Ryan W Pearson

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 increase the net taxable estate exemption to three million six hundred thousand dollars ($3,600,000) on January 1, 2027. This act would also increase the exemption by one million dollars ($1,000,000) on January 1, 2028, and every year thereafter until this section and the tax would sunset and expire on January 1, 2033. 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 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 require that accessory dwelling units be allowed by right only if the property is owner-occupied and has been so occupied for at least five (5) years. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would cap the size of accessory dwelling units to nine hundred square feet (900 sq. ft.) for one bedroom units and one thousand square feet (1,000 sq. ft.) for two (2) bedroom units. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require owners of accessory dwelling units that are not occupied by family members be permitted to charge only affordable rental rates. 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 provide that statements by a healthcare provider to a patient or to the patient's relative or representative regarding the unanticipated outcome of such patient's medical care and treatment, such as an apology or an expression of sympathy, shall be inadmissible as evidence of an admission of liability or as evidence of an admission against interest in any claim or action against the provider. 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.

Senate Resolution Condemning Unauthorized Military Actions, Violations Of Foreign Sovereignty, And Recurring U.s. Interventionist Failures In Latin America

Senate Resolution Expressing Deepest Condolences On The Passing Of Barbara Dennen

This act would require a corporation created under this statute to be regulated by the Rhode Island department of business regulation. 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 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 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 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 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 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 require one elector of the parole board to be a person directly impacted by the criminal justice system who has completed the probation/parole process three (3) or more years prior to selection with a professional background in certain enumerated areas. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would increase the number of days a retired municipal employee could work in a calendar year without interruption of their pension benefits from seventy-five (75) to ninety (90) days. 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.

This act would expand and fine tune the law on the right to a safe school. It would authorize the school administration to issue an out-of-school suspension to students in grade six (6) or above not only if they are disruptive, but also if they are a threat to the safety of students, teachers, or administrators; or found guilty of violating school regulations involving alcohol, illegal drugs or controlled substances, or weapons. The act would also provide that where students are in preschool through grade five (5), the school administration may issue an out-of-school suspension but only after a consultation with a school psychologist or other mental health professional. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would amend modifications to income tax for residents to now include an exemption for a foreign service officer's pension. 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.

This act would require the auditor general to conduct performance audits of all state agencies. 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 all public schools, in grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12), to have at least one full-time certified school social worker for every two hundred fifty (250) students and provide for an appropriation by the general assembly in the amount of two million dollars ($2,000,000) in the budget for Fiscal Year 2027 to the various school districts and municipalities to employ additional social workers. 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 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 permit every municipality in the state to offer a homestead tax exemption of up to twenty percent (20%) of assessed value on residential properties, and would also provide that municipalities that grant greater exemptions would not be limited by this section. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would repeal the provisions of chapter 45.1 of title 11, regarding unreasonable noise levels. This act would also provide that cities and towns would have the power to establish, by ordinance, standards for the control of noise originating within the municipality. 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 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 unfair claims practices law by requiring an insurance appraisal by a licensed appraiser where damage to a motor vehicle exceeds $5,000 (from $2,500) and would eliminate language that prohibits an appraisal based on photos of a damaged motor vehicle. In addition, it would increase the time within which an appraisal must be done, from 3 days to 4 days. 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 reduce the time for expungements to three (3) years for a single misdemeanor and five (5) years for felonies and multiple misdemeanors. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would clarify the role of a corporation electing to be governed as a workers' cooperative to allow it to operate as a hiring hall under certain circumstances. This act would also designate that workers furnished by a workers’ cooperative corporation would be considered independent contractors, and the workers’ cooperative with the respect to those workers would be exempt from the requirements that to the extent that a workers’ cooperative has stakeholders (owners) who are employees (members), the workers’ cooperative would be subject to the provisions of title 28 related to employees including, but not limited to: department of labor and training payroll taxes, temporary disability insurance, state unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation insurance. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that public meetings involving collective bargaining agreements of school teachers shall be open to the public. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would expand the duties of the small business ombudsman, by also having the ombudsman serve as the Rhode Island commerce corporation's small business advocate. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish the Higher Education Opportunities for Students with Disabilities Act. This act would enable students with disabilities who are ages eighteen (18) through twenty- one (21) years, and in some cases to age twenty-two (22) years, to audit and otherwise attend state colleges and universities using the student’s foundation education aid. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would authorize the tax administrator to waive interest and penalties on delinquent taxes paid in full during a one week amnesty period. This act would reinstate a suspended driver’s license upon payment in full. This act would take effect upon passage.

Joint Resolution Making An Appropriation Of $200,000 To The Rhode Island Free Clinic (appropriates The Sum Of $200,000 To The Rhode Island Free Clinic.)

This act would recognize that municipal employees have the opportunity to utilize binding arbitration and would establish new factors for the arbitrators to consider. These factors would include comparisons of wages and hourly conditions of employment in similarly skilled jobs. This act would also grant the arbitrators power to render an award over all negotiated matters, including the expenditure of money. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish a maximum hourly workday for all peace officers as defined in § 12-7-21 and would establish a violation rate of pay of double time and a half. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish the rights of adoptive/foster children or those in guardianship, to have post-separation visitation with their sibling(s). This act would take effect upon passage.

Senate Resolution Recognizing The Culture And Heritage Of TaÍno Descendants In Rhode Island

Senate Resolution Respectfully Condemning The Assaults On Police Officers In New York During The Blizzard And Urging Investigation And Accountability

This act would characterize the failure of a homeowner's insurance policy to use matching principle in its interpretation of replacement cost coverage in its homeowner's insurance policy, as an unfair claim settlement practice. The result would be matching the damaged part of the property to the undamaged part to restore the property to its condition, prior to the loss, resulting in a uniform appearance. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require insurance companies to settle claims or request additional information within thirty (30) days of receipt of a notice of claim filed by an insured party. Failure to comply would result in a penalty of two hundred fifty ($250) dollars per day, payable to the insured. 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 provide that only a mayor or town administrator could be a voting member of the board of directors or trustees for a mayoral academy. The act would also authorize other nonvoting members on the board of directors and trustees, from each included city or town that the mayoral academy serves. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that no new charter school application shall be granted, if the proposed school is a network charter school or the expansion of an existing charter school would create a network charter school. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would prevent the council on elementary and secondary education from granting preliminary approval or final approval for the creation or expansion of any district charter school, independent charter school or mayoral academy charter school beginning operations in 2026-2027, 2027-2028, or 2028-2029 school years. This act would also prevent the state from approving or appropriating funding to any new charter school or to expand an existing charter school that has not been approved by the council on elementary or secondary education prior to July 01, 2025 for fiscal year 2026-2027, fiscal year 2027-2028, or fiscal year 2028-2028. 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.

This act would remove the sunset provision of the Rhode Island hope pilot scholarship program, making it a permanent scholarship program. This act would also rename the program as the Rhode Island hope scholarship program. This act would take effect on take effect on July 1, 2026.

This act would remove the language that requires the department of elementary and secondary education to prorate funds available for distribution among school districts if the total approved costs of sought after reimbursement exceeds the amount of funding appropriated in any fiscal year. This act would also eliminate the funding of the categorical programs pursuant to the transition plan in § 16-7.2-7. This act would take effect upon passage.

The act would require a review by the department of elementary and secondary education of the formula components used to compute the aid needed to support high need studies. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would provide that in local education agencies when over forty-five percent (45%) of the children have a family income that is at or below one hundred and eighty-five percent (185%) of federal poverty guidelines, then the student success factor will be fifty percent (50%) by the core instruction per-pupil amount. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would amend the Rhode Island works program to increase the monthly cash benefit to one hundred percent (100%) of the federal poverty level effective July 1, 2026, and tie the benefit amount to the federal poverty level going forward and increase the cash support pass- through to one hundred dollars ($100) for one child and two hundred dollars ($200) for more than one child. This act would also remove the sixty-five dollars ($65.00) benefit reduction for families living in subsidized housing. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027, except for the provisions of § 40-5.2-20(c) which would take effect July 1, 2026.

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.

Senate Resolution Formally Requesting The Department Of Elementary And Secondary Education To Implement All Provisions Of The State Funding Formula For Education

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 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 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 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 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 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.

Senate Resolution Urging State Agencies To Expand Access To Retirement Advice And Guidance For Rhode Island State Employees To Ensure A Secure And Dignified Retirement

This act would provide that Rhode Island state employees be eligible for temporary disability insurance effective January 1, 2027. This act would take effect on January 1, 2027, and would apply to wages earned on or after that date.

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.

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 provide that advanced practice registered nurses have the same immunity from liability as physicians under the mental health law. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would require the electronic filing of domestic violence/sexual assault reporting forms by law enforcement agencies, enhance the information to be included on the reporting forms, and clarify that the reporting forms should be submitted monthly, or as soon as practicable upon receipt of all relevant information regarding an incident subject to reporting. 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 require the state investment commission to create a capital access initiative to expand potential investment opportunities for the state’s pension fund and engage qualified but traditionally underrepresented investment managers. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would establish the Rhode Island education funding and accountability act, which would include a totally revised and revamped formula for funding all levels of public education in Rhode Island. This act would take effect upon passage, with full implementation no later than fiscal year 2030.

This act would mandate health insurance coverage by eliminating out-of-pocket costs for lung cancer screenings in order to enable patients to get the critical care they need without delay. This act would take effect upon passage.

This act would exempt from taxation the property of the nonprofit Mount St. Rita Health Centre located in Cumberland, RI. The exemption would be effective as of December 31, 2025. This act would take effect upon passage.

TO VACATE THE FORFEITURE OR REVOCATION OF THE CHARTER OF THE CUMBERLAND LODGE #14, FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE

This act would be a proposed bond measure to authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue up to thirty-six million dollars ($36,000,000) in general obligation bonds, subject to voter approval, with respect to projects relating to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Rhode Island. Sections 1, 2, 3, 11, 12, and 13 of this act would take effect upon passage. The remaining sections of this act would take effect when and if the state board of elections shall certify to the secretary of state that a majority of the qualified electors voting on the proposition contained in section 1 of this act have indicated their approval of the project thereunder.

Senate Resolution Proclaiming And Acknowledging June Of 2026 As "portuguese American Heritage Month" In The State Of Rhode Island