Rhode Island

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- PATIENT PAYMENT INFORMATION - Prohibits a healthcare provider from requiring patients to provide electronic payment information to be kept on file as a condition to receiving treatment and makes it a violation a deceptive trade practice.

EDUCATION -- COUNCIL ON ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION - Expands council on elementary and secondary education and board of education and makes teacher of year and student advisory chair voting members on each.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- EXPUNGEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS - Allows expungement of multiple felony convictions for non-violent felonies10 years from the date of conviction.

CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM -- 2026 BOND REFERENDA - Submits the state's 2026 capital development program requesting the issuance of general obligation bonds totaling one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) for approval of the electorate at the general election to be held in November, 2026.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- SENTENCE AND EXECUTION - Requires sentencing court to consider whether defendant is parent of child, or caregiver of elderly, disabled or terminally ill person whose well-being would be adversely affected by the person's incarceration and if so, shall impose a non-jail sentence.

COMMERCIAL LAW -- GENERAL REGULATORY PROVISIONS -- DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES - Prohibits disclosure terms "down payment", "money down", or any similar language to describe lump sum payments in order to reduce monthly lease payments. Provides that lump sum payments are non-refundable in the event of a total loss of the vehicle.

HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY - Repeals the act authorizing toll facilities on state roads.

CORPORATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND PARTNERSHIPS -- RHODE ISLAND DECENTRALIZED AUTONOMOUS ORGANIZATION ACT - Establishes the “Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) Act” that would position Rhode Island as a forward-thinking leader in blockchain innovation by giving DAOs clear legal status as limited liability companies.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- ZONING ORDINANCES - Limits municipal minimum lot sizes for residential use to 2,500 sq ft near transit, 5,000 sq. ft with water/sewer, and 1 acre otherwise, while protecting farmlands, forests, and wetlands, and requiring zoning updates to comply.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- RESTRICTIVE CONFINEMENT OVERSIGHT ACT - Establishes the restrictive housing oversight committee ("committee") for the purpose of monitoring the use of restrictive housing ("solitary confinement"), as well as disciplinary and administrative confinement at the department of corrections.

INSURANCE -- HOMEOWNER CASUALTY INSURANCE BILL OF RIGHTS - Creates a homeowner casualty bill of rights.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- THE RHODE ISLAND FIRST STEP ACT - Establishes Rhode Island First Step program requiring DOC to assist offenders with reintegration into society, counseling, medical care, education, early sentence termination or pre-release confinement for elderly and terminally ill offenders.

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- ARCHITECTS - Amends how architecture firms and individual architects are registered.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURES -- IDENTIFICATION AND APPREHENSION OF CRIMINALS - Provides that individual counts of a district court criminal complaint dismissed pursuant to Rule 48(a) would be sealed administratively by the court clerk upon the defendant’s request.

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- STATE OF RHODE ISLAND INTERIOR DESIGN PRACTICE ACT - Enacts the State of Rhode Island interior design practice act to control and regulate the professional practice of interior designers.

PROPERTY -- CONDOMINIUM LAW - Restricts increases in monthly common expenses and limit special assessments to cover unforeseen costs not included in the condo association’s approved annual budget for common expenses where the minority of the units are deed-restricted units.

HIGHWAYS -- RELOCATION OF UTILITY SERVICES - Allows the state to require utilities to relocate facilities for certain highway projects and to pay the cost of the relocation to the utility as part of the cost of the federally aided highway project.

TAXATION -- SALES AND USE TAXES -- LIABILITY AND COMPUTATION - Establishes a restricted receipt account for RIPTA to fund it operations from sales tax collected from ride-share companies. Exempts the account from indirect cost recovery provisions.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- EXPUNGEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS - Allows expungement of multiple felony convictions for non-violent felonies10 years after sentence completed.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING - Changes the residential limit for any substantial multi-family housing project not to exceed forty thousand (40,000) residents according to the United States Census Bureau.