Providence, Rhode Island. Photo by Michael Denning on Unsplash.
Two pairs of bills in Rhode Island, House Bill 6105 (PDF) and the identical Senate Bill 551 (PDF), and House Bill 6106 (PDF) and the identical Senate Bill 558 (PDF), seek to establish the Rhode Island Climate Change and Ocean Protection Education Program.
If enacted, the bills would appropriate "no less than" $500,000 per fiscal year to support "climate change and/or ocean protection programs." The funds would be disbursed by the department of labor and training to state and local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, professional associations, and youth development and non-profit organizations engaging in such programs. Professional development for teachers would be a priority.
The similar but not quite identical House bills were introduced on March 3, 2023, and referred to the House Finance Committee, while the similar but not quite identical Senate bills were introduced on March 7, 2023, and referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
[Updated on March 10, 2023, to add information about the Senate bills.]
