Rep. Evan Shanley

Maddy summaryHB 7685 adds probation and parole officers to Rhode Island's list of state law enforcement professionals eligible for retirement benefits under the state retirement system. The bill amends Chapter 36-10 to include these officers in the specific retirement provisions (sections 45-21.2-5 through 45-21.2-13), effective January 1, 2027. This change directly affects Rhode Island probation and parole officers by granting them the same retirement benefits previously available to other law enforcement roles like deputy sheriffs and firefighters. Service credits earned before 2025 will be calculated under prior laws. The bill does not alter contribution rates or other retirement system mechanics.

Increases the yearly amount of money that retired teachers, who had been certified driver education teachers, could earn from fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) to twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), without a reduction in their retirement benefits.

Maddy summaryHB 7162 would modify Rhode Island's personal income tax calculation by allowing the exclusion of public pension benefits administered by the Employees Retirement System from federal adjusted gross income. This change directly affects state and local government retirees who receive pensions through the Employees Retirement System. The key provision adjusts how these pension payments are treated for tax purposes, effectively reducing taxable income for eligible recipients. The bill is currently pending in the House Finance Committee after its January 16, 2026, introduction.

Prohibits an employer, employment agency, labor organization, or employee, to commit any act declared to be an unlawful employment practice; individuals would be held personally liable for such conduct.

Recognizes that municipal employees have the opportunity to utilize binding arbitration and establishes new factors for the arbitrators to consider. These factors include comparisons of wages/hourly conditions of employment in similarly skilled jobs.

Establishes a state-run prescription drug purchasing pool, available for participation by nonstate public employers, private employers, and health insurance carriers, to maximize the value of drug discounts available to participants.

Requires that every insurer providing health coverage insurance provide every physician or physician group with a complete fee schedule seeing for the maximum allowable reimbursement for each covered service.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates the Primary Care Contracting Good Faith Act, which would require commercial insurers, managed care organizations, and Medicare Advantage plans to negotiate in good faith with primary care physician practices at least once every 24 months. The negotiations must explicitly consider factors such as operating costs, inflation, staff wages, malpractice premiums, and other overhead expenses. Additionally, the law prohibits payers from refusing to negotiate or renew contracts solely based on a practice's size, ownership structure, patient panel size, or Medicaid volume. The Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner would maintain a log of negotiation requests and issue annual reports, while complaints would be reviewed under existing authority. The act would take effect 90 days after passage.

Prohibits payers from requiring uncompensated referral coordination by primary care providers, require either elimination of referral prior authorizations, and prevent denial of lab coverage based solely on diagnostic coding differences.

Allows primary care practices to offer optional fees for non-covered services while requiring equal medical care for all patients and protecting access to medically necessary services regardless of ability to pay.