1. The highway blockade bills.

2. House rules for 2015-2016.

3. H5077: Charges the RI Board of Education with establishing “state-wide goals that are school specific for increasing the number of graduates who 10 earn certificates and degrees at both two and four year post-secondary public institutions of higher education” and requires the Board to develop and make available data on “college access and completion data…that includes data on students’ educational experiences and outcomes from early childhood through higher education in Rhode Island public institutions of higher education and into the workforce”. The bill then lists four specific metrics related to post-secondary enrollment, and also includes a reporting requirement on “excess credits” defined as “credits which the student earned and which were not required for the degree or certificate”. (H Health, Education and Welfare; Wed, Feb 4)

4. H5074: Raises the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour starting in January 2016 (up from $9.00 per hour currently). (H Labor; Thu, Feb 5)

5. H5013: Requires that transportation be provided for students residing further than two miles away from their school. (H Health, Education and Welfare; Wed, Feb 4)

6. H5174: An extensive set of new laws regarding the relationship between health insurers and pharmacy providers.  (H Corporations; Tue, Feb 3)  A few (of many) examples are:

• “The group health insurer may not exclude an otherwise qualified pharmacy provider from participation in one network solely because the pharmacy provider declined to participate in another network managed by the insurer”.
• “No group health insurer shall terminate the contract of or penalize a pharmacy provider solely as a result of the pharmacy provider’s filing of a complaint, grievance or appeal. Termination by mutual agreement shall not be restricted”.
• “No group health insurer shall terminate the contract of a pharmacy provider for expressing disagreement with a group health insurer’s decision to deny or limit benefits to an enrollee, or because the pharmacy provider assists the enrollee to seek reconsideration of the group health insurer’s decision or because the pharmacy provider discusses alternative medications”.

Also, the bill states “the department of business regulation shall exercise oversight and enforcement of this section”.  It’s interesting that enforcement of this law wouldn’t belong to the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner.

7. H5068: Makes threats against “students at any public or private daycare facility, preschool, school, college, or university” using various forms of technology a felony punishable by 5 to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 to $100,000 fine.  (H Judiciary; Tue, Feb 3)

8. H5151: Beginning in 2016, retailers with $5M in annual sales “are prohibited from making available any plastic checkout bag, not including plastic barrier bags or double-opening plastic bags”. In 2017, the ban is extended to all retailers.  (H Environment and Natural Resources; Thu, Feb 5)

9. H5152: Decriminalizes a person’s first two instances of driving without a license.  (H Judiciary; Tue, Feb 3)

10. H5177: Prohibits health plans from denying coverage “on the basis that the coverage is provided through telemedicine[,] if the healthcare service would be covered were it provided through in-person consultation between the covered person and a healthcare provider”. Telemedicine is “the use of synchronous video conferencing, remote patient monitoring, and asynchronous health images, or other health transmissions supported by mobile devices (mHealth) or other telecommunications technology by a healthcare provider to deliver healthcare services at a site other than the site where the provider is located relating to the healthcare diagnosis or treatment of a patient”.  (H Corporations; Tue, Feb 3)

11. H5134: Requires the Department of Youth, Children and Families, “in furtherance of the department’s duties”, to provide replacement vehicles “used for the transportation of a child or children by a public or private entity” if an investigation reveals such a vehicle to be unsafe, and a replacement cannot be provided within an hour of the inspection. “Private passenger vehicles used by a parent or guardian” are excluded from the law, and the cost of “the replacement vehicle provided by the department shall be recoverable from the party responsible for the original transportation”.  (H Health, Education and Welfare; Wed, Feb 4)

12. H5179: Requires that the following script be read (or presented?) during any solicitation by a charitable organization, “regardless of how the solicitation is made”:

“My name is [insert full name] and I am an employee of [insert name of fundraising company]. I am a paid representative soliciting charitable contributions on behalf of [insert name of charitable organization]. I am required by Rhode Island law to inform you that [insert name of fundraising company] receives no less than [insert percentage] percent of aggregate contributions in payment for its fundraising services”.  (H Corporations; Tue, Feb 3)

Ranking Indeterminate: H5044/H5173: Bills regarding taxation of “new construction development property”. (H Municipal Government; Thu, Feb 5)

Senate Confirmation Hearings: Secretary of Commerce, Director of the Department of Administration, Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Director of the Department of Labor and Training.