Skip to main content
H 8229Administration & Compliance

To Vacate the Forfeiture or Revocation of the Charter of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Parent-Teacher Organization

Reinstates the corporate charter of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. PTO, provided it files missing reports and pays required fees by December 31, 2026.

Signed into law64 Yea0 Nay11 Not voting
Population
Affected
5
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 4, 2026Committee House Corporations

Plain-English Summary

This bill allows the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Parent-Teacher Organization to reinstate its corporate charter, which was previously forfeited or revoked due to a failure to file annual reports. The organization, originally incorporated in November 1983, missed filing its required annual reports for over forty years, spanning from 1983 through 2026.

Under the provisions of this legislation, the organization is granted an extension until December 31, 2026, to come into compliance. To successfully vacate the forfeiture, the organization must file all missing reports with the Secretary of State, pay all associated filing fees, and pay a penalty compromise amount determined by the Attorney General.

If these conditions are met by the deadline, the organization's corporate status will be fully restored. It will regain all privileges, benefits, and powers, and be subject to the same duties and liabilities as if the charter revocation had never occurred.

For younger readers

This bill gives a parent-teacher organization a second chance to be an official group again. They have to fill out missing paperwork from past years and pay some fees by the end of 2026. If they do, the government will recognize them as an official organization again.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Parent-Teacher OrganizationRhode Island Secretary of StateRhode Island Attorney General

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Low. This is a routine and standard legislative procedure in Rhode Island used to reinstate corporate charters.

Estimated cost
Not specified
Estimated revenue
Not specified

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Supports community engagement by allowing a parent-teacher organization to continue its work.
  • Provides a fair pathway for administrative compliance rather than permanent dissolution.
  • Helps an organization associated with a public school maintain its legal and financial standing.
  • Requires legislative action for a single organization, which highlights inefficiencies in the standard administrative process.
  • Forgives decades of non-compliance, which could be seen as unfair to organizations that strictly follow reporting rules.
For Conservatives
  • Requires the organization to pay back fees and a penalty compromise, ensuring fiscal responsibility.
  • Cuts bureaucratic red tape to allow a voluntary community organization to function legally.
  • Encourages ultimate compliance with state corporate reporting laws.
  • Bypasses standard administrative procedures by requiring a specific legislative act.
  • Grants a special exception for an extreme case of long-term non-compliance (over 40 years of missed reports).
  • Uses legislative time for a hyper-local, single-entity administrative issue.

Votes

Loading votes...

Full Bill Text

SECTION 1. The time within which the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Parent-Teacher Organization incorporated on November 4, 1983 shall file the reports for the years 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, as required under the provisions of Chapter 6 of Title 7 of the General Laws, 1956, is hereby extended to the st day of December, A.D., 2026, if said corporation shall file in the office of the secretary of state before December 31, 2026, the reports which it should have filed in the said years and shall pay to the secretary of state the filing fees therefor, having previously thereto paid to the general treasurer for the use of the state such sum as the attorney general shall decide should be paid by said corporation as a compromise for the penalty or penalties for its failure to file such reports then the forfeiture or revocation of the charter of said corporation shall thereupon, to wit, upon the filing of said reports and the payment of said fees, be vacated and said corporation shall thereupon be entitled to all of the privileges, benefits and powers and subject to the same duties and liabilities as though no forfeiture or revocation of its said charter had taken place.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.