Rep. Sherry Roberts

Maddy summaryHB 7732, the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act," requires public schools and colleges to designate athletic teams based solely on biological sex at birth, not gender identity. It mandates that teams for female athletes must be exclusively for students identified as female at birth, verified through medical documentation of reproductive anatomy, natural testosterone levels, and genetics. The bill prohibits schools from facing penalties for maintaining separate female teams and allows affected students to sue if denied athletic opportunities due to this policy. It directly affects female athletes in public school sports programs and the institutions that govern them.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates March 2026 as "National Credit Education Month" in Rhode Island to promote financial literacy and responsible credit management. It directly affects consumers, financial institutions, and educational organizations by encouraging workshops, webinars, and seminars on budgeting, saving, and debt management. The resolution specifically commends local groups like RI Jump$tart Coalition and Junior Achievement of Rhode Island for their financial education efforts. The Secretary of State is authorized to send certified copies of the resolution to the National Financial Educators Council to recognize these initiatives.

Provides a totally and permanently disabled veteran with a one hundred percent (100%) exemption from local taxation on real or personal property including real property located in any fire or lighting district.

Maddy summaryHB 7790 adds vehicles owned by the Rhode Island Disaster Medical Assistance Team, Inc. to the list of authorized vehicles allowed to display flashing lights under Rhode Island's vehicle lighting laws. This change directly affects the Disaster Medical Assistance Team, enabling their vehicles to use approved flashing lights (white or amber at front, red at rear) for emergency response visibility. The bill amends existing law to include this organization in the category of vehicles already permitted to use such lights, alongside emergency vehicles, school buses, and other emergency response units. It does not create new requirements but expands the current exemption to cover this specific disaster response team. The bill takes effect upon passage.

Provides specific language for signs to be posted at certain establishments notifying people of contact information to the national human trafficking resource center.

Maddy summaryHB 7426 allows nurse anesthetists with two or more years of supervised experience to practice independently without physician oversight for anesthesia care. It defines "non-supervised CRNAs" and grants them authority to administer anesthesia, manage patient care, and issue medication orders (with written guidelines for certain actions), while requiring hospitals to permit this independent practice. The bill also mandates the state health department to seek a Medicaid waiver by September 2026 to update reimbursement policies for CRNAs under Medicaid. The changes will take effect on January 1, 2027.

Maddy summaryHB 7646 creates a pre-trial medical malpractice tribunal to screen cases before they proceed to superior court, directly affecting patients suing healthcare providers for alleged negligence and the providers defending such claims. The tribunal, composed of a superior court judge, an attorney, and a healthcare provider (matching the defendant’s specialty), must review the plaintiff’s evidence within 15 days to determine if it raises a legitimate question of liability or is merely an unfortunate medical outcome. If the tribunal finds the case insufficient, the plaintiff must post a $6,000 bond (reducible for financial hardship) to continue, or face dismissal without prejudice. The bill applies to all medical malpractice cases filed on or after January 1, 2027, with the tribunal’s findings admissible as evidence at trial.

Increases the number of days a retired municipal employee could work in a calendar year without interruption of pension benefits to ninety (90) days or its equivalent of six hundred thirty (630) hours.

Maddy summaryThis is a memorial resolution (HR 7714) passed by the Rhode Island House of Representatives on February 11, 2026. It expresses the House's deepest condolences to the family of Richard Serra, a former Charlestown Town Council member and local businessman, following his passing. The resolution directs the Secretary of State to send a certified copy to his wife, Camelia Serra, and their family. As a procedural memorial, it has no policy impact or direct effect on constituents beyond honoring an individual.

Maddy summaryHB 7150 prevents cities and towns from banning or restricting landscape equipment like leaf blowers, lawn mowers, or trimmers solely based on whether they use gasoline, electricity, batteries, or other power sources. It directly affects municipalities (which cannot enforce such bans) and property owners or businesses using this equipment. The bill allows local governments to still set general noise limits, operating hours for all equipment, or safety rules - but not rules targeting specific fuel types. Existing fuel-based bans in place before the law's effective date remain valid until amended.