Rep. Susan Donovan

Maddy summaryHB 7628 requires health insurers in the state to develop plans providing adequate coverage and access to non-opioid pain management services, including non-opioid medications and non-drug alternatives, for policies delivered, issued, or renewed after January 1, 2027. Insurers must submit these plans to the health insurance commissioner for approval, ensuring they do not unduly favor opioid coverage over other options. The plans must include educational materials for providers and be posted on insurer websites. This applies to all health insurance carriers offering prescription coverage, aiming to expand access to non-opioid pain treatment alternatives.

Maddy summaryHB 7934 amends pharmacy laws to require parental consent for all immunizations given by pharmacists to individuals between the ages of three and eighteen. The bill also mandates that pharmacists electronically report these vaccinations to the Department of Health within seven days and notify the patient's primary care provider within fourteen days. Additionally, pharmacists must make a good-faith effort to identify a patient's primary care provider to facilitate this notification. This legislation directly affects pharmacies, pharmacists, patients, and their parents or guardians.

Maddy summaryHB 7190 requires health insurers in Rhode Island to disclose how they use artificial intelligence (AI) to manage healthcare claims and coverage decisions. Insurers must report AI models, training data, performance metrics, and documentation of AI-influenced decisions to state regulators, and maintain records for five years. Crucially, the bill mandates that any AI-driven denial of medically necessary care must be reviewed and approved by a licensed healthcare provider with the same specialty as the ordering provider before finalization. This directly affects insurers, enrollees (patients), and healthcare providers by adding human oversight to AI decisions on coverage. The law aims to ensure transparency and accountability in AI use for non-administrative coverage decisions, such as denials of medically necessary treatments.

Amends current law on controlled substances to permit psilocybin to be cultivated within a person's residence for personal use and contingent on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) program, mandates that RI DOH establishes rules regulations.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits Rhode Island landfills from using artificial turf to cover compacted solid waste after July 1, 2026, except for existing installations installed before that date. It requires the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRC) to track artificial turf disposal volumes and include annual reports on this data. The bill also establishes a pilot program testing native plants and pollinator-friendly grass mixes as landfill cover, with results due by January 1, 2028. These changes apply to all sanitary landfills operated under RIRC's oversight.

Maddy summaryHB 7620 prohibits the construction and operation of new plastic waste conversion facilities in Rhode Island. The bill bans permits for facilities that use "regulated technologies" (including gasification, pyrolysis, and chemical processes) to convert plastic waste into fuels, chemical feedstocks, or other products. It directly affects developers seeking to build such facilities and aims to prevent environmental and health risks linked to toxic emissions and hazardous waste. The law defines these facilities broadly to include "advanced recycling" or "molecular recycling" operations, regardless of how they are marketed.

Removes the intent requirement relative to the definitions of "abuse" within the chapter on "abuse in healthcare facilities" and amends the definitions of "abuse" and "neglect" with regard to elderly affairs by deleting the element of willful conduct.

Provides that statements by a health care provider regarding the unanticipated outcome of a patient's medical care and treatment shall be inadmissible as evidence of an admission of liability or as evidence of an admission.

Limits prior authorization requirements for rehabilitative and habilitative services. Also prohibits prior authorization for the first twelve (12) visits of a new episode of care and for ninety (90) days following a chronic pain diagnosis.

Maddy summaryHB 7382 requires all motorcycle operators in the state to wear a helmet, regardless of age. This applies directly to every person riding a motorcycle, eliminating existing age-based exemptions for helmet use. The bill's key provision mandates helmet use as a standard safety requirement for all motorcycle operators, without exceptions. The bill was introduced on January 28, 2026, and is currently scheduled for hearing on February 10, 2026.