Rep. Marie Hopkins

Maddy summaryHB 5690 would repeal Chapter 45-53 of Rhode Island's General Laws, titled "Low and Moderate Income Housing." This repeal would eliminate the existing legal framework requiring cities and towns to plan for and provide affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents. The law previously mandated municipalities to adopt housing plans meeting specific affordability targets and included detailed definitions for terms like "affordable housing" and "local review board." This bill directly affects all Rhode Island cities and towns that previously operated under this housing chapter.

Amends powers/duties of the office of the health insurance commissioner to increase total cost of care for services reimbursed under contracts after risk adjustment that exceeds the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers percentage increase.

Mandates all health insurance contracts, plans, or policies provide the same reimbursement to independent healthcare facilities as that of hospital affiliated facilities where the same healthcare service is provided.

Repeals the certificate of need process statutes which are used by the department of health to determine the need for new health care equipment and new institutional health services.

Requires that any covered entity that develops/provides online services, products, or features that children are reasonably likely to access shall consider the best interest of children when designing/developing such online service, product, or feature.

Maddy summaryHB 5356 caps application fees for healthcare facilities seeking certificates of need for new or expanded tertiary/specialty care services at $25,000 total. This directly affects hospitals or health systems applying for major facility expansions or specialized services, as their current fee structure (a base $10,000 plus 0.25% of capital costs) is now limited. The bill amends fee rules under Rhode Island’s certificate of need program, ensuring no applicant pays more than $25,000 regardless of project size. All other applications (non-tertiary/specialty) retain their existing $500-$750 base fees plus 0.25% of costs, with no cap applied.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment granting the governor a line-item veto specifically on state budget and appropriation bills. If passed, the governor could reject individual budget items (like specific funding amounts or program conditions) while approving the rest of the bill, rather than vetoing the entire budget. The legislature would then need to separately reconsider each rejected item with a three-fifths vote to override. This change would shift budget approval power between the governor and legislature, directly affecting how state spending bills are processed. The amendment requires voter approval at the next statewide election before taking effect.

Provides that enhanced penalties for possession of fentanyl shall only be applicable if the substance contains \ at least ten percent (10%) of fentanyl or its analogs.

Defines "military-connected student" and provides advance enrollment and open enrollment school registration procedures to give the military connected student flexibility in choosing a school district.

Maddy summaryHB 5608 removes all regulatory limits on harvesting blue crabs in the state, directly affecting commercial and recreational crab harvesters. The bill eliminates existing rules, quotas, or restrictions on blue crab harvesting while maintaining that only state residents may harvest them. Key provisions replace current regulations with a simple statement: "There shall be no limit, rules or regulations, restricting the harvesting of blue crabs." The bill would take effect immediately upon passage, with no new restrictions on crab harvesting beyond the residency requirement.