2025 General Assembly session passed 826 new laws. Here are some highlights
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Advocate | RI News & Opinion
No cell phones in
school, access to the beach and getting more doctors
First, let’s talk about the classroom. A new law, H5598, will require every public
school in the state to implement a policy prohibiting students from physically
accessing their personal electronic devices during the school day. Before you
panic, there are a few key points here. The law makes clear exceptions for
students who need devices for medical reasons, for an IEP or 504 plan, or to
assist with language learning. So, a student monitoring their glucose on a
smartwatch is fine. The goal is to reduce distractions and get kids focused on
learning, not TikTok. School districts have some time to figure this out, as
the law doesn’t take effect until August 1, 2026.
Next, for anyone who has ever stared at a stretch of
coastline and wondered, “Can I actually walk there?”, bill H5686 offers a bit of clarity.
This law amends the duties of the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC)
by requiring municipalities to officially identify, list, and display all
CRMC-designated public rights-of-way on their official maps. We believe this puts
the responsibility squarely on towns to make public access points clear to the
public, preventing these paths from becoming forgotten or obscured over time.
If a town fails to do so, it doesn’t change the legal status of the
right-of-way. This is a small but meaningful step in the continuing effort to
protect public access to the shore.
Finally, in a move to address the state’s physician shortage, S0347 creates a new, tiered licensing system for internationally-trained physicians. The program allows doctors trained abroad to obtain a limited, supervised license to work in a designated shortage area. After a period of assessment and after passing all required U.S. medical exams, they can progress to a restricted license for independent practice in that shortage area, and eventually, to a full, unrestricted license. It’s a pragmatic approach that could connect underserved communities with qualified doctors who are currently sidelined by licensing hurdles.
Infrastructure,
Restaurants, and Your Prescriptions
First, let’s talk rust. A new law, S0744, gets serious about preventing
the kind of corrosion that can, well, shut down a bridge. The bill mandates
that any state-funded public works project involving coating or protecting
steel must now use trained and certified personnel. This means the workers
tasked with surface preparation and applying protective coatings must meet a
specific industry standard (the NACE 13/ACS 1 standard, for those taking
notes). It’s a quality control measure that seems almost painfully obvious in
hindsight, aiming to ensure that our public structures such as major highway
bridges named after the first President are being maintained by people who are
certified experts in preventing them from turning to dust.
Speaking of bridge-related fallout, another bill seems to be
a direct lesson learned from the Washington Bridge debacle. A new law, H6392, creates a safety net for
restaurants that are rendered uninhabitable by a disaster, whether it’s a fire,
a flood, or…a structural failure. The law allows these establishments to get a
temporary permit for outdoor dining for up to 18 months, bypassing local zoning
ordinances that might otherwise forbid it. It’s a practical measure to help a
small business keep the lights on and staff employed while they rebuild.
Finally, a change is coming that could ease a common
healthcare headache. If you’ve ever tried to transfer a prescription for a
controlled substance, you know it can feel like a major ordeal. A new amendment
to the state’s controlled substances act, H5866, directs the Department of
Health to update its rules to align with new federal DEA regulations that
permit the electronic transfer of these prescriptions between pharmacies. This
will make it much easier for patients to move their prescriptions for cost or
convenience. It also makes it much harder for “patients” to forge prescriptions
for controlled substances. This change is set to take effect on January 1,
2025, so we have a few months to go, but it represents a significant,
common-sense modernization of pharmacy rules.
Housing, Voting,
and Debt Protection
First up is a complete overhaul of the Rhode Island Housing
and Conservation Board, the body that decides who gets funding for affordable
housing and land preservation projects. The new law, S0711, expands the board from nine
to fifteen members, adding specific seats for tenant advocates, for-profit
developers, and municipal planners, among others. The goal seems to be bringing
more perspectives to a very important table. The funding formula also gets a
rewrite, with dedicated portions for housing and conservation increasing from
25% to 35% each. This change guarantees more money goes directly to these
critical needs, rather than being left in a flexible pot.
Next, the process for voting by mail is getting a helpful
update just in time for the next election cycle. Thanks to H5311, the Board of Elections can
now begin processing and certifying mail ballots a full 20 days before an
election, which should mean faster results. More importantly for voters, the
law establishes a “signature cure” process. In the past, if an official decided
the signature on your ballot envelope didn’t match the one on file, your vote
could be rejected. Now, you’ll be notified and given a chance to verify your
signature, ensuring a simple discrepancy doesn’t disenfranchise you.
Finally, for the first time in years, the state is
modernizing the rules that protect personal property from being seized by
creditors. A new law, S0730,
significantly increases these protections. For example, the amount of equity in
a vehicle shielded from attachment jumps from a paltry sum to $12,000, allowing
someone to keep a reliable car to get to work. The bill also creates new
protections, shielding up to $500 in a bank account and, in a very specific
provision, protecting a person’s home from being seized over casino-issued
debt.
These new laws represent real shifts in state policy,
touching on everything from the housing crisis to the security of our elections
and personal finances, education to doctors, infrastructure, the beach,
prescriptions and voting rights. Continue to check back as we break down new
legislation from the 2025 session.
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