Requires one elector of the parole board to be a person directly impacted by the criminal justice system who has completed the probation/parole process three (3) or more years prior to selection with a professional background in certain enumerated areas.
Maddy summaryHB 5876 establishes a permanent 11-member special commission in Rhode Island to investigate threats from nuclear weapons and their impacts on the state. The commission will examine risks like infrastructure collapse, environmental damage, health harms, and disruptions from nearby attacks, while also exploring transitions from nuclear-related jobs to climate and social programs. It must hold public hearings statewide and submit findings and recommendations to state leaders by August 6, 2026. The bill directly affects all Rhode Island residents by focusing on their safety and resilience against nuclear threats.
Repeals 42-56-38.1 and requires the department of corrections to provide free communication services to inmates and juveniles held in residential placement or detention centers and requires that those facilities provide in-person contact visits.
Allows eligible individuals serving sentences of imprisonment to seek sentence reductions from the superior court, individuals serving life without parole or minimum mandatory sentences pursuant to law, would not be eligible for such relief.
Updates the Homeless Bill of Rights to add rules governing the interaction with encampments and include the right to access clean and sanitary conditions.
Maddy summaryHB 5024 prohibits health insurers from requiring or conducting utilization reviews for prescriptions used to treat opioid or alcohol use disorders. Specifically, it bans reviews for prescriptions containing Methadone, Buprenorphine, or Naltrexone, or those approved by the FDA to mitigate opioid withdrawal symptoms. The bill directly affects individuals receiving medication-assisted treatment for addiction and insurers who would otherwise review these prescriptions. It ensures coverage for these treatments cannot be denied after prior approval, unless fraud or misrepresentation occurred. The law takes effect upon passage.
Requires the court to set reasonable bail for all those individuals who appear before it as probation violators and establish a presumption of personal recognizance unless the new alleged offense is a crime of violence as defined in the act.
Maddy summaryHB 5178 allows individuals with multiple non-violent felony convictions to request the removal of their criminal records after completing their sentences and waiting 10 years. It directly affects people who have served their sentences for two or more non-violent felonies, provided they have no new criminal convictions or outstanding court fees in the 10-year period and were not convicted of violent crimes. The bill amends existing law to permit expungement motions for multiple felony convictions after 10 years (previously limited to single offenses), with strict eligibility requirements including good moral character and no pending charges. This policy change aims to provide a clear pathway for record clearance while maintaining public safety safeguards.
Prohibits family court from detaining or committing any youth, 12 years or younger, to training school, for any offense other than murder, first degree sexual assault, or an attempt to commit such offenses there is no other reasonable placement.
Mandates that the clerk of the district court, upon request of the defendant, automatically seal individual counts of criminal complaints upon dismissal pursuant to rule 48(a) of the rules of criminal procedure for district court.
