Sets a clear and enforceable standard for reducing the presence of harmful metals in personal care products, prioritizing public health through testing, labeling, and the development of safer alternatives.
Prohibits a healthcare provider from requiring patients to provide electronic payment information to be kept on file as a condition to receiving treatment and makes it a violation a deceptive trade practice.
Establishes a two-year pilot program, from January 2027 to December 2028, to incorporate equity impact statements into the legislative process for both the House and Senate chamber.
Maddy summaryHB 7237 establishes a permanent 11-member joint committee (6 from the House, 5 from the Senate) to oversee Rhode Island's Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). This committee will monitor DCYF's operations, consult with relevant agencies, and submit annual reports and recommendations to the legislature. All future bills or resolutions related to DCYF must be referred to this committee for review. The bill does not change DCYF's policies or funding but creates a new procedural mechanism for legislative oversight. It takes effect upon passage.
Permits every municipality in the state to offer a homestead tax exemption of up to 20% of assessed value on residential properties, and also provides that municipalities that grant greater exemptions not be limited by this section.
Provides modifications for payments of interest on student loans shall be subtracted from federal adjusted gross income to an amount equal to the payments of interest for the satisfaction of outstanding student loans.
Maddy summaryThis resolution (HR 7168) formally honors Nayasia A. Gonzalez, a 19-year-old Providence resident and nurse student who died tragically in 2025, by recording her name in Rhode Island's legislative archives. It expresses condolences to her family and affirms her legacy will be preserved in state historical records, with certified copies sent to her parents, Raisa Gonzalez and Iryan J. "Jerome" Aubert. The resolution does not create new laws or affect policy; it is a commemorative gesture recognizing her life and community contributions.
Allows Central Falls to exempt the property located at 913-915 Dexter Street, AP 7, Lot 156 from the law that prohibits any proposed retailers’ license of any class located within two hundred feet (200') of the premises of a school or place of worship.
Maddy summaryHB 5120, the "Rhode Island Prior Authorization Reform Act of 2025," prohibits insurers from requiring prior authorization for services ordered by in-network primary care providers. This directly affects patients receiving care from in-network primary care physicians and the providers themselves, as insurers can no longer block these services through extra approval steps. The key provision mandates that insurers must approve such services without imposing prior authorization requirements, streamlining access to care. The bill aims to reduce administrative delays for routine treatments recommended by primary care providers within an insurer's network.
Provides that architects and other authorized disaster response workers, in the course of performing their duties, be entitled to all rights in like manner as state employees.
