Woonsocket Radio News Room

This week at the

General Assembly

 

STATE HOUSE — Here are the highlights from news and events that took place in the General Assembly this week. For more information on any of these items visit http://www.rilegislature.gov/pressrelease

 

§  House passes Shekarchi legislation for emergency housing options

The House of Representatives passed legislation (2025-H 5100A) sponsored by Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) to enable cities and towns to allow for temporary emergency housing structures, Supportive and Versatile Emergency units (“SAVE units”), for people experiencing homelessness during severe weather and/or natural or man-made disasters. The bill now heads to the Senate, where Sen. Jacob E. Bissaillon (D-Dist. 1, Providence) has introduced the legislation (2025-S 0501).

Click here to see news release

 

§  House OKs ban on PFAS chemicals in firefighters’ gear
The House of Representatives approved legislation sponsored by Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol) to prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of any firefighting personal protective equipment containing intentionally added PFAS chemicals in Rhode Island beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The bill (2025-H 5019) now goes to the Senate, where Sen. Walter S. Felag Jr. (D-Dist. 10, Warren, Bristol, Tiverton) is sponsoring its Senate companion (2025-S 0241).
Click here to see news release.

 

§  House OKs Fellela bill that would require AEDs on golf courses
The House of Representatives approved the David Casey Act (2025-H 5083A) introduced by Rep. Deborah A. Fellela (D-Dist. 43, Johnston) that would mandate automatic external defibrillators on public and private golf courses. The measure now moves to the Senate, where similar legislation (2025-S 0475) has been introduced by Sen. Andrew R. Dimitri (D-Dist. 25, Johnston).
Click here to see news release.

 

§  Legislation would permit public utilities to purchase clean nuclear power
Sen. David P. Tikoian (D-Dist. 22, Smithfield, Lincoln, North Providence) and Rep. Joseph J. Solomon Jr. (D-Dist. 22, Warwick) have introduced legislation (2025-S 0318, 2025-H 5575) that would allow public utilities that provide electric and gas distribution to purchase clean, safe nuclear power at a competitive cost from out-of-state facilities.
Click here to see news release.

 

§  Bill would acknowledge grief in lawsuits regarding negligent death of pets
Rep. Thomas E. Noret (D-Dist. 25, Coventry, West Warwick) and Rep. Jon D. Brien (I-Dist. 49, Woonsocket, North Smithfield) have introduced a bill (2025-H 5926) that would create a cause of action for the intentional or negligent injury or death of a pet.
Click here to see news release.

 

§  Healthy School Meals for All Act introduced
Rep. Justine Caldwell (D-Dist. 30, East Greenwich, West Greenwich) and Sen. Lammis J. Vargas (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence) have introduced the Healthy School Meals for All Act (2025-H 5742, 2025-S 0430) to provide all public-school students access to breakfast and lunch at no cost, regardless of family income, to ensure they are fed and prepared to learn.
Click here to see news release.

§  Ujifusa, Stewart bills would lower prescription and Medicaid costs
Legislation filed by Sen. Linda L. Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol) and Rep. Jennifer A. Stewart (D-Dist. 59, Pawtucket) would curb the harmful activities of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), private corporations that work on behalf of insurers and make enormous profits as middlemen, driving up prescription costs. The bills (2025-S 0173, 2025-H 5498, 2025-S 0117, 2025-H 5463) would ban PBMs from engaging in “spread pricing,” wherein they charge health plans and payers more for a prescription drug than what they reimburse to the pharmacy — and then keep the difference or “spread.”
Click here for more information.

 

  • Boylan, McKenney bill would keep guns out of hands of hate crime perpetrators
    Rep. Jennifer Boylan (D-Dist. 66, Barrington, East Providence) and Sen. Mark McKenney (D-Dist. 30, Warwick) have introduced legislation (2025-H 5652, 2025-S 0530) to reduce gun violence by prohibiting those sentenced to a hate crime from purchasing and possessing guns.

Click here to see news release.

 

  • Gu, Carson introduce bill to set liability standards for artificial intelligence
    Sen. Victoria Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown) and Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-Dist. 75, Newport) are sponsoring legislation (2025-S 0358, 2025-H 5224) to ensure that victims of accidental harm caused by artificial intelligence systems have legal recourse.

Click here to see news release.

 

  • Murray, Furtado introduce bill to address mental health crisis in schools
    Chairwoman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Melissa Murray (D-Dist. 24, Woonsocket, North Smithfield) and Rep. Jenni A. Furtado (D-Dist. 64, East Providence, Pawtucket) have introduced legislation (2025-S 0256, 2025-H 5532) to provide additional support to schools to fund mental and behavioral health support for students.

Click here to see news release.

 

  • Legislators, advocates rally in support of freedom to read

Rep. David Morales (D-Dist. 7, Providence) and Sen. Mark McKenney (D-Dist. 30, Warwick) were joined by the Rhode Island Library Association, the American Library Association, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and local authors and advocates at a State House event Thursday to call for the passage of legislation (2025-H 5726, 2025-S 0238) to protect libraries and their patrons from partisan or doctrinal book-banning efforts.

Click here to see news release.                                              

President Trump says his tariffs are already showing effectiveness for the American economy. That's what he told leaders on Tuesday at the quarterly meeting of his Business Roundtable, which includes the heads of Apple, Walmart, GM and JPMorgan Chase. The remarks come as stock values continue to fall.        A month-long ceasefire could be coming between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine has already agreed to a tentative plan for 30 days, but Moscow still has to accept. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country sees the deal as a positive step but that now it's up to the U.S. to convince the Russians.        It's looking like the beginning of the end for the U.S. Department of Education. A senior department official announced over 13-hundred staffers received notifications that they're being fired Tuesday. Last week, reports said Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that aims to dissolve the Education Department as he is of the opinion for states to control education.        Protesters in New York City continue to call for the release of Mahmoud Khalil from federal custody. The pro-Palestinian activist is well known for helping to organize demonstrations on the campus of Columbia University. Khalil remains in custody following his arrest by ICE agents this past weekend.        The wife of "Ghost Adventures" star Aaron Goodwin is reportedly facing charges for allegedly hiring hitmen to kill her husband. According to a police report obtained by TMZ, Victoria Goodwin has been charged for solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy to murder. She's accused of messaging an inmate at a Florida prison and openly expressing her intention to have Aaron killed to get out of their marriage.        Utah is poised to become the first state in America to ban fluoride in public drinking water, despite opposition from health experts. Governor Spencer Cox says he will sign the bill passed last month, arguing fluoridation should be an individual choice. Meanwhile, a similar effort to ban adding fluoride to tap water is moving forward in Florida. A state Senate committee voted yesterday to approve a bill that makes it illegal for local governments to add fluoride to their drinking water.       

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