Rhode Island

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- EXPUNGEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS - Makes persons convicted of simple possession of controlled substances, eligible to have their records expunged three (3) years after imposition of their sentence.

CRIMINALS -- CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS -- COMMISSION ON PARDONS - Establishes a commission to promulgate rules, regulations and make recommendations to the governor as to petitions for pardons under Article IX, Section 13 of the Constitution of Rhode Island.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- SUBDIVISION OF LAND - Requires that in the town of Coventry, local regulations shall require approval of the permitting authority for both private and public improvements prior to final plan approval.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- USE OF CROSSWALKS, INTERSECTIONS AND SAFETY ZONES - Prohibits solicitation of money or other donations while an individual is standing or sitting in a crosswalk, intersection or safety zone.

CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- ASSAULTS - Makes assault on a railroad worker resulting in personal injury a felony.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- RIDESHARE OR TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANY VEHICLE SURCHARGE - Imposes a seventy-five cent (0.75) surcharge on fares charged by rideshare companies as well as an account to benefit RIPTA from the payment of sales taxes collected from rideshares.

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- LICENSE OF NATUROPATHY ACT OF 2017 - Changes the naming of doctor of naturopathy to naturopathic doctor within this chapter.

TAXATION -- SALES AND USE TAXES -- LIABILITY AND COMPUTATION - Establishes a restricted receipt account for the benefit of the Rhode Island public transit authority, funded by sales taxes collected from ride-share companies, which said sales taxes would be exempt from indirect cost recovery provisions.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS' DUE PROCESS, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND TRANSPARENCY ACT - Amends the Law Enforcement Officers’ Due Process, Accountability, and Transparency Act" by changing the provision for payment of legal fees.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ACT - Requires single-family residential zoning in municipalities with populations of over forty-thousand (40,000) to allow middle housing and mandates that those municipalities adopt zoning regulations for middle housing.

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- WELLNESS AND OVERSIGHT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL RESOURCES ACT - Establishes an oversight process which would safeguard individuals seeking therapy or psychotherapy services by ensuring that the services are delivered by qualified, licensed, or certified professionals.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- POLICE OFFICERS -- COMMISSION ON STANDARDS AND TRAINING -- YOUTH TRAUMA-INFORMED POLICING - Requires police commission on standards/training to provide training/instructions for police detectives/officers/trainees to deal with traumatized youth resulting from incidents requiring a law enforcement response.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT AND DEBT REDUCTION ACT OF 2011 - Gives 20% of proceeds in RI Highway Maintenance Account to RIPTA.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- INDICTMENTS, INFORMATIONS AND COMPLAINTS - Prohibits prosecutions for crimes in Rhode Island if the prosecution arises from the same facts or acts for which the defendant was acquitted in another jurisdiction, unless newly discovered evidence substantially warrants prosecution.

LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- RHODE ISLAND NONCOMPETITION AGREEMENT ACT - Prohibits noncompete agreements except for noncompete agreements between a seller and buyer of a business; creates civil action for an employer for the violation of an agreement by employee regarding disclosure or wrongful utilization of trade secrets.

CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- SEXUAL OFFENDER REGISTRATION AND COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION - Makes it a felony for any person required to register as a sex offender to live within three hundred feet (300’) of a school as defined in § 11-37.1-2.

COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- FEES - Increases fees paid to jurors to fifty dollars ($50.00) per day.

STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- EMINENT DOMAIN - Allows the department of environmental management to acquire established foot paths by eminent domain in order to provide public access to streams, rivers, lakes and ponds.

CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- COMMERCIAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY - Establishes the commercial sex buyer’s accountability program which consists of an instructional program on prostitution and human trafficking schemes.

INSURANCE -- PRESCRIPTION DRUG BENEFITS - Includes any costs paid by an enrollee or on behalf of the enrollee, by a third party when calculating an enrollee’s overall contribution to any out-of-pocket maximum or cost sharing requirement, under a health plan as of January 1, 2027.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- ZONING ORDINANCES - Clarifies the means by which attached single-family dwelling units may be created, recorded, and regulated as subdivisions of an existing lot under current zoning ordinance law.

FOOD AND DRUGS -- SINGLE-USE PLASTIC STRAWS - Allows customers to directly take single-use plastic straws from food service establishments.