Sen. Todd Patalano

Maddy summaryThis bill reorganizes the District Court of Rhode Island by moving North Kingstown from the third division to the fourth division. The change aims to balance case workloads more evenly across the court's divisions. Under the new arrangement, appeals and transfers from North Kingstown cases would be sent to the Washington County Superior Court clerk instead of the Kent County Superior Court clerk. The law takes effect two months after it is passed.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies retirement benefits for Rhode Island State Police members, affecting both current and former officers. It establishes new rules for calculating retirement pay based on years of service and defines how "whole salary" is determined for different retirement periods, including provisions for overtime pay starting in 2026. The legislation also creates a guaranteed annual benefit adjustment of $1,500 for eligible retirees beginning July 1, 2026, and allows certain members to purchase credit for military service at a 10% cost.

Maddy summarySB 2722 creates a new legal claim (cause of action) for individuals to seek reimbursement from responsible parties for the replacement cost of a child restraint system (like a car seat) damaged in a motor vehicle accident. This directly affects parents, guardians, or caregivers who must replace such safety equipment after a crash. The key provision allows victims to file a civil lawsuit specifically to recover these replacement costs through the court system. The bill does not change accident liability rules but adds a specific financial remedy for a common post-crash expense related to child safety. It was introduced on February 27, 2026, and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Clarifies and updates language in the office of state medical examiners statute to address outdated or ambiguous language, outdated practices, outdated position titles/qualifications, and ensure compliance with federal HIPAA requirements.

Allows electronic notifications modernize language for notifications, synchronize renewal dates for certain license-types, streamline licensing requirements across several license-types, and update the unlicensed health care practices statute.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates health and safety laws to remove outdated language and clarify requirements for asbestos removal and radon control. It directly affects property owners, contractors, and health officials who manage buildings with potential asbestos or radon hazards. The legislation aims to modernize existing regulations by ensuring current standards are clearly defined and consistently applied. By refining these rules, the bill seeks to improve safety protocols without changing the fundamental approach to managing these environmental risks.

Ensures any public school with available seats, after completion of the initial enrollment period for students, shall make all open seats available to other students residing within the same school district.

Allows animal control officers in the cities and towns to lawfully take charge of and provide adequate care to any animal found abandoned or neglected or hazardously accumulated and includes them as agents authorized to enforce the provisions of this law.

Expands the requirement that all high schools and middle schools, whether they are publicly or privately run to maintain on site a functional AED while establishing and implementing a cardiac emergency response plan in these schools.

Requires that before any fire fighter or police officer is eligible to receive benefits for illness or injury sustained off duty, they prove they had reasonable grounds to believe that an emergency existed that required immediate need of their assistance.