H7931

Amends current law on interpreter services to mandate hospitals provide a certified, interpreter for every non-English speaker, unless there is no national or state certification for a specific language so that a qualified interpreter may be used.

Introduced·2/27/26
Introduced Text

Rhode Island H7931 mandates hospitals to provide certified interpreters for non-English speakers, with exceptions for languages lacking certification.

Rhode Island H7931 amends current law to require hospitals and freestanding emergency-care facilities to provide certified interpreters for non-English speakers. If no national or state certification exists for a specific language, a qualified interpreter may be used. The bill mandates training for providers on accessing and utilizing interpretation services and requires facilities to post multilingual notices about interpreter services. It also mandates written translations of vital documents for language groups constituting five percent of the population or 1,000 persons, whichever is less.

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  • Impact
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Where it stands

Current
Health & Human Services Committee
Next
Committee decision

Sponsors

DDDDDD
6
0
Democratic CaucusRepublican Caucus

Calendar

Mar 19

12:00 AM

House Health & Human Services Hearing

History

Mar 19

House

Committee recommended measure be held for further study

Mar 13

House

Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/19/2026)

Feb 27

House

Introduced, referred to House Health & Human Services