Minimum wage in Rhode Island finally ended its years-long march to $15 an hour on Wednesday — one of a number of state laws that go into effect or change on the first of the year.
In 2021, Gov. Dan McKee signed a law that gradually raised the minimum wage from $11.50 an hour on the first day of every year for the next four years. Now, Rhode Island joins Massachusetts with a $15 hourly minimum, while Connecticut just bumped its rate to $16.35.
An analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank, estimates that the change will impact some 65,000 Rhode Island workers who make minimum wage or close to it. (The data suggests that workers who make up 115% of minimum wage can also see “spillover” effects when the state minimum is raised, according to EPI.)
Rhode Island is one of 30 states that require wages higher than the federal minimum, which
is $7.25 an hour and was last raised in 2009.
Ban on flavored vapes
It is also illegal to sell flavored vaping products in Rhode Island, thanks to a new state law that codifies a 2019 executive order and went into effect on Wednesday.
Then-Gov. Gina Raimondo issued the order banning the sale of flavored “electronic nicotine-delivery products” after the U.S. Surgeon General called e-cigarettes an epidemic, especially among youth.
In 2024, lawmakers codified that ban into law. Two local vape companies sued the state and asked for a restraining order to stop the law from going into effect until the case is resolved. On Dec. 19, U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy denied the companies’ motion, allowing the law to go into effect on Jan. 1, but also allowing the case to proceed.
Retailers can still sell menthol- and tobacco-flavored vapes, though a new law ups the taxes on those products.
Other new laws on the books
Other laws that take effect on Jan. 1 include:
- Changes to The Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBOR): McKee signed into law the first major overhaul of LEOBOR in decades. It allows unpaid suspensions for up to 14 days for some violations and enables chiefs to publicly discuss cases of misconduct by officers.
- Medical debt reporting: A new law bans medical providers like hospitals from reporting medical debt to credit bureaus.
- Cameras in nursing homes: A new law will allow residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities to OK having a camera in their rooms to monitor their treatment.
