Rhode Island

EDUCATION -- FAIRNESS IN WOMEN'S SPORTS ACT - Categorizes women by their biological identity at birth rather than their gender identity for purpose of organized sports.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND HOUSING RESOURCES ACT OF 1998 - Allows the town of North Providence to receive a one-half (1/2) credit for affordable housing units for manufactured homes in age restricted communities in conformance with all zoning laws and/or ordinances of the town.

HEALTH AND SAFETY -- DIVISION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH - Requires employers to protect employees from extreme temperatures through rest breaks, PPE, training, and equipment, and mandates quarterly supervisor training, to recognize and mitigate heat- and cold-related risks.

EDUCATION -- CURRICULUM - Adds "media literacy" to the standards currently taught in civic education for K-12, which are the history of Rhode Island, representative government, the rights and duties of actively engaged citizenship and the principles of democracy.

LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- INSPECTION OF PERSONNEL FILES - Expands the obligations of employers to create, maintain and retain their employees' personnel records, it requires that records be retained for at least 3 years after employee's termination. It also increases the financial penalties for each violation.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS’ DUE PROCESS, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND TRANSPARENCY ACT -- ICE OUT ACT - Prohibits law enforcement agencies from hiring individuals who was hired as a sworn officer of the US Immigration and Customs enforcement Agency on or after January 20, 2025 and would apply prospectively to an individual hired on or after October 1, 2026.

WATERS AND NAVIGATION -- RHODE ISLAND INFRASTRUCTURE BANK - Allows local government recipients of grant funds from the Rhode Island infrastructure bank's OSCAR fund and resilient Rhode Island infrastructure fund to use monies for insurability planning.

EDUCATION -- SCHOOL COMMITTEES AND SUPERINTENDENTS - Provides that the school year for all public schools, including traditional public and public charter schools, independent charter schools, and mayoral academies, would start on the same date of each calendar year.

INSURANCE -- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES - Requires health insurance providers to provide insurance coverage for pharmacists’ services.

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- PHARMACIES - Requires condominium associations to conduct structural surveys and reserve studies, fund reserves at 15%, and plan for repairs.

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- PHARMACIES - Sets conditions for pharmacists to prescribe tobacco cessation drug therapies, including education approved by the state board of pharmacy.

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS - Permits physician assistants to practice without a physician's direct supervision and receives direct payments from Medicaid.

HIGHWAYS -- CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF STATE ROADS - Permits municipalities to enter into contracts with the department of transportation for the municipality to perform minor and routine maintenance work on state highways, roadways, and shoulders located within the municipality.

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- NURSES - Allows advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and physicians who are and are not licensed in Rhode Island to provide telemedicine services to patients who are in the state when those services are rendered.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RHODE ISLAND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION EFFICIENCY AND PERFORMANCE AUDIT ACT - Requires that an independent efficiency and performance audit of the department of transportation be commissioned by the department of administration.

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS -- CONTRACTORS' REGISTRATION AND LICENSING BOARD - Expands various definitions relative to contractors, home inspectors, and claim adjusters to provide clarity regarding licensed and unlicensed vendors, consultants, or third-party representatives.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS -- SMALL LOAN LENDERS - Allows a lender to charge an origination fee, increase interest rates and collect a monthly service fee, on loans up to three hundred dollars ($300) but not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000).

INSURANCE -- THE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE USE BY HEALTH INSURERS TO MANAGE COVERAGE AND CLAIMS ACT - Promotes transparency and accountability in the use of artificial intelligence by health insurers to manage coverage and claims.

INSURANCE -- PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFITS - Caps the total amount that a covered person is required to pay for a covered prescription inhaler, prescription device, or prescription equipment to twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per thirty (30) day supply.