal term life insurance policies up to a coverage limit of $400,000. This bill increases that coverage limit to $500,000, meaning the state will cover the premium costs for a higher amount of life insurance protection for deployed service members.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Strengthens the financial safety net for service members and their families, ensuring better economic security during mobilization.
- Adjusts benefits to better reflect current economic realities and the cost of living, preventing the erosion of support for public servants.
- Demonstrates a commitment to the welfare of community members who are called upon to perform dangerous public service.
Cons for Progressives
- Allocates general fund resources specifically to military personnel rather than broader social programs that could benefit the most marginalized populations.
- Does not address the underlying need for universal insurance coverage, instead reinforcing a tiered system of benefits based on employment status.
- Increases spending on military-adjacent costs without accompanying reforms to the broader military-industrial complex.
Pros for Conservatives
- Supports the military and National Guard, fulfilling a core value of honoring and caring for those who serve the country and state.
- Acts as a retention and recruitment tool for the National Guard, ensuring the state maintains a strong and capable defense force.
- Utilizes existing federal insurance structures rather than creating a new, complex state-run bureaucracy to manage the benefit.
Cons for Conservatives
- Increases government spending and draws more money from the general fund, potentially contributing to higher taxes or deficits.
- Expands government entitlement programs, which some conservatives may view as creating long-term fiscal liabilities.
- Lacks specific offsets or spending cuts elsewhere to pay for the increased reimbursement costs.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- National Guard members
- Families of National Guard members
- Taxpayers
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
Amount unknown
Revenue Generated
None
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Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 01/09/2026 Introduced, referred to Senate Finance
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Section 30-3-40.4 of the General Laws in Chapter 30-3 entitled "National Guard" is hereby amended to read as follows:
30-3-40.4. Payment of life insurance premiums.
Any member of the national guard who has been mobilized in excess of thirty (30) days and who elects coverage under a term life insurance policy issued by the federal government, shall be reimbursed from the general fund for the cost of premiums incurred by the member for said policy for any month or part thereof that the member has been mobilized. In the event that a member of the national guard elects coverage in an amount in excess offour five hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) ($500,000) under such policy, the member shall receive reimbursement from the general fund in an amount not to exceed the amount of the premiums attributable to the first four five hundred thousand dollars ($400,000) ($500,000) of coverage under said policy.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
30-3-40.4. Payment of life insurance premiums.
Any member of the national guard who has been mobilized in excess of thirty (30) days and who elects coverage under a term life insurance policy issued by the federal government, shall be reimbursed from the general fund for the cost of premiums incurred by the member for said policy for any month or part thereof that the member has been mobilized. In the event that a member of the national guard elects coverage in an amount in excess of
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.