Prohibits any city, town, quasi-municipal corporation or public corporation from assessing any existing agricultural operation or agricultural land for the extension of any water utilities past the property and from imposing any connection fee.
Allows nonprofit organizations to participate in permitted games of chance upon registering with the state police on an annual basis. The nonprofit would be exempt from any required background checks by local law enforcement.
Makes it a felony for any person required to register as a sex offender to live within three hundred feet (300’) of a school as defined in § 11-37.1-2.
Maddy summaryHB 8118 amends the existing Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability, and Transparency Act by changing the provision for payment of legal fees. This change directly affects law enforcement officers who may seek legal representation in certain cases. The bill modifies the specific mechanism governing how legal fees are covered under the current law. The abstract does not specify the exact nature of the fee payment change.
Maddy summaryHB 8011 removes a rule that previously blocked new retail liquor licenses (Class B, C, N, or I) within 200 feet of schools or religious institutions. This affects businesses applying for new licenses statewide, eliminating a barrier for locations near schools or places of worship. Existing license holders and specific exempt areas in Providence, Newport, Warren, and Bristol (as described in the bill) remain unaffected. The bill changes no current licenses but allows new applications in areas previously restricted by the 200-foot rule.
Maddy summaryHB 7950 regulates prescription drug price increases in Rhode Island by imposing a penalty on manufacturers who raise prices without new clinical evidence. It targets "identified drugs" with "unsupported price increases" as determined by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER). Manufacturers face an 80% penalty on the revenue difference between actual sales and what they would have earned at the prior year's wholesale cost (adjusted for inflation), but only if their annual sales exceed $250,000 in the state. The penalty applies for two years after a drug appears on ICER's annual report of unsupported increases. This directly affects drug manufacturers selling in Rhode Island who implement such price hikes.
Maddy summaryHB 8143 allows cities and towns to rehire public safety retirees (such as police officers and firefighters) under specific conditions. The bill establishes a framework for municipal employers to bring back qualified retired employees, subject to defined criteria like position availability and approval processes. This directly affects retired public safety workers seeking to return to service and local governments managing staffing needs. The law focuses on creating a clear, conditional process for reemployment without altering retirement benefits or eligibility rules.
Mandates arming campus police at public higher educational institutions and includes campus police in the definition of "law enforcement officer" for the purposes of the "Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights."
Maddy summaryHB 7444 updates retirement calculations for police officers and firefighters in the state. It changes the formula used to determine retirement allowances, effective July 1, 2026, by adding a 2.5% multiplier on final salary for service years after June 30, 2026. Members retiring after this date will receive their accrued benefit as of June 2026 plus the new 2.5% calculation for future service. A special provision preserves the previous benefit formula for those retiring at age 57 with 30+ years of service.
Authorizes an annual two and one-half percent (2.5%) escalation for all active and retired police and firefighter's retirement pension allowance, compounded each year on January 1 following the year of retirement and continuing yearly, on that date.
