A NEW LAW requires public high school students in Rhode Island to be proficient in civics literacy. / PBN FILE PHOTO/ARTISTIC IMAGES PROVIDENCE – Public school graduates across Rhode Island will now be required to demonstrate proficiency in civics after a law was recently passed by the R.I. General Assembly and signed by Gov. Daniel J. McKee on July 19. The legislation – sponsored by Rep. Brian C. Newbury, R-North Smithfield, and Sen. Hanna M. Gallo, D-Cranston – is aimed to ensure that all students understand how government works, the principles of democracy, and the rights and duties of actively engaged citizenship. It requires all public high school students, beginning with the 2023 graduating class, to be proficient in civics.