The bill proposes significant amendments to the "Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act" and other related laws by reducing the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours. Employees would be entitled to overtime pay at a rate of one and one-half times their regular rate for any hours worked beyond 32 in a week. This change applies to all employees, including those in specific roles such as delivery drivers, sales merchandisers, and firefighters, with the latter's workweek calculated over an eight-week period. The bill exempts employers with fewer than 500 employees, for whom the standard 40-hour workweek remains. It also introduces a new section, 28-12-4.2, addressing biweekly overtime pay, and outlines exemptions for certain employees, such as those in executive, administrative, or professional roles earning a minimum salary, among others. The bill amends sections 28-44-69 and 28-44-70 related to employment security benefits, redefining terms to align with the new 32-hour workweek standard.

Furthermore, the bill revises the accrual of paid sick and safe leave time, with employees of employers with 18 or more employees in Rhode Island accruing one hour of leave for every 35 hours worked, with a maximum of 32 hours per year. It includes provisions for carryover and payment of unused sick and safe leave time and addresses employee transfers, rehiring, and employer succession. The bill also amends the Rhode Island Noncompetition Agreement Act, redefining "earnings" to mean wages paid for the first 32 hours of work in a week. It updates the chapter on Alternative Work Schedules, defining terms such as "alternative work schedules," "compressed workweek," and "flexitime." The bill modifies the work requirements for cash assistance recipients, reducing the threshold for overtime pay from 40 to 32 hours per week, and outlines work requirements for individuals receiving cash assistance, with specific activities and exemptions detailed. It includes insertions and deletions to reflect these changes in various sections of the General Laws.

Statutes affected:
7319: 21-27-11.1, 28-3-11, 28-59-2, 36-3.1-3, 36-4-63, 37-13-10, 37-26-4, 40-6.1-3, 42-11.3-1, 42-64.20-3, 42-64.22-2, 42-64.23-3, 42-64.26-3, 42-64.33-2, 44-48.3-3