Sen. Lou Raptakis

Maddy summarySB 465 prohibits life insurance companies licensed in the state from denying coverage or excluding benefits due to a person’s preexisting medical conditions or prior insurance denials. It directly affects residents seeking life insurance policies within the state, ensuring they cannot be refused coverage based on health history. The bill voids any preexisting condition exclusion language in applications, binders, or policies, making such terms unenforceable. This policy change would take effect immediately upon passage, requiring insurers to offer coverage without these restrictions.

Requires DCYF to implement recommendations made by the child advocate and child fatality review panel within 6 months and provide a report of the measures taken to address the recommendations.

Amends §§ 14-1-3 and 14-5-8, relating to possession of marijuana and proceedings in family court ensuring that children under 17 years of age in possession of less than 2 oz of marijuana are subject to the jurisdiction of the family court.

Adds probation officers and parole officers to the definition of "police officer" for purposes of salary payments during line of duty illness or injury.

This resolution would extend the reporting and expiration dates of the special legislative commission to study Rhode Island’s minimum wage from May 4, 2025, to May 4, 2026, and said commission would expire on January 4, 2027.

Maddy summarySB 405, the Rhode Island Clean Air Preservation Act, prohibits all polluting atmospheric experiments and interventions within Rhode Island, including cloud seeding, solar radiation modification (SRM), and other weather-altering techniques. It directly affects any entity - such as government agencies, corporations, or AI systems - conducting these activities, banning the release of pollutants like PFAS ("forever chemicals") found in chaff or aerosols. Key provisions define "atmospheric activity" broadly to cover human, machine learning, or AI-driven experiments that release contaminants, and establish a regulatory process to prevent such releases. The law aims to protect public health and the environment by eliminating atmospheric pollution from these methods, without specifying enforcement details or outcomes.

Establishes the first time home buyer savings program act. Allows modifications to federal adjusted gross income for $50,000 in contributions and $150,000 of interest and dividends included in federal adjusted gross income.

Maddy summarySB 441 repeals the law that authorized toll collection on Rhode Island's state highways, specifically ending the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority's power to charge tolls on the Newport Bridge, Mount Hope Bridge, Sakonnet River Bridge, Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge, and the turnpike. This bill directly affects the Authority and drivers using these specific bridges and the turnpike, eliminating their toll-based revenue model. The key provision removes all authority to "fix and revise... tolls" and related financial mechanisms outlined in the existing law. The bill does not create new tolls or change bridge operations - it simply repeals the legal foundation for toll collection on these routes. This is a procedural repeal affecting only the toll authorization, not the infrastructure itself.

Increases the membership of the energy facility siting board from 3 to 5 members and would revise the process of energy facility siting to mandate inclusion/participation of the host community of the facility as well as of the public and cities and towns.

Establishes the E-Verify compliance program which would require all non-governmental employers within the state with 3 or more employees to apply to participate in the federal E-Verify program and to agree to participate in the program, if accepted.