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6/8/2026
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House budget includes Rep. Tanzi bills to invest in RI children and families
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STATE HOUSE — Rep. Teresa A. Tanzi is applauding the inclusion of her proposals to create a refundable child tax credit and to extend the period of eligibility for early intervention programs for infants and children with disabilities in the amended budget bill approved by a vote of the full House of Representatives Friday, June 5.
“I want to thank Speaker Blazejewski, my colleagues on the Finance Committee and the entire House of Representatives for prioritizing children and families in this year’s budget,” said Representative Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown, Narragansett). “A refundable child tax credit will provide much needed relief to Rhode Island families struggling with the cost of housing, groceries and utilities, particularly the low-income families that the dependent exemption by itself did little to help. This credit, along with the expansion of Early Intervention programs, will mean tangible improvements for some of Rhode Island’s most vulnerable children and reflect a budget that prioritizes investing in our children for years to come.”
The budget (2026-H 7127Aaa) includes a new refundable tax credit of $330 per child in addition to the existing dependent exemption. This will provide at least as much relief to parents as the $325 per child tax credit proposed in the governor’s budget and, when combined with the dependent exemption, it will be significantly more for some families: up to about $635 per child, depending on the family’s marginal tax rate.
Representative Tanzi’s bill (2026-H 8338) would have provided a refundable child tax credit of $650 per child, but would have eliminated the dependent exemption, making the version in the House budget comparable for many families. Sen. Lammis J. Vargas (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence) introduced the companion bill (2026-S 2823) in the Senate.
Representative Tanzi’s second bill (2026-H 7627) included in the budget gives families the option to keep their child in Early Intervention (EI) until the September following their third birthday, if the child is eligible for preschool special education services. Following the model of six other states plus Washington, D.C., this approach closes a critical gap in services for young children with special needs.
EI is a program that helps infants and toddlers with disabilities or developmental delays catch up to their peers. In Rhode Island, EI serves about 4,000 children annually. Today, EI services end immediately on a child’s third birthday, after which qualifying children can receive preschool special education services from school districts. But this transition is not always smooth, especially for children with birthdays in the spring and summer, when schools are winding down or not in session. Starting in 2028, this bill creates a new option for continuous services for children born between May 1 and Aug. 31.
The bill directs the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Rhode Island Department of Education to develop a plan to create this new extension option. In this work, they will be guided by an implementation advisory committee including EI providers, school districts, advocates, experts and families.
“Early Intervention programs have proven extraordinarily successful both nationally and here in Rhode Island, allowing children with developmental delays and disabilities to thrive along with their peers,” said Representative Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown, Narragansett). “But it has always been extremely difficult to transition children with spring and summer birthdays into preschool special education with gaps in services. I am happy that we will soon be giving families the flexibility to extend services until the fall, ensuring that these programs continue their good work uninterrupted and these children can start preschool in September together with their peers.”
Senator Bridget Valverde (D-Dist. 35, North Kingstown from East Greenwich, South Kingstown) introduced the companion bill (2026-S 2834) in the Senate.
For more information, contact:
Tristan Grau, Publicist
State House Room B20
Providence, RI 02903
401.222.4935
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