Provides the state would cover dialysis for the treatment of end stage renal disease ("ESRD") and kidney transplants for persons who do not qualify for full Medicaid due to their immigration status.
Maddy summarySB 2875 requires health insurance policies in the state to cover qualified interpreter services for medically necessary doctor visits involving non-English-speaking patients. This mandate applies to individual and group health plans, hospital policies, and health maintenance organizations that are delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. The bill specifies that interpreters must be provided for one-on-one, face-to-face interactions during these appointments, provided that federal laws do not already require such coverage.
Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Department of Administration to create an online portal that tracks the number of funded full-time equivalent positions in the Departments of Children, Youth and Families and Human Services. The portal will display data broken down by specific job titles, such as social caseworkers and clinical social workers, showing how many positions are budgeted versus how many are currently filled. It requires the site to be updated monthly with side-by-side comparisons of budget proposals and finalized figures to allow for easy tracking of staffing changes over time.
Amends the constitution to guarantee Rhode Island residents with equal opportunity to receive an education that is adequate, equitable and meaningful and provides judicial enforcement of this provision.
Allows municipalities participating in the state prekindergarten program to accept students from outside the municipality under certain conditions and establishes a lottery for enrollment in the program.
Maddy summaryThis bill allows disabled veterans who meet specific injury or disability criteria to receive special "Disabled Veteran" license plates for their vehicles. It also permits these plates to be transferred to the veteran's spouse if the veteran can no longer drive, or issued directly to the spouse if the veteran is deceased. The law requires official certification from the Veterans' Administration to ensure eligibility before issuing or transferring the plates.
Creates new definition for the term "employee", for purposes of wages, workers' compensation, temporary disability and unemployment insurance benefits, which deems a worker to be an employee, as opposed to an independent contractor.
Provides that only residential properties and new or rehabilitated residential affordable housing units would be subject to the tax under § 44-5-13.1 relating to taxation of low-income housing.
Maddy summaryThis bill modifies the state's merit system to establish separate employment positions and salary scales specifically for employees of the Board of Elections. Under the new rules, the Department of Administration must manage these distinct roles within the unclassified pay plan, ensuring that salary adjustments for these workers do not exceed two grades per year. The legislation also mandates that any changes to the pay plan undergo a public hearing process where the public, employees, and appointing authorities can provide testimony before recommendations are submitted to the governor. Ultimately, this measure aims to create a dedicated compensation structure for election officials while maintaining oversight through the existing state personnel review procedures.
Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to allocate $2,000,000 in state funds to the Elisha Project, a nonprofit organization based in Pawtucket that works to reduce food insecurity across Rhode Island and the Blackstone Valley. The funding is intended to support the group's daily operations, which include providing food and essential necessities to families, children, veterans, and other community members in need. The legislation authorizes the state controller to release these funds from the general treasury once properly verified requests are submitted. This measure directly impacts the Elisha Project by providing financial resources to continue its community safety net services during the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
