Rep. Cherie Cruz

Maddy summaryThis bill restructures the Urban Collaborative in Rhode Island by establishing a new board of trustees to govern the organization instead of relying solely on existing school committees. The proposed board would include the superintendent of the Providence school district, representatives from other participating districts, and members appointed by the state's council on elementary and secondary education. Under the new rules, the collaborative would be authorized to run joint education programs and diagnostic services for students who struggle in traditional settings, while also allowing it to receive state and local funding as if it were an independent school district.

Creates a 12-member commission to study the feasibility of utilizing Federal Title IV-E dollars to enroll students in the field of social work, and who would report back to the House and Governor by October 1, 2024, and expire on January 24, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis House resolution urges the federal government to take specific actions to reduce the risk of nuclear war, including renouncing the option of a first strike and removing nuclear weapons from hair-trigger alert status. The bill directly calls on the President and the Senate to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which would make possessing or using such weapons illegal under international law. Additionally, it requests the cancellation of plans to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal and the pursuit of an agreement among nuclear states to eliminate their stockpiles. As a non-binding resolution, it does not change federal law but serves as a formal recommendation to the executive and legislative branches.

Permits state child support agencies to bring actions under the child support statute on behalf of a noncustodial parent who is incarcerated and unable to pay child support.

Provides amendments to the cannabis act relating to the definition of a social equity applicant and the required fee to maintain such status as a social equity applicant.

Maddy summaryThis bill codifies the Katie Beckett program into state law to ensure children under 19 with significant medical needs can receive Medicaid coverage at home rather than in an institution. It establishes that these children must be reassessed for clinical eligibility annually unless a doctor confirms their condition is unlikely to change, while also allowing their service hours to increase by up to 10% per week if needed to match institutional care costs. Additionally, the legislation authorizes state health officials to seek necessary federal waivers to maintain the program's compliance with federal guidelines.

Maddy summaryThis bill officially designates May 23, 2024, as "Rhode Island Community Health Center Day" to honor the work of these facilities. It directly affects the eight specific community health centers listed in the resolution, which provide affordable medical, dental, and behavioral care to over 200,000 Rhode Islanders. The resolution highlights the centers' significant contributions, including their employment of thousands of staff and generation of hundreds of millions in economic activity. Additionally, it instructs the Secretary of State to send certified copies of the proclamation to each of the eight named organizations.

Establishes a universal, comprehensive, affordable single-payer health care insurance program and helps control health care costs, which would be referred to as, "the Rhode Island Comprehensive Health Insurance Program" (RICHIP).

Requires every individual or group health insurance contract effective on or after January 1, 2025, to provide coverage to the insured and the insured's spouse and dependents for all FDA-approved contraceptive drugs, devices and other products.

Authorizes the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish a program to expand the issuance of teaching certificates to bilingual dual language and world language teachers in urban and urban ring schools.