Rhode Island

SOLEMNIZATION OF MARRIAGES - Allows Joseph Couto to join Brandon Kemmy and Jacqueline Manousos in Marriage on or about August 2, 2026, within the Town of Tiverton, Rhode Island.

BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- FUNERAL DIRECTOR/EMBALMER AND FUNERAL SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS - Provides for the operation and duties of natural organic reduction for the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil. Disposition facilities would be used for either cremation or natural organic reduction.

PROPERTY -- RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT - Requires landlords who rent shoreline property to provide their tenants, before the start of the tenancy, with a detailed, written disclosure regarding their shoreline access rights.

LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- LABOR RELATIONS ACT - Allows employees, not represented by a union, to create a group to collectively bargain with employers.

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY -- PERMANENT JOINT COMMITTEE ON NAMING ALL NEW BUILDINGS, BRIDGES, EDIFICES AND OTHER STATE CONSTRUCTIONS - Makes the bridge over Smith Street and Route 95, the George Nee Bridge.

COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- COURTS -- SUPERIOR COURT - Changes the term of drug court to recovery court.

EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS - Mandates the use of a soft-shell helmet cover device that adds a padded, soft-shell layer to the outside of a traditional football helmet, for students participating in Rhode Island interscholastic league football

ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- CRUELTY TO ANIMALS - Allows animal control officers in the cities and towns to lawfully take charge of and provide adequate care to any animal found abandoned or neglected or hazardously accumulated and includes them as agents authorized to enforce the provisions of this law.

Specifies that pre-k programs for three (3) – and four (4) – years olds be added to programs to increase access to voluntary, free, high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- EXPUNGEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS - Permits the expungement of records 5 years after the imposition of sentence for misdemeanors and 10 years after the imposition of sentence for felonies, and if the sentence is greater than 10 years, then, upon successful completion of the sentence.

INSURANCE -- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES - Requires that reimbursement rates for certified mobile response and stabilization services be equal to or greater than the prevailing integrated state Medicaid rate for mobile response and stabilizations services.

PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- OPERATION OF RAILROADS GENERALLY - Provides that no train or light engine would be used in connection with the movement of freight could be operated unless it had a crew consisting of at least 2 persons, would also include the imposition of fines upon a company for violation of the act.

LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- LABOR RELATIONS ACT -- NO LIMITATION ON HEALTHCARE BENEFIT PROVIDERS - Repeals the law that prevents a collective bargaining agreement covering state employees, public school teachers and municipal employees from specifying a particular healthcare provider in it.

MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ENFORCEMENT - Allows parents or guardians to have access to GPS data of the bus or other motor vehicle used to transport students to and from school.

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.

TOWNS AND CITIES -- LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING - Allows faith-based organizations to develop affordable housing on land they own provided at least 50 % of the housing to be developed is low- or moderate-income housing and the land is owned or held in trust by the faith-based organizations.

EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS - Amends the composition of the Rhode Island school safety committee by adding an additional member who is a representative from the Rhode Island school Resource officer Association.

LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES - Changes the definition of employee to include individuals employed in the domestic service of any person.

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES -- TEMPORARY EXTENDED SERVICE HOURS - Allows, but not require, local licensing authorities to grant temporary periods for extended indoor service hours under existing liquor licenses for certain 2026 FIFA World Cup Tournament matches.

EDUCATION -- HEALTH AND SAFETY OF PUPILS - Expands the requirement that all high schools and middle schools, whether they are publicly or privately run to maintain on site a functional AED while establishing and implementing a cardiac emergency response plan in these schools.

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- CRIMINAL INJURIES COMPENSATION - Permits victims of stalking to recover for expenses related to relocation or home modification under the crime victim compensation program.

LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- WORKPLACE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY ACT - Protects bullying/psychological abuse in workplace inflicted upon employees by employers/co-employees/provides civil remedies to affected employees/fines against employers/imprisonment/fines against co-employees.

ELECTIONS -- MAIL BALLOTS - Requires the board of elections to establish a secure area for the public observation of mail ballot processing and require the mail ballot voter’s signature be compared to the signature on file within the state central voter registration system.

LABOR AND LABOR RELATIONS -- MUNICIPAL POLICE ARBITRATION - Extends provisions of an existing collective bargaining agreement for municipal police arbitration purposes until a successor agreement is reached or an interest arbitration award is rendered.

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES -- TEMPORARY EXTENDED SERVICE HOURS - Allows, but not require, local licensing authorities to grant temporary periods for extended indoor service hours under existing liquor licenses for certain 2026 FIFA World Cup Tournament matches.