News

Jan 05, 2024

This Week At The Rhode Island General Assembly: Legislators make progress on key issues

The Rhode Island General Assembly had a busy and productive week, tackling

The Rhode Island General Assembly had a busy and productive week, tackling several important issues and passing significant legislation. One of the notable achievements was the passage of the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, which provides insurance coverage for abortion care to individuals on Medicaid and state employees. Sponsored by Senator Bridget Valverde and House Majority Whip Katherine S. Kazarian, the law promotes equality and access to reproductive healthcare.

In another legislative move, the General Assembly passed a bill introduced by Representative Karen Alzate and Senator Robert Britto to reduce the fee for an original driver privilege card. The fee will be lowered from $50 to $25, aligning it with the cost of renewing a driver's license. This change, set to take effect on July 1, aims to make driving privileges more affordable for individuals.

Addressing the state's housing crisis, the House of Representatives approved two bills. The first, sponsored by Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi, amends the Low and Moderate Income Housing Act to modify and clarify the procedure for reviewing applications to build housing. The second bill, introduced by Representative June Speakman, grants homeowners the right to develop an accessory dwelling unit within the existing footprint of their structures or on any lot larger than 20,000 square feet. Both bills now await consideration by the Senate.

In the realm of healthcare, the Senate passed legislation sponsored by Senator Sandra Cano, requiring insurance contracts, plans, or policies to cover the expense of diagnosing and treating infertility. This coverage would also include preimplantation genetic diagnosis in conjunction with in vitro fertilization. The bill now moves to the House, where Representative Karen Alzate has introduced a similar legislation, highlighting the importance of affordable infertility treatment.

The Senate also made progress in the area of education and nutrition by passing two bills. Sponsored by Senator Sandra Cano and Senator Jonathon Acosta, these bills aim to provide universal healthy free school meals in Rhode Island's public schools. Senator Cano's bill requires free meals for all elementary and secondary students, while Senator Acosta's bill mandates free breakfast and lunch for all students. These bills will now be considered by the House, where Representative Justine A. Caldwell has introduced a similar bill.

In an effort to combat catalytic converter thefts, the House of Representatives approved legislation introduced by Representative Joseph J. Solomon Jr. The proposed law increases penalties for such thefts, requiring a bill of sale, eliminating cash payments, and empowering the attorney general to suspend the license of violators. Convictions under this law will be considered a felony, subject to fines and imprisonment.

The General Assembly also saw the introduction of several important bills. Senators Bridget Valverde and Rebecca M. Kislak introduced legislation to prohibit the incarceration of children under the age of 14, with exceptions for severe offenses. Representative David Morales proposed a bill to establish a statewide universal, comprehensive single-payer healthcare program, akin to ‘Medicare for All.’ Additionally, Representative Jennifer Smith Boylan introduced a resolution to create a commission that will study lockdowns, fire drills, and associated mental health supports for students.

Furthermore, Senators Valarie Lawson and Katherine Kazarian are sponsoring a joint resolution to provide state funding for the Taunton Avenue Collaborative, a proposed housing project in East Providence. The project aims to provide 160 new apartments for extremely low-income households, youth aging out of foster care, and low- to moderate-income families, with access to various supports from local nonprofits.

Read more about this week at the General Assembly, here.

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