Sen. Pam Lauria

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 1075 welcomes Eliza Reid, a renowned writer and former First Lady of Iceland, to the Rhode Island State House. The resolution acknowledges her achievements in literature and her advocacy for gender equality, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.

Maddy summarySB 670 establishes the Medical Primary Care Scholarship Program to help address the shortage of primary care providers in Rhode Island. This program offers scholarships to students pursuing careers as physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Administered by the Department of Health, it provides up to $70,000 annually for medical students and $47,000 for nurse practitioner or physician assistant students. In exchange for this funding, recipients must agree to work in primary care in Rhode Island after completing their education and licensing. The program aims to award up to five new scholarships per academic year for each professional category.

CRMC) FOR FUNDING OF URI'S COASTAL RESOURCES CENTER (CRC) STORMTOOLS, CHAMP ANALYSIS, AND MYCOAST (This resolution would authorize the appropriation of the sum of $400,000 to the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council for the continuation of STORMTOOLS, CHAMP, and MyCoast.

Exempts from the sales tax eligible school supplies, costing less than $30.00, purchased within one week prior to the commencement of the academic year.

Requires reimbursement for medical, dental, and behavioral health services provided at community health care centers to equal the lesser of the actual cost, based on Medicaid reports, or 125% of the median rate for all community health centers within RI.

Maddy summarySB 271 prohibits health benefit plans from requiring or conducting prospective or concurrent utilization reviews for certain prescription medications used to treat alcohol or opioid use disorder. This applies to medicines containing Methadone, Buprenorphine, or Naltrexone, or those FDA-approved for opioid withdrawal symptoms. The bill directly affects individuals seeking these treatments and the health insurers providing their plans. Additionally, it requires Medicaid managed care organizations to use specific medical necessity criteria for their utilization reviews, as selected by the executive office of health and human services. This act takes effect upon passage.

Creates process for individual to voluntarily be either temporarily or indefinitely added to a list restricting their rights to purchase or possess firearms.

Allows for a special RI license plate to raise awareness for colon cancer. The plate would be designed by the partnership to reduce cancer in RI. The fees for the plate would be divided equally between the general fund and the partnership not-for-profit.

Provides that the prescription label for medication abortion prescription drugs shall include the name of the dispensing health care practice instead of the name of the dispenser.

Creates the position of dementia services coordinator within the department of health to coordinate the departments approach to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.