Rhode Island

BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND HOSPITALS -- MENTAL HEALTH LAW - Provides that advanced practice registered nurses have the same immunity from liability as physicians and surgeons.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION FEES - Disabled veteran license plate may be transferred to veterans' spouse or issued to veteran or veterans spouse.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES - Allows for a special RI license plate to raise awareness for colon cancer and would be designed by the partnership to reduce cancer in RI and honoring the late Maryellen Goodwin.

HEALTH AND SAFETY -- CONSUMER PFAS BAN ACT OF 2024 - Amends the Consumer PFAS Ban Act of 2024 by clarifying enforcement provisions.

INSURANCE -- LIABILITY INSURANCE -- UNINSURED MOTORIST COVERAGE - Adds property damage to statutory underinsured motor coverage, rather than just uninsured motorist coverage, as it is presently.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- ZONING ORDINANCES - Sets the zoning statewide for “family child care homes” to no fewer than twelve (12) children maximum.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- PARKING FACILITIES AND PRIVILEGES - Creates a new registration plate for qualified individuals to possess an "adaptive vehicle license plate" to accommodate the transportation needs of an individual with a significant mobility impairment.

HEALTH AND SAFETY -- OFFICE OF STATE FIRE MARSHAL - Creates a program through which fire departments and fire districts are notified of locations of registrants of electric and hybrid motor vehicles can register their vehicles with their local fire department or fire district.

EDUCATION -- GUARANTEED ADMISSION FOR EAGLE SCOUT AND GOLD AWARD RECIPIENTS - Grants automatic admission to state public institutions for qualified Eagle Scout and Gold award recipients from the Girl Scouts.

PROPERTY -- UNIFORM PARTITION OF HEIRS' PROPERTY ACT - Adopts the uniform partition of heirs property act.

HEALTH AND SAFETY -- CONSUMER PFAS BAN ACT OF 2024 - Amends the Consumer PFAS Ban Act of 2024 by clarifying enforcement provisions.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- ZONING ORDINANCES - Sets the zoning statewide for “family child care homes” to no fewer than twelve (12) children maximum.

TAXATION -- TAX PREPARERS ACT OF 2013 - Provides penalties for tax preparers that purposefully mislead their clients or act as ghost preparers of tax returns and requires the tax administrator publish a list of tax preparers who have had their privileges to prepare returns revoked or suspended.

TAXATION -- STATE TAX OFFICIALS - Extends the timeframe for the division of taxation to review nonresident contractor cases and provide a specific penalty for noncompliance with the statute's withholding requirements.

EDUCATION -- THE NATHAN BRUNO AND JASON FLATT ACT - Directs middle and high schools which issue student identification cards to include on those cards contact crisis telephone numbers for suicide prevention and substance use disorder prevention.

CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- UNIFORM ACT ON PREVENTION OF AND REMEDIES FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING - Requires that all monies received from the payment of fines under the Uniform Act on Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking be deposited into the into the violent crimes indemnity account within the general fund.

LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- FIREFIGHTERS' ARBITRATION - Provides that all contractual provisions in a firefighters collective bargaining agreement continue until a successor agreement has been reached or an interest arbitration award has been rendered.

HEALTH AND SAFETY -- THE HOSPITAL CONVERSIONS ACT - Hospital Conversions act amended to authorize AG and DOH to permit expedited review application for hospital insolvency proceedings. Sunsets in one year.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- CRIMINAL INJURIES COMPENSATION - Under the emergency fund for victims, increases the share of a victim’s total award that may be used for relocation related expenses but not increase total compensation available to a victim.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- OPERATORS' AND CHAUFFEURS' LICENSES - Exempts an individual in foster or adoptive homes from the fee associated with drivers education classes at the community college of Rhode Island.

ELECTIONS -- CONDUCT OF ELECTION AND VOTING EQUIPMENT, AND SUPPLIES - Requires all write-in votes, regardless of qualification, to be reported and published by the state board of elections, on its website.

ELECTIONS -- PRIMARIES FOR ELECTION OF DELEGATES TO NATIONAL CONVENTIONS AND FOR PRESIDENTIAL PREFERENCE - Changes the date for the election of delegates to the conventions from the fourth Tuesday in April to the first Tuesday in March 2028.

EDUCATION -- SCHOOL WASTE RECYCLING AND REFUSE DISPOSAL - Amends certain provisions relative to school waste recycling and refuse disposal and requires reports of waste audits by educational entities and reports of program participation by vendors.

EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS - Directs the state department of education to establish an anti-hazing policy in student athletics.

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- FACILITATING BUSINESS RAPID RESPONSE TO STATE DECLARED DISASTER ACT OF 2024 - Incorporates broadband, internet, and wireless means into the crime of injuring electric and communication lines and authorizes municipalities to grant zoning relief for the protection of critical infrastructure.