Sen. Val Lawson

Maddy summaryThis bill officially names a specific bridge in Providence, Rhode Island, the George Nee Bridge. It directly affects the state's infrastructure by permanently assigning this name to bridge number 44-000000000007010, which carries U.S. Route 44 (Smith Street) over Interstate 95. The legislation amends existing state laws to establish this naming designation, which will take effect immediately upon the bill's passage.

Commencing January 1, 2027, mandates insurers provide health insurance coverage without cost-share requirements for vaccinations recommended by the DOH and mandates the coverage for the medical assistance program and managed care organizations.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the ability of people with Medicare to buy supplemental insurance without being rejected due to their health history. It directly affects individuals who enroll in these plans outside their initial enrollment period, including those under 65 with disabilities or kidney disease. The key change requires insurers to offer coverage without medical underwriting during specific times, such as the annual enrollment period, as long as there has been no significant gap in prior coverage. Additionally, the law mandates that these policies cannot deny benefits based on preexisting conditions that occurred within six months of the policy start date.

Establishes a statewide mobile response and stabilization services program to provide rapid crisis response and short-term stabilization for children and youth in their natural environments.

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.

Requires pharmacy benefit managers to apply for certificate of authority from the office of health insurance commissioner to operate such a business in this state and empowers the commissioner to oversee pharmacy benefit managers and penalize violations.

Maddy summaryThis bill strengthens oversight of pharmacy benefits managers in Rhode Island by requiring them to register with the state and submit detailed annual reports about their financial relationships with insurers. It prohibits these managers from forcing pharmacies to substitute generic drugs without prescriber approval and bans them from stopping pharmacists from sharing pricing information with patients. The legislation also prevents pharmacy benefits managers from charging copayments that exceed what pharmacies are paid and mandates a clear appeals process for disputes over drug pricing. These changes directly affect pharmacy benefits managers, insurers, pharmacies, and patients who use prescription drug coverage in the state.

Permits those individuals convicted of multiple felonies and misdemeanors to have their records expunged and provides criteria for the court to consider in determining whether the person is of good character.

Maddy summaryThis bill, titled the Tax Preparers Act of 2013, establishes rules and penalties for tax return preparers in the state, specifically targeting those who act as "ghost preparers" or intentionally mislead clients. It defines a ghost preparer as someone who prepares tax returns without properly identifying themselves or complying with federal identification requirements, and clarifies who qualifies as a tax return preparer under state law. The legislation requires all preparers to sign returns with their Preparer Tax Identification Number and prohibits them from facilitating ghost preparation activities. Penalties range from $500 to $10,000 depending on the severity of violations, including willful fraud or misleading taxpayers, and the tax administrator may suspend or revoke a preparer's license for noncompliance. Additionally, the bill mandates that the tax administrator publish a list of preparers whose privileges have been suspended or revoked.

Maddy summarySB 2418 expands eligibility for disabled veterans license plates to include veterans aged 75 or older with a 70% service-connected disability rating, in addition to existing criteria. It also maintains exemptions from vehicle registration fees for veterans deemed "individually unemployable" due to service-connected disabilities. The bill requires documentation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to verify eligibility and allows surviving spouses to retain the plates after a veteran's death. This change directly affects older veterans with moderate service-connected disabilities who previously did not qualify for the exemption. The policy modifies current registration fee rules for eligible veterans under Chapter 31-6 of the General Laws.