PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A top aide to a Rhode Island lawmaker has apologized for accepting nearly $50,000 in free tuition, saying he will repay the money.
Former Democratic state Rep. Frank Montanaro, who now serves as an aide to state House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, benefited from free tuition from Rhode Island College while on leave.
In a statement, Montanaro says he consulted with a labor attorney who agreed he was eligible to receive the tuition waiver. However, Montanaro says “the public has determined the decision I made on behalf of my family as inappropriate.”
The Democratic speaker says Montanaro did the right thing by paying the money back.
Tuition waivers have cost RIC, the Community College of Rhode Island and the University of Rhode Island $6.1 million this year.
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