Non-profits asking for funds from RI General Assembly would need to disclose top 10 salaries

Serpa bill would mandate that nonprofits disclose salaries before getting General Assembly funding

Rep. Patricia A. Serpa (D-Dist. 27, West Warwick, Coventry) has introduced legislation that would require nonprofit organizations to disclose their top salaries before receiving grants or funding from the General Assembly. The House Committee on State Government and Elections heard testimony on the bill Tuesday night.

The bill (2025-H 6265) would require any nonprofit, as a condition for requesting state funds from the General Assembly, to submit and to post on their website a detailed list of 10 of their highest paid director, officer and employee salaries, and any forms of compensation provided to those individuals. 

“As long as the General Assembly is spending taxpayers’ money on grants and funding for nonprofit organizations, the people have a clear right to know how that money is being spent,” said Representative Serpa, who chairs the House Oversight Committee. “The salaries of state employees are public and easy to find online because we believe the people are best served by this sort of financial transparency. As long as state money is going to these organizations, they should share in that transparency.”

The legislation would also require the disclosure to include fundraising, endowments, trusts, memorial giving and/or any and all activities that fund the nonprofit.

Similar legislation (2025-S 0579) has been introduced in the Senate by Sen. John P. Burke (D-Dist. 9 West Warwick).

At this point the bill was recommended to be held for further study.

This is a developing story.