Bridget G Valverde

Senate Resolution Expressing Deepest Condolences On The Death Of Renee Nicole Good In Minneapolis, Minnesota And Urging The Fbi To Ensure A Full Investigation

This act would promote transparency and accountability in the use of artificial intelligence by health insurers to manage coverage and claims. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the constant updating of information to accommodate changes in broadband technology. The act would also direct the Rhode Island commerce corporation to implement new data collection and mapping of broadband availability, provide protections for certain submitted data, and direct the corporation to collect fees from Internet service providers operating in Rhode Island to fund the data collection required by the act. The act would further require the corporation to submit a detailed plan to the governor and general assembly regarding the creation of a broadband regulatory authority. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would add "media literacy" to the standards currently taught in civic education for kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12), which are the history of Rhode Island, representative government, the rights and duties of actively engaged citizenship and the principles of democracy. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that the school year for all public schools, including traditional public and public charter schools, independent charter schools, and mayoral academies, would start on the same date of each calendar year. This act would take effect upon passage.

Joint Resolution To Approve, Publish And Submit To The Electors A Proposition Of Amendment To The Constitution -- Right To An Adequate Education (amends The Constitution To Guarantee Rhode Island Residents With Equal Opportunity To Receive An Education That Is Adequate, Equitable And Meaningful And Provides Judicial Enforcement Of This Provision.)

This act would create a Rhode Island Climate Superfund and direct the department of environmental management (DEM) to assess, pursue cost recovery demands, and charge a responsible party for climate change response work. This charge would include, but would not be limited to, maintenance, repair, or improvement of projects necessary to protect people, property, natural resources, public health, and the State’s economy from the impacts of climate change. This act would also authorize the creation of a climate superfund account. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would impose a sales tax on digital advertising services. This act would take effect on July 1, 2026

This act would increase the income range up to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) and tax credit up to eight hundred fifty dollars ($850), for elderly and disabled persons who own or rent their homes. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit an insurance company from imposing any cost-sharing requirements for any diagnostic or supplemental breast examinations. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would provide that the prescription label for medication abortion prescription drugs may include the name of the prescriber's healthcare practice instead of the name of the prescriber. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit the family court from detaining any youth or committing any youth, twelve (12) years or younger, to the training school, for any offense other than murder, first degree sexual assault, or an attempt to commit such offenses, and the court determines that there is no other reasonable placement to ensure the safety of the youth and the general public. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish a program within the adult correctional institutions to permit medication for opioid use disorder approved by the FDA to be provided for the treatment of an opioid use disorder to any individual incarcerated. Each inmate would be screened for opioid use disorder within twenty-four (24) hours of incarceration and if determined to be suffering from an opioid use disorder would be offered placement in the medication for opioid use disorder program. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would allow an owner or owners of real property to execute a deed that names one or more beneficiaries who will obtain title to the property at the owner's death without the necessity of probate. The act would apply to a transfer on death deed made before, on, or after January 1, 2027, by a transferor dying on or after that date. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish the process to provide a legal mechanism whereby a terminally ill patient may choose to end their life using medications prescribed by a physician. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would disqualify individuals with prior felony convictions or nolo contendere pleas from purchasing or possessing a firearm. It would also prevent the sentencing judge from suspending the first two (2) years of any sentence under limited circumstances. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would expand the council on elementary and secondary education to ten (10) members; make six (6) members a quorum; would make the teacher of the year a voting member; would require the student advisory council to meet at least quarterly; would make the chair of the student advisory council a voting member of the council; would expand the board of education from seventeen (17) to nineteen (19) members and would include the Rhode Island teacher of the year and the chairperson of the student advisory council and would also be voting members to the board. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would create postsecondary tuition assistance for shortage teaching fields which are defined as subject areas or teacher certifications that are experiencing a critical lack of educators in the state such as any sciences grades seven (7) through twelve (12) and any mathematics grades seven (7) through twelve (12). Recipients of tuition assistance would have to be enrolled, or accepted for enrollment at a Rhode Island postsecondary institution in a program to become a teacher in a shortage field and complete at least three (3) years of full-time teaching in a shortage teaching field in this state. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish a statewide “healthy school meals for all” universal school breakfast and lunch program in Rhode Island public schools phased in over three (3) years. The program would begin with all elementary school students, then add all middle school students in year two (2), and then provide universal meals for all students by the 2028-2029 school year. The act would also direct that in operating its school breakfast and lunch program, each public educational entity would seek to maximize access to federal funds for the cost of the school breakfast and lunch program by participating in one of several identified federal programs in order to obtain federal funds to offset the costs to districts of providing free breakfasts and lunches and minimize the costs to the state. The general assembly would be required to make an appropriation by separate line items in the budget to provide breakfast and lunch at no charge for children in state subsidized early childhood education programs. This act would take effect on July 1, 2027.

This act would eliminate the sunset on the provision of funding for child care educators. This act would also modify the eligibility requirement to eighty-five (85%) percent of state median income to waive any copayment. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would impose a seventy-five cent ($0.75) surcharge on fares charged by rideshare or transportation network companies. This act would also require that fifty percent (50%) of the surcharge be deposited in a restricted account to be used for street improvements in the municipality where the fare originated, and fifty percent (50%) of the surcharge be deposited in a restricted account to fund Transit Forward RI. The tax administrator would promulgate rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this chapter. The act would also establish a restricted receipt account for the benefit of RIPTA funded by sales tax collected from ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would make students in workforce-ready certificate programs at the community college of Rhode Island eligible to receive the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would exempt the Health Care Entity Fiscal Integrity, Transparency and Accountability Act from the requirement that indirect cost recoveries of fifteen percent (15%) of funds from restricted receipt accounts be recorded as general revenues in the general fund. This act would also require quarterly financial reporting to the executive office of health and human services beginning on October 1, 2026. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish the medical primary care scholarship program to be administered by the commissioner of postsecondary education. This act would appropriate one million dollars ($1,000,000) for fiscal year 2026-2027 which would be utilized to provide scholarships for four (4) years for doctors, and for two (2) years for physician assistants and nurse practitioners to provide primary care services in Rhode Island. For every year a medical practitioner received a scholarship, the recipient would be required to provide two (2) years of work in the field of primary care in the state upon graduation. This act would take effect on July 1, 2026.

This act would provide medical assistance coverage for medical services provided to qualifying eligible recipients for community-based care. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund to provide financial assistance to families with children age twenty-one (21) years and younger stricken by a catastrophic illness for medical expenses not covered by any other state or federal program or any insurance contract. A nine (9) member commission would establish and administer a program to achieve the purposes of the fund. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would permit advanced practice registered nurses (APRN), physicians, and physician assistants to provide services to patients located in Rhode Island via telemedicine when those services are necessary and medically and clinically appropriate. This act would also allow APRNs, physicians, and physician assistants who are licensed in other states or U.S. territories who have appropriate professional liability insurance coverage and who are licensed and in good standing in those jurisdictions to provide telemedicine services to patients who are in Rhode Island when those services are rendered. Further, this act would bring providers who render telemedicine services to patients who are in the state when the services are rendered under the jurisdiction of the state and its courts. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require, commencing January 1, 2027, group health plans and health insurance issuers that provide prescription benefits to cover at least one type of glucagon auto- injector, nasal spray, or formulation which does not require reconstitution to treat hypoglycemia with two (2) glucagon auto-injectors every plan year. No copayment or deductible would be required to obtain prescribed glucagon medications. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would permit a nurse who has the appropriate knowledge, credentials and clinical competency, to provide home services foot care, which would include routine foot and nail care, as well as implementing a plan of footcare that includes hygiene and the shortening of toe and finger nails. A nurse providing in-home foot care would ensure that two (2) hours of continuing education out of the ten (10) hours required per certification period would be focused on foot care. The department of health would determine fair and reasonable license and renewal fees for nurses providing services pursuant to this section. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would allow the office of health insurance commissioner (OHIC) as the state agency that has the authority to designate patient-centered medical home (PCMH) care to obtain maximal health outcomes. The primary care site would have achieved and maintain NCQA, PCMH distinction or approval of the joint commission on AAAHC, as determined by the department of health. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that the executive office of health and human services, through Emergency Medicaid, would cover dialysis for the treatment of end stage renal disease ("ESRD") and kidney transplants for Rhode Island residents who do not qualify for full Medicaid under Federal law due to their immigration status. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would modify the real estate sales disclosure form to include the disclosure of “blower door diagnostic air leakage testing” and advise that air leakage testing is recommended prior to purchasing a residential unit. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would remove the requirement that families consent to, and cooperate with the department of human services in establishing paternity and enforcing child and medical support orders as a condition of eligibility for child care assistance. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would make numerous changes to the access to public records act, including clarifying various provisions, increasing the sanctions for knowing and willful violations of the law, and making certain traffic accident data and preferred license plate information public. Additionally, this act would include a police report of an incident that does not lead to an arrest as accessible to public records request. Any final reports of investigations conducted by internal affairs would be accessible to public records request. All police worn body camera footage would be accessible to public records request and would be made available within thirty (30) days. Arrest logs made within thirty (30) days of arrest, changed from five (5) days previously, would be accessible to public records request. A civil fine for public officials who knowingly violate this chapter would increase from two thousand dollars ($2,000) to four thousand dollars ($4,000), and if a public official recklessly violates this chapter a fine of two thousand dollars ($2,000) this is a change from one thousand dollars ($1,000) previously. There would also be relief in the case of a person filing frivolous request with the intent to disrupt government operations. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would make sexual contact or penetration between any law enforcement officer that is on duty and a person that is a detainee, arrestee, in custody or a suspect during questioning, a felony. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the courts to consider the parental status of the defendant at the time of sentencing and would allow the defendant to present a family impact statement, including testimony, videos and documents relative to their parental status. Unless the court finds that the parent poses a significant risk to the community that outweighs the harm of the parent’s absence from the child’s life, it shall impose a sentence that does not include imprisonment. This act would take effect upon passage.

Commencing July 1, 2026, this act would eliminate the provision of this section that requires new applicants for employment under this section to pay the expense for their criminal background checks. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would repeal the law that prevents a collective bargaining agreement covering state employees, public school teachers and municipal employees from specifying a particular healthcare provider in it. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would exempt an individual in foster or adoptive homes from the fee associated with drivers education classes at the community college of Rhode Island. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require a direct-to-consumer genetic testing company, as defined, to provide a consumer with certain information regarding the company’s policies and procedures for the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure, as applicable, of genetic data, and to obtain a consumer’s express consent for collection, use, or disclosure of the consumer’s genetic data, as specified. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would allow Rhode Island to opt out of the provisions of the “Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980” (DIDMCA), for loans made within the State of Rhode Island, which allow financial institutions chartered in other states to be exempt from interest rate limits which apply to financial institutions chartered in Rhode Island. This act would also prevent evasion of Rhode Island’s interest rate limits and lending rules by making clear that lenders, whether they identify themselves as such or not, remain bound by Rhode Island’s lending laws for both small loans and loans in general. This act would take effect on October 1, 2026.

This act would assign additional duties to the commissioner of postsecondary education, including, but not limited to, preparing a strategic plan for public higher education which is aligned with the goals of the board of education's strategic plan and which would provide for equitable distribution of public funds. This act would also provide that any policies and goals adopted would have an outcomes-based model emphasizing outcomes across a range of variables. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would extend teacher certifications without fee or penalty for three (3) or five (5) years for teachers who hold certifications as of July 1, 2026. This act would permit a teacher who has three (3) years of certified teaching experience, to acquire an additional certification through examination or content coursework. This act would also direct the department of elementary and secondary education to revise its regulations pertaining to certification to create multiple pathways to obtain teacher and administrator certification. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require transition planning for high school students with disabilities, who have a “504” plan, like the transition planning required for high school students with disabilities, who have an individualized education program (IEP). This act would take effect upon passage.

The act would direct the office of energy resources to develop building performance standards for large buildings in Rhode Island that would cause greenhouse gas emissions to decline in line with the act on climate requirements. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit a person to sell, offer for sale, display for sale or otherwise distribute a farmed animal fur product within the state and would provide graduated civil penalties for violations. This act would take effect three (3) years after passage.

This act would establish a fee on companies that sell fossil fuels in Rhode Island, paid at the point of sale within the state for consumption or distribution within the state. This act would also establish an "economic and climate resilience fund" to disburse the collected funds. The funds would be disbursed through dividends to all residents and businesses in the state as well as allocated to climate resilience, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation programs that benefit Rhode Islanders, including low-income residents and small businesses. This act would take effect upon the enactment of a fee of at least five dollars ($5.00) per metric ton of carbon by the legislatures of at least three (3) states: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and one or more additional states in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). This act would take effect on July 1, 2027.

This act would include Medicaid enrollment in the student success factor of the foundation aid formula to provide added support for high-need students beyond the core instructional amount. This would begin with the FY 2027 calculation. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that not later than June 30, 2027, the department of education would develop and adopt, in consultation with the office of energy resources, regulations requiring all school buildings to meet the standard of zero energy capable, as defined in § 16-7-36, by December 31, 2037. This act would take effect upon passage.

Joint Resolution Making An Appropriation Of $2,000,000 To The Elisha Project (authorizes The Appropriation Of The Sum Of $2,000,000 To The Elisha Project.)

This act would require the department of human services to provide childcare assistance to families, including those served through DCYF, who meet the requirements of a protective services category as defined in CFR 45 §98.20 (a)(3)(ii). This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would exempt from the sales tax behind-the-meter batteries interconnected with a solar photovoltaic system. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would expand the post-retirement positions that any retired member in the state retirement system could have at a state college or university, to include positions outside of teaching, but would maintain the same cap on the amount of money that person could be paid for part-time work. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would create an income-sensitive tiered subsidy program to ensure that home energy utility costs are affordable for eligible low-income households. The cost of the discount, including administrative costs not funded through other sources, would be collected in rates from all other customers of the electric and gas distribution companies in a manner determined just and reasonable by the public utilities commission. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require every individual or group health insurance contract effective on or after January 1, 2027, to provide coverage to the insured and the insured's spouse and dependents for all FDA-approved contraceptive drugs, devices and other products, voluntary sterilization procedures, patient education and counseling on contraception and follow-up services as well as Medicaid coverage for a twelve (12) month supply for Medicaid recipients. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would enact the Rhode Island individual market affordability act of 2026 to establish a program to help reduce out-of-pocket costs for low- and moderate-income consumers enrolled in individual health insurance coverage through the Rhode Island health benefits exchange. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that licensed independent clinical social workers be able to enroll and bill Medicaid directly for covered services provided to adults with Medicaid fee-for-service coverage. This act would take effect upon passage.

Senate Resolution Respectfully Requesting The Executive Office Of Health And Human Services (eohhs) To Adopt An Electronic Preadmission Screening And Resident Review (pasrr) System

This act would establish a building energy reporting program for covered residential, nonresidential properties and campuses containing twenty-five thousand (25,000) or more gross square feet. The office of energy resources (OER) shall be responsible for reporting this information to the public in order to provide transparency to the marketplace. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would set the zoning statewide for “family child care homes” to no fewer than twelve (12) children maximum. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit state and municipal officials or body from entering into and renewing any agreements that will be used to detain individuals for federal civil immigration violations. It would also prohibit state and local leaders from leasing their public real estate for use as an immigration detention facility. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require all motorcycle operators to wear a helmet regardless of age. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would increase the number of members of the state crime laboratory commission from five (5) to nine (9), change the makeup of the commission to include individuals with expertise in law enforcement, expertise in criminal defense, and expertise in scientific research. It would also make the chair of the department of physics at the University of Rhode Island the executive secretary. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that a person arrested for a misdemeanor shall be released without a financial condition unless the misdemeanor is for domestic violence or the court makes a finding on the record that there is a likely risk the arrested person will fail to appear in court or will obstruct justice or attempt to injure or intimidate a witness. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would allow those persons with multiple felony convictions to file a motion for expungement of all records and records of convictions; provided that, no person who has been convicted of any felony which is considered a crime of violence shall have their records of conviction expunged and convictions for offenses under chapter 29 of title 12 shall not be eligible for and may not be expunged. Motions may be brought after ten (10) years from the date of the completion of their last sentence. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would amend the comprehensive community-police relationship act of 2015 to require an annual study by an outside agency chosen by the department with input from the CCPRA advisory committee on traffic stop and search data related to racial disparities and would require a monthly review and annual reporting by law enforcement agencies statewide on the traffic stop and search data. The act would also create a twelve (12) member CCPRA advisory committee to advise the office of highway safety on all matters pertaining to the committee's duties relating to stop and search data. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require that the state use the actual residences of persons in government custody for redistricting purposes. Such information would be collected by the department of corrections and forwarded to the division of statewide planning, to be utilized in the redistricting process. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that prisoners who committed offenses prior to age eighteen (18) and were sentenced as adults would be eligible for parole after completing fifteen (15) years of their sentence. This act would not lengthen their parole eligibility should the prisoner be eligible for parole earlier than fifteen (15) years. This act would take effect upon passage and shall be given prospective and retroactive effect to all offenses occurring on or after January 1, 1991.

This act would expand the deinstitutionalization subsidy aid program in the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals to include adoptive parents(s) or sibling(s), and would allow such adoptive parent(s) or sibling(s) to care for a child or adult if the parent was unable to do so. This act would also allow such adoptive parent(s) or sibling(s) who are providing care to receive a subsidy through the aid program. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit employers from seeking or using credit reports in making hiring decisions concerning prospective employees, asking questions about the applicant's financial past during its interviews, or including credit history questions within the applicant's job applications. It would authorize the department of labor and training to impose administrative fines against the offending employer. Finally, it would also allow the aggrieved employee to seek civil financial damages and attorneys' fees. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that exemptions to the prohibition of liquor licenses within two hundred feet (200') of schools or places of worship do not eliminate neighboring property owners’ remonstrance rights to object to the license. This act would take effect upon passage.

Senate Resolution Proclaiming January 27, 2026 To Be “rhode Island Food Insecurity Awareness Day” In The State Of Rhode Island

This act would direct that, on or before September 8, 2026, middle and high schools which issue student identification cards to include on those cards contact crisis telephone numbers for suicide prevention and substance use disorder prevention. This information would also be required to be placed on identification cards issued to school and district employees working in the schools. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the department of elementary and secondary education and the department of health to issue guidance for the administration of seizure rescue medications administered for students who have been medically identified as having epilepsy/seizure disorder. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit force-feeding to create a force-fed poultry product or the hiring of another to engage in force-feeding of a poultry product. The act would prohibit the sale of a force- fed poultry product or food containing a force-fed poultry product. Any violations would be subject to a civil penalty of five hundred dollars ($500) per violation. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

Senate Resolution Requesting The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission To Terminate Gas Line Extension Allowances As Part Of Docket 25-45-ge

This act would direct the department of environmental management to administer and manage the land and natural resources of the Big River Reservoir. This act would also extend several tax credits and incentives that are set to expire on December 31, 2026, to December 31, 2028. This act would also authorize the state energy benchmarking and performance standards program. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would exclude portable solar generation devices intended primarily to offset part of a customer's electricity consumption from the definition of eligible net-metering system. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would increase the monthly minimum benefit for a spouse, domestic partner or former spouse and grant, to eligible retirees who retired after July 1, 2012, and provide a one-time full COLA of three and thirty-four one hundredths percent (3.34%). This act would further provide a modification reducing federal adjusted gross income for the amount received of public pension benefits administered by the Employees Retirement System of Rhode Island. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would authorize the secretary of the executive office of health and human services (EOHHS) to increase resource eligibility limits for persons with long-term-care needs who reside at home to $12,000 for single persons and $18,000 for couples. The act would also require that Medicaid certified assisted living facilities and adult day service providers furnish semi-annual reports to the EOHHS regarding the number of persons served each month and patients’ certification categories for the prior six months. This act would take effect upon passage.

Commencing January 1, 2027, this act would mandate insurers provide health insurance coverage without cost-share requirements for vaccinations recommended by the state department of health and would mandate the coverage for the medical assistance program and managed care organizations. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit the state, participating ERISA, or any health plan from purchasing referenced drugs for a cost higher than the referenced rate. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require health insurance providers to provide insurance coverage for pharmacists’ services including evaluation and management of a patient, which requires a medically appropriate history and/or examination and medical decision making; medication therapy management review; immunization education and administration; administration of medications; ordering and evaluation of clinical laboratory tests. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027, and unless extended by the general assembly, would expire on January 1, 2031.

This act would establish the Wholesale Prescription Drug Importation Program for the importation of wholesale prescription drugs from Canada to provide savings to Rhode Island consumers. The program would require the designation of a state agency to become a licensed drug wholesaler, or to contract with a licensed drug wholesaler, use of prescription drug suppliers in Canada; ensure that only drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration are imported; and import only drugs expected to generate savings; and prohibit the distribution or sale of these drugs outside of Rhode Island. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would change the maximum term of employment for a superintendent from three (3) to five (5) years. This act would take effect upon passage.

Commencing January 1, 2027, this act would increase the minimum wage for employees receiving gratuities, from the current three dollars and eighty-nine cents ($3.89) to six dollars and seventy-five cents ($6.75) per hour. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would allow for a special Rhode Island license plate to raise awareness for colon cancer. The plate would be designed by the Partnership to Reduce Cancer in Rhode Island in honor of the late Maryellen Goodwin. The fees for the plate would be divided equally between the general fund and the not-for-profit Partnership to Reduce Cancer in Rhode Island. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would authorize and empower the department of transportation to plant pollinator friendly native species of trees, shrubs, grasses and plants within limits of a roadway, including state highways. The department would follow guidelines to benefit pollinators consistent with § 23 U.S.C.332. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the public utilities commission (PUC) to provide for a classification of service for retail electricity consumers that are large energy use facilities, defined as a facility that uses or is able to use twenty megawatts (20mw) or more and is primarily engaged in providing a service that is related to businesses offering infrastructure like cloud storage, application hosting (excluding software publishing), data entry services and facilities that process client-supplied data for reports or provide automated services such as optical scanning and disk conversion. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would authorize the department of environmental management to issue and enforce rules and regulations to implement and enforce the provisions of the food waste ban. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would amend certain provisions relative to school waste recycling and refuse disposal and would require reports of waste audits by educational entities and reports of program participation by vendors. It would also authorize the use of share tables in schools. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit the application of lawn care pesticides or rodenticides on the grounds of any public or private pre-school or public or private school with students in grade twelve (12) or lower, except in an emergency situation or to be used on the playing fields and playgrounds of the school as well as pre-schools and child care centers pursuant to an integrated pest management plan as developed by the department of environmental management and the department of health and would create a task force to study health risks of PFAS in athletic fields to students who use them. This act would also require a school department to provide a copy of the pesticide or rodenticide application notice sent to parents and guardians to the department of education. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish the compost fund to provide funding to the department of environmental management to award grants to assist with the costs of developing, implementing, expanding equipment, infrastructure, and education relating to reducing the amount of solid waste generated in the state. The office of the general treasurer would administer the fund. This act would also establish a municipal waste diversion grant fund administered by the general treasurer to be used for grants to municipalities to advance food waste prevention. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027

This act would exempt from the sales tax scalp hair prosthesis or wig that are necessary due to hair loss from a medical condition. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide a tax credit for food donations by qualified taxpayers to nonprofit organizations up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) per year. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would establish a performance audit division within the office of the auditor general. The purpose of the performance audit division would include preparing an annual performance audit plan, conducting audits in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards, evaluating agencies and contractors receiving state or federal funds, and publishing a public report containing the divisions’ findings and recommendations. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would exempt from sales tax energy storage systems, as defined in § 39-33-1. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in the fiscal year 2026- 2027 budget to support the mental health and emotional well-being of children and youth through investments in out-of-school time (“OST”) settings, as essential, community-based spaces that provide connection, stability, and resilience during a period of heightened need and reduced public supports. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that all kratom products for sale would be stored and kept in a locked case, until sold. This act would take effect April 1, 2026.

This act would establish the Rhode Island Ban on the Corporate Practice of Medicine Act, and the Rhode Island transparency in ownership and control of healthcare facilities act. The act would regulate the ownership of medical practices by unlicensed corporate and other business entities and require reporting of ownership and control of healthcare facilities in the state. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would amend the current law on health insurance coverage for fertility diagnostic care, standard fertility preservation services, and fertility treatment and would require coverage for any medically necessary ovulation-enhancing drugs and medical services related to prescribing and monitoring the use of ovulation-enhancing drugs that is intended to treat infertility and establish a pregnancy that results in a live birth. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would make it an unfair claim practice whenever a dental insurer refuses to honor a “direction to pay” after a request by the claimant or the insured. This act would allow the insurer to review the records of the service provider to verify that the services were received, but prohibits the insurer from modifying the amount of benefits to be paid. This act would not allow a contract between the insurer and a dental service provider requiring the provider to accept payment for services only by virtual credit card. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the secretary of the executive office of health and human services (EOHHS) to monitor and mandate changes to the price-setting practices of pharmacy benefit managers to prohibit the spread pricing payment model. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would limit copays, coinsurance or office deductibles for services of a physical therapist to the amount authorized for the services of a primary care physician or osteopath on or after January 1, 2027. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require a report to be produced that focuses on prescription drug prior authorizations by January 1, 2027. This act would take effect upon passage.

Senate Resolution Respectfully Urging The United States Congress To Protect Patients And Traditional Medicare From Medicare Advantage

This act would require fair pharmacy reimbursement from a pharmacy benefit manager to a non-affiliated pharmacy or pharmacist and also provide anti-discrimination prohibitions by pharmacy benefit managers in regard to non-affiliated pharmacies or pharmacists. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit health insurance providers from requiring preauthorization for in- network mental health or substance use disorder services. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would limit the use by insurers of step therapy utilization management, a protocol or program that establishes a specific sequence in which prescription drugs for a specified medical condition are covered by an insurer by allowing medical providers to request step therapy exceptions. This act would also require insurers to provide the office of the health insurance commissioner with information and documents sufficient to evaluate whether step therapy protocols delay or deny medically necessary care, including utilization and outcome data as required by the commissioner. This act would take effect upon passage.

This article would be known as the Rhode Island Inclusive Home Design Act. The act would address any single-family construction, townhouse construction, and multi-family construction complying with the Standards for Type C (Visitable) Units of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities (section 1105 of ICC ANSI A117.1-2017). The act would also require that any updates to the ANSI Standards for Type C (Visitable) Units be applied upon adoption by the building code standards committee. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require a healthcare entity to submit written notice to the attorney general and the department of health of any material change transaction at least one hundred eighty (180) days prior to that transaction. This act would also authorize the attorney general and the department of health to review the transaction, approve, modify or deny the transaction, and provide factors to be considered within that review. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would recognize the Seaconke Wampanoag tribe as a Native American Indian tribe for the limited purpose of assisting this tribe in establishing eligibility for federal benefits and privileges. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide a procedure for a Native American tribe to petition the state for recognition. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish the Plastic Waste Conversion Facility Act. The act would prohibit the issuance of any permit or license for the construction or operation of a new plastic waste conversion facility, and would further provide that no application for a permit or license for such a facility would be granted or issued by the state. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the executive office of health and human services to amend the state Medicaid plan and secure sufficient state general revenue to increase Medicaid payment rates to an amount equal to one hundred thirty percent (130%) of Medicare rates for outpatient clinical pediatric services. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would direct the general assembly to appropriate in the fiscal year 2027 budget, a sum sufficient to fund ten additional full time equivalent ("FTE") positions to be assigned to the department of environmental management (the "department"), and to fund necessary equipment and supplies, with the intent to support and expand the department's efforts in the areas of forests and forestry projects. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would raise the minimum fee per barrel of petroleum products or crude oil from five cents ($0.05) to twelve cents ($0.12) per barrel as part of the uniform oil spill response and prevention fee. Use of the fund would be expanded to support projects and initiatives to reduce emissions and meet the act on climate goals as directed by the executive climate change coordinating council (EC4). This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would limit prior authorization requirements for rehabilitative and habilitative services. This act would prohibit prior authorization for the first twelve (12) visits of a new episode of care and for ninety (90) days following a chronic pain diagnosis. This act would also require that insurers must respond to requests within twenty-four (24) hours, and delays result in automatic approval. This act would further allow retroactive authorization for medically necessary services and provides appeal rights for denied requests. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would establish the “Prescription Drug Savings and Transparency Act of 2026.” This act would authorize an independent, comprehensive study by the office of the auditor general to determine whether Rhode Island would benefit from adopting a consolidated prescription drug management program within the Medicaid program. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that for insurance coverage for treatment of mental health and substance use disorders, payors would rely upon criteria which reflect generally accepted standards of care when developing coverage for levels of care for mental health treatment. This act would also provide that payors would not modify clinical criteria to reduce coverage for mental health treatment below the level established by the generally accepted standards of care upon which their clinical criteria are based. This act would also provide a definition for the term “generally accepted standards of care.” This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish a universal and unified healthcare system and reform the current payment system for healthcare coverage in this state by creating a board and prescribing its powers and duties; prescribing the powers and duties of state, city and town governmental officials and agencies; establishing a fund; providing for the promulgation of rules; and prescribing penalties and remedies. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require that routine childhood and adult immunization vaccine recommendations be based on, and developed from, evidence-based, medically sound scientific research by the department of health as well as the Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, and other such similar medical professional organizations. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require all major hospitals within the state constructed or substantially renovated or expanded on or after January 1, 2028 to use renewable energy sources for power. The building code standards committee would promulgate rules and regulations to implement the requirements. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require healthcare providers and healthcare facilities to inform patients of the use of artificial intelligence to memorialize patient visits. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require annual inspections of those assisted living residences which contain units licensed to treat residents with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. This act would take effect upon passage.

HEALTH AND SAFETY -- THE RHODE ISLAND COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM - Establishes a universal, comprehensive, affordable single-payer health care insurance program and help control health care costs, which would be referred to as, "the Rhode Island Comprehensive Health Insurance Program" (RICHIP).

This act would amend the Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act to define "assistance animal" and clarify existing protections for persons with such animals consistent with the federal Fair Housing Act; clarify the ability of the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights to accept, investigate, and decide cases alleging discrimination on the basis of "housing status;" make unlawful the issuance of discriminatory notices or statements related to the sale, rental or leasing of housing; and delete a provision in current law prohibiting parties from discussing their fair housing cases publicly. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide for the operation of and duties imposed on a disposition facility relating to the natural organic reduction for the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish the Rhode Island firearm industry accountability act of 2026. The act imposes certain requirements on a firearms industry member pertaining to controls, possession, and advertisements of firearm industry products. This act would take effect on October 1, 2026, and would be applicable to any civil action filed on or after October 1, 2026.

This act would increase the minimum wage amount for any person committed to the adult correctional institution from three dollars to five dollars a day for every day the person shall labor. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would sunset/discontinue the Jobs Development Act rate reduction as of July 1, 2026. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would implement statewide standards concerning minimum requirements for off- street parking, project-based parking, while affording municipalities inherent rights to establish its own requirements, all in conjunction with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would change the name of the holiday on the second Monday of August from Victory Day to Peace and Remembrance Day. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would ensure that any public school with available seats, after completion of the initial enrollment period for students residing in that school’s designated attendance area, would make such seats available to other students residing within the same school district. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require veterinarians to provide consultations to dog or cat owners when a drug is prescribed and dispensed for that animal patient. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would require the governor, when presenting proposed budget articles for each fiscal year, to set forth the climate considerations that were undertaken to move the state towards the mandated goals set forth in the 2021 Act on Climate. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would create a tick control program to be implemented by the department of environmental management. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would allow Rhode Island based employers to pay a portion of the employee’s student loan debt, if said employee is employed in a high-need profession to address a workforce shortage or critical public need, is committed to working full-time in such profession for two (2) consecutive years in this state, is enrolled in income driven repayment and working in underserved communities. This act would also require annual reporting to the Rhode Island student loan authority (“RISLA”). This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require Medicaid in this state to provide coverage for fertility diagnostic care, standard fertility preservation services, any medically necessary ovulation-enhancing drugs and medical services related to prescribing and monitoring the use of the ovulation-enhancing drugs for at least three cycles of ovulation-enhancing medication treatment, and intrauterine insemination. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require Rhode Island Medicaid to cover services provided by licensed certified professional midwives and to collect utilization and cost data, while allowing limits consistent with Medicaid rules. The executive office of health and human services (EOHHS) would have the authority to submit an amendment to the state plan or seek a waiver to provide this coverage. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require Medicaid to cover services by licensed certified lactation counselors and the executive office of health and human services (EOHHS) to oversee and implement the program and track related costs and use. It would also ensure reimbursement consistent with similar providers. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide coverage and increase individual and group insurance rates of reimbursement for ambulance services, and would require health insurers to provide coverage for emergency medical service providers administering mobile integrated healthcare community paramedicine. This act would also direct the department of health, in collaboration of the ambulance service coordinating advisory board, to administer a mobile integrated healthcare community paramedicine program. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require health insurers to comply with federal mental health parity laws, prevent discriminatory treatment limits, and ensure meaningful mental health and substance use coverage in all benefit classifications. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit a healthcare provider from requiring patients to provide electronic payment information to be kept on file as a condition to receiving treatment. The act would make a violation of this section a deceptive trade practice. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would restrict the possession of prohibited firearms. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would authorize the automatic expungement of eligible conviction records by operation of law, initiated and completed by state agencies through electronic processes established within the judicial system. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would increase the fine for speeding, one to ten miles per hour (1-10 mph) in excess of posted speed limit in a residential or school zone to one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125) and would increase the fine to two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for speed in excess of eleven miles per hour (11 mph) in a residential or school zone. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would amend various sections of law relating to campaign contributions and expenditures, including prohibitions on self-dealing with committee funds and would prohibit donations made in fictitious names. This act would also provide that for purposes of the limitations on contributions, all contributions made by political committees established, financed, maintained, or controlled by the same person or the same group of persons shall be considered to have been made by a single political committee. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would create the child-serving provider liability joint underwriting association to provide a joint underwriting association to provide liability insurance coverage for eligible child serving providers. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would create an intervenor compensation program to provide compensation in the form of grants for legal fees, expert witness fees, and other reasonable costs to an intervenor in both, energy siting board and public utilities commission proceedings. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would define a "catastrophic loss" to a residential property. It would allow a customer to be discharged from making the first payment following the date of a catastrophic loss. The solar customer would be required to provide the retailer with documentation of the loss in order to qualify for a temporary suspension of payments. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would permit eating and drinking establishments to accept consumer-provided containers to fill or refill with takeout food or beverages. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit the sale of over-the-counter diet pills and muscle-building supplements to minors in Rhode Island and require age verification, restricted access, and civil penalties for violations. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit public utilities, serving greater than one hundred thousand (100,000) customers from recovering through rates any direct or indirect cost associated with, amongst other costs, advertising, marketing, communications, or public education that seek to influence public opinion, including any costs associated with activities such as research, analysis, preparation or planning undertaken in support of advertising, marketing, communications, or public education, or any other related costs identified by the commission. The act would also place a three percent (3%) cap on increases to its total capital spending budget. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would update the description of the early intervention program and the agency responsible for the program under Part C of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Furthermore, the act would direct the executive office of health and human services (EOHHS) to increase Medicaid rates for early intervention service providers by the amount recommended in the 2025 rate review and require that the office maintain and regularly update the existing early intervention data dashboard on a public website. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit an educational institution or school district from accessing any audio or video recording, transmitting or recording function on a student's institutional or personal device or using location data for tracking a student's institutional device or personal device, or allow a third party to do so, except in limited circumstances. This act would exempt prisons or other correctional facilities. This act would take effect on August 1, 2026.

Joint Resolution Creating A Special Legislative Commission To Study And Provide Recommendations For The Creation Of A Statewide Teacher Healthcare Plan (creates An 11-member Commission To Study And Make Recommendations On A Statewide Teacher Healthcare Plan, And Would Report Quarterly As Of September 1, 2026, And Submit A Final Report By September 1, 2027, And Expires On December 31, 2027.)

This act would take several measures to lead by example by banning state purchases of plastic bottles, and would require state funds to be used to lease or purchase electric vehicles and renewable energy efficient technologies for use on state property. Annual reports would be required to be filed by January 31, and provided to the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4), the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the governor. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish the Beverage Container Recycling Act. This act would establish a comprehensive program providing for deposits on and recycling of beverage containers. This program would be administered and overseen by the department of environmental management. This act would also provide for the assessment of penalties on producers and recycling refund producer responsibility organizations who fail to meet certain performance targets. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the producer of artificial turf and turf infill sold or distributed in Rhode Island to report its chain of custody, from installation to use, repurposing, recycling and disposal to the department of environmental management. The department of environmental management would develop and maintain the information on a publicly accessible website. Violations would be subject to civil penalties. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would modernize the state’s existing online E-Permitting Portal by requiring automated plan review and instant permits issuance for residential solar energy systems or other eligible small-scale solar energy systems that meet all safety and building codes. It would also authorize remote virtual inspections as a valid practice for typical rooftop residential installations in an effort to reduce administrative costs for Rhode Island’s municipalities, businesses, and consumers. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit the use of artificial turf as material to cover compacted solid waste at a sanitary landfill on or after July 1, 2026. This act would also establish a pilot program to determine the benefits of using a plant mix and/or grass mix with pollinators as landfill cover. This act would also impose reporting requirements on the resource recover corporation on these matters on or before January 1, 2028. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would allow local government recipients of grant funds from the Rhode Island infrastructure bank's OSCAR fund, Rhode Island infrastructure fund, and municipal resilience program to use monies for insurability planning. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would exclude nuclear power from the office of energy resources and division of public utilities from participation, procuring and entering into long-term contracts. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the state and private health insurers to reimburse claims for healthcare services provided by nurse practitioners and physician assistants at the same amount as the reimbursement paid to a physician performing the service in the area served. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

Joint Resolution Making An Appropriation Of $118,422 To The Rhode Island Parent Information Network (ripin) (appropriates The Sum Of $118,422 To The Rhode Island Parent Information Network (ripin).)

This act would appropriate two million seven hundred thousand dollars ($2,700,000) to fund the primary care training sites program to provide training for physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants within the department of health. This act would take effect on July 1, 2026.

This act would provide an investment tax credit to a taxpayer that makes a qualified investment in a local qualified business of ninety-nine (99) employees or less. This act would be funded by a Rhode Island commerce corporation strategic fund pursuant to § 42-64-18. Additionally, the general assembly would annually appropriate sufficient funds from the general fund to fully compensate for any loss of revenue as a result of the provisions of this act. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would permit children with diagnosed developmental disabilities whose third birthday is between May 1 and August 31 to continue to receive early intervention services through September 1 after the child’s third birthday. Further, this act would direct the EOHHS to develop and implement a plan to ensure continuity of services and minimize gaps in support as children with services transition to early childhood special education. Additionally, this act would require private health insurers to cover this extended early intervention option. This act would take effect on July 1, 2026.

This act would define food and food supplies for the purposes of Rhode Island general laws title 37 public property and works chapter 2 state purchases. This act would further allow for the procurement of food and food supplies not exceeding an aggregate amount of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) to be made in accordance with small purchase regulations promulgated by the chief purchasing officer. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would add the First Connections family home-visiting program as a provider under the statute and change the department of health’s annual reporting requirements regarding family home-visiting programs. This act would also direct the executive office of health and human services to increase Medicaid rates for early intervention service providers by the amount recommended in the 2025 rate review, appropriate the minimum amount of general revenue to access the maximum amount of federal MIECHV funds and direct the department to spend all available federal funds. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would authorize pharmacists to order, perform and interpret CLIA-waived tests authorized by statewide protocol and prescribe medications. This act would further permit for such test-and-treat authority to be covered by all health insurance carriers. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would require hospital emergency rooms and free-standing emergency care facilities to offer and provide pregnancy prevention medication to victims of sexual assault. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the department of elementary and secondary education or the department of health to develop and implement policies to allow students diagnosed with asthma, a condition that may lead to bronchospasm or anaphylaxis, or both, to carry and self-administer asthma medication or auto-injectable or intranasal epinephrine, or both. This act would further provide immunity to any school teacher, school administrator, or school healthcare personnel, school bus driver, school bus monitor, or any other school personnel for civil damages which may result from the administration of such medications. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would include routine, scheduled or recommended immunizations to individuals between the ages of three (3) and eighteen (18) years, under the consent and reporting provisions required for pharmacy administered immunizations to individuals between three (3) and eighteen (18) years of age. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would create a new license for eyelash service technicians, require permits for eyelash businesses, establish training and exam standards, authorize RIDOH enforcement and fines, and impose five hundred dollar ($500) penalties for unlicensed practice. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would create a Rhode Island specialty license for physician assistants who earn the NCCPA psychiatry CAQ, formally recognizing advanced behavioral health qualifications and supporting appropriate insurance reimbursement. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would allow foreign-trained dentists and dental hygienists to obtain limited licenses if they graduate from reputable dental colleges or universities, work under a supervising dentist, and pass a board-approved exam. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the state, and private insurers that cover prescription hormone therapy, to dispense twelve (12) months’ worth of the prescription as a single prescription. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would expand the existing law regarding collaborative practice agreements between pharmacists and physicians to allow other healthcare providers to enter into such agreements. This act would also remove the definition of “collaborative practice committee”. This act would take effect on July 1, 2026.

This act would increase continuing medical education requirements for physician assistants to fifty (50) hours biannually. The act also would remove restrictions of physician assistants to render charitable care provided they have liability coverage; permit physician assistants to render aid under The School and Youth Programs Concussion Act and “The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act; and remove restrictive covenants and non-compete agreements. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would create the “Embryo Safety and Storage Act of 2025.” The act would require the department of health to regulate and license embryo storage facilities. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This bill would require the executive office of health and human services to provide self- measured blood pressure monitoring for eligible pregnant and postpartum individuals, covering home monitors, training, data transmission, and co-interventions, with state funds if federal aid is unavailable. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require certain healthcare facilities to allow a terminally ill patient’s use of medicinal cannabis within the healthcare facility, subject to the following restrictions including: requiring a patient to provide the healthcare facility with an ID and a copy of their medical marijuana card or written documentation that the use of medicinal cannabis is recommended by a physician, and requiring a healthcare facility to restrict how a patient stores and uses medicinal cannabis to ensure the safety of other patients, guests, and employees of the healthcare facility. The act would also provide that compliance with the bill would not be a condition for obtaining, retaining, or renewing a license as a healthcare facility. The act would authorize a healthcare facility to suspend compliance with these provisions if a federal agency takes specified actions. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require inspections and evaluations of the indoor air quality of each school building, including heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The department of health would establish guidelines for indoor air quality in schools, including recommended thresholds and rates for environmental conditions that directly affect health and learning. The department of education in coordination with the department of health, shall submit a report to the general assembly within one year of the effective date of this section, with recommendations to improve indoor air quality in public schools. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would create the position of dementia services coordinator within the department of health to coordinate the departments' approach to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. This act would take effect on July 1, 2026.

This act would establish, encourage and support the establishment of family councils and resident councils in assisted living residences providing assisted living services. This act would further support the transparency of rates and fees to residents in managed residential communities providing assisted living services and set a minimum notice period for rate increases of one hundred twenty (120) days. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would cap the total amount that a covered person is required to pay for a covered prescription inhaler, prescription device, or prescription equipment to twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per thirty (30) day supply. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would cap the amount that a covered person is required to pay for insulin administration and glucose monitoring equipment and supplies at twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per thirty (30) day supply or per item when an item is intended to be used for longer than thirty (30) days and would prohibit any deductible for the equipment and supplies. The coverage would commence on January 1, 2027. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would prohibit health insurance companies or other payors from including in their physician participation agreements any provisions that restrict or prevent a physician practice from charging patients reasonable administrative or operational fees to support practice overhead. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would add new sections which set forth conditions for pharmacists to prescribe tobacco cessation drug therapies, including education approved by the state board of pharmacy. The cessation therapies pharmacists’ services for cessation therapies would be covered by all health insurance carriers on or after January 1, 2027. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would mandate health insurance coverage for medically necessary hormonal and non-hormonal therapy to treat symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause, if the therapy is recommended by a qualified healthcare provider who is licensed, accredited, or certified under Rhode Island law and the therapy has been proven safe and effective. This coverage would be mandated for all insurance policies issued on or after January 1, 2027. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish a food-as-medicine pilot program and task force to be administered by the executive office of health and human services. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would restrict increases in monthly common expenses and limit special assessments to cover unforeseen costs not included in the condominium association’s approved annual budget for common expenses in associations where the minority of the units are deed- restricted units. This act would take effect on July 1, 2026.

This act would preclude any legal entity from possessing, controlling or otherwise claiming legal title to real property exceeding an aggregate value of twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) in single-family dwellings or multi-family dwellings. This act would require any legal entity that possesses, controls or otherwise claims legal title to real property exceeding an aggregate value of twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) in single-family dwellings or multi- family dwellings, to divest a graduated yearly amount from assets consisting of single-family dwellings or multi-family dwellings over the next ten (10) years, until the total aggregate value held by that legal entity is less than or equal to twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000). This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would advance the interests of older Rhode Islanders by adding a representative of an aging adult organization to the state planning council and a permanent committee on aging to the state planning council and would require the long-term care coordinating council to review and make recommendations for reforming its governing statute, and would change the council’s quorum to twelve (12) members. Additionally, the act would dispense with less-favored terms related to older persons and persons with disabilities, and would direct the law revision director to draft a bill for introduction in the 2027 legislative session to revise affected general laws, with certain exceptions, where the term "elder person" would remain. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would create the multi-unit residential decarbonization initiative program to provide revolving funding for feasibility studies to convert large, multi-family residential units to non-emitting renewable geothermal energy. This act would take effect upon passage.

Joint Resolution Creating A Special Legislative Commission To Study Current Condominium Law And Provide Recommendations For Improvements To Transparency, Accountability And Ongoing Affordability Of Condominiums In Rhode Island (creates A 16-member Commission To Study Current Condominium Law And Provide Recommendations For Improvements, And Who Would Report Back To The General Assembly By December 31, 2027, And Would Expire On March 15, 2028.)

This act would change the definition of employee to include individuals employed in the domestic service of any person. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would allow the dismissal of a teacher after the March 1 deadline if there is gross misconduct by a teacher upon a student. This act would allow the notice to be given at any time and will not have time constraints. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would permit the Rhode Island Supreme Court Committee on Racial and Ethnic Fairness, in consultation with the Rhode Island Bar Association and its Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to appoint a qualified individual to serve as the new or replacement member of the Judicial Nominating Commission if the members with expired terms are not replaced via the normal process. It would also require the commission to provide a public forum relative to adopting rules and procedures, would require judicial candidates to disclose political donations and require the commission to broadcast, via the internet, each open meeting and to maintain an archive of each recording. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require that the chief judge of the family court in appointing magistrates do so in accordance with the judicial selection and nomination process set forth in chapter 16.1 of title 8. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the judicial nominating commission to establish a standardized merit-based selection process that includes an initial blind review of applications prior to any interview or public hearing and that applicants be evaluated according to uniform, job-related criteria adopted in advance and published on the commission’s website. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the police officers' commission on standards and training to provide training and instructions for police detectives, police officers and trainees in order to more accurately identify complaints involving traumatized youth and to develop law enforcement responses in dealing with youth suffering from trauma relating to an incident necessitating a response by law enforcement officers. This act would take effect upon passage.

Joint Resolution Rescinding All Prior Article V Convention Applications (cancels And Nullifies All Prior Applications By The General Assembly Calling For A Constitutional Convention.)

This act would allow a party to condition a transaction by electronic means on their stated desire to obtain and receive a written copy of the document in English or Spanish before electronic execution of the agreement or performance is required of the party. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would create a process for an individual to voluntarily be either temporarily or indefinitely added to a list restricting their rights to purchase or possess firearms as well as to request removal from the restricted list. The act would further require that all individual records related to the person's inclusion on the list would be destroyed and not subject to the access to public records act. Additionally, the act would also impose a twenty-five dollar ($25.00) fine for firearm possession by a person on a restricted list and make it a misdemeanor for adding or attempting to add a person to either restricted list without their knowledge. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would make it unnecessary to prove that a person's transmission of electronic communications be for the sole purpose of harassment before being found guilty of cyberstalking or cyberharassment. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would give statewide juvenile hearing boards the authority to refer a juvenile offender to a rehabilitative driving course, as part of a disposition of an offense before the board. The order may be enforced by the traffic tribunal. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would repeal provisions which allow the department of corrections to charge inmates for phone calls and would require the department of corrections to provide free communication services to inmates and juveniles held in residential placement or detention centers. This act also would require that those facilities provide in-person contact visits. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would mandate all department of corrections staff with direct supervision roles to wear body cameras while on duty in their assigned facility. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would allow for the issuance of a Class B or Class B-H liquor license for the property located at 349 Main Street in the town of South Kingstown. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require licensed retailers authorized to sell intoxicating beverages to provide a lid to a consumer upon request. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

Senate Resolution Recognizing March 8, 2026, As "international Women's Day" And The Month Of March As "women's History Month" In The State Of Rhode Island

Senate Resolution Honoring Sandra Lake For Her Extraordinary Contributions To Women And Communities In Rhode Island

This act would require that the names of any non-teacher school employees who are terminated for good and just cause, be furnished to the Rhode Island department of elementary and secondary education. The department would maintain a list of the names and the good cause for the termination. This list would not be a public document, but would be available to hiring authorities of schools and school districts. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prohibit public and private colleges and universities from charging students for institution provided health insurance in the absence of affirmative action by the student opting in to coverage. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027.

This act would create multiple chapters to provide and establish a comprehensive program for recycling of beverage containers and extended producer responsibility for packaging and paper, after the completion of an implementation analysis by the department of environmental management, which would be the lead department in overseeing, implementing, and enforcing the provisions of this act. This act would take effect upon passage.

Senate Resolution Creating A Special Legislative Commission To Make A Comprehensive Study Of Rhode Island's Healthcare Workforce Related To Educating And Retaining Primary Care Providers (creates A 17-member Commission To Study Rhode Island’s Healthcare Workforce Related To Educating And Retaining Primary Care Providers And Who Would Report Back Annually To The President Of The Senate.)

This act would require that reimbursement rates for licensed mobile response and stabilization services be equal to or greater than the prevailing integrated state Medicaid rate for mobile response and stabilizations services as established by EOHHS. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish guidelines, rules and regulations for the implementation and expansion of high-quality public prekindergarten education programs for children ages three (3) and four (4) to increase children’s school readiness and to ensure high quality prekindergarten services are available statewide and coordinated together by the department of elementary and secondary education and the department of human services. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would impose a wealth proceeds tax equal to four percent (4%) on net investment income, such as interest, dividends, annuities, royalties, capital gains and rental income, of high- income households, estates and trusts, based upon federal guidelines. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027, and would not be applied retroactively.

Senate Resolution Proclaiming April 9, 2026, To Be "rhode Island Home Visiting Day"

Senate Resolution Proclaiming April 2026, As "school Library Month" In The State Of Rhode Island

This act would repeal § 16-2-34 ("Central Falls School District board of trustees"). The Central Falls Stabilization Fund would include funding for tuition payments for outplaced special education students and tuition payments to other public schools. The Davies and Met Stabilization Fund would be established to ensure appropriate funding is available to support their students. This act would take effect on July 1, 2026.

This act would prohibit the operation of any thermal waste conversion facility such as pyrolysis within the Quonset Point/Davisville Industrial Park. This act would take effect upon passage.

Joint Resolution Creating A Special Joint Legislative Commission To Study Sludge Management In Rhode Island (that A Special Joint Legislative Commission Be Created Consisting Of 21 Members And Report Its Findings And Recommendations To The General Assembly No Later Than April 1, 2027, And Said Commission Expires On June 1, 2027.)

Senate Resolution Expressing Condolences On The Passing Of Mary Ann Johnson

Senate Resolution Proclaiming April 28, 2026, To Be "arts Day In Rhode Island"

Senate Resolution Recognizing The Vital Role Of Independent Community Pharmacies In Rhode Island

Senate Resolution Proclaiming May 2026 As “jewish American Heritage Month” In The State Of Rhode Island

Senate Resolution Recognizing May 6, 2026, As A "national Day Of Reason" In The State Of Rhode Island And Affirming The Central Importance Of Reason In The Betterment Of Humanity

This act would strengthen enforcement of the state's pharmacy audit law by clarifying and tightening audit procedures to ensure pharmacy audits are conducted fairly and transparently. This act would take effect upon passage.

Senate Resolution Proclaiming May 19th Of 2026 As "greek And Pontic Genocide Remembrance Day" In The State Of Rhode Island

Senate Resolution Expressing Condolences On The Passing Of Jeannette D. Alyward

Senate Resolution Honoring Executive Director Julie Leddy Upon Her Retirement After Twenty-nine Years Of Dedicated Service To The Coventry Housing Authority

Senate Resolution Congratulating Ripin On 35 Years Of Improving Rhode Islanders' Lives

Senate Resolution Celebrating "national Hospital Week" On May 10-16, 2026, In The State Of Rhode Island

Senate Resolution Honoring The Rhode Island Medical Society For Organizing The 2026 State House Advocacy Day

Senate Resolution Celebrating May Of 2026, As "asian American, Native Hawaiian, And Pacific Islander Heritage Month" In The State Of Rhode Island

Senate Resolution Proclaiming May 2026, To Be "als Awareness Month" In The State Of Rhode Island

Senate Resolution Declaring May 2026 As "brain Tumor Awareness Month" In The State Of Rhode Island

This act would authorize the town of Coventry to apportion the tax levy proportionately between residential and commercial properties. This act would take effect retroactively to December 31, 2025.

Senate Resolution Recognizing And Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of The Rhode Island Academy Of Physician Assistants And Commending Its Leadership And Contributions To Health Care In The State Of Rhode Island

Senate Resolution Proclaiming May 10th, 2026, To Be "lupus Day" In The State Of Rhode Island

Senate Resolution Urging The United States Congress To Enact Technical Amendments To The Camp Lejeune Justice Act Of 2022

Senate Resolution Creating A Special Legislative Commission To Make A Comprehensive Study Of Rhode Island's Healthcare Workforce Related To Educating And Retaining Primary Care Providers