Last week, Rhode Island’s 2026 legislative session came to an end, so we wanted to give you an update on a few different bills we’ve been paying close attention to and where those bills stand today.
As we’ve already discussed, the Rhode Island Voting Rights Act (RI VRA) was killed. This was a shocking and disappointing outcome based on the deep impact this bill could have made on the state. Last Tuesday, we held a last minute rally at the State House to show our legislators that this isn’t over and that we are not giving up. Read about how it went here.
Just to be clear, we fully intend to get this bill passed in 2027, so in the meantime, we are going to continue building support and plan to focus on how we can come back stronger. If you’d like to stay up to date or want to learn more about how you can get involved, click here. Additionally, this evening, June 16th at 7pm, Common Cause and the RI VRA Steering Committee will be hosting a webinar about what’s next for the RI VRA. If you’re interested, Register Here.
Another bill that unfortunately did not pass was the Health Insurance Nondiscrimination Bill. (S3107/H7940) The purpose of this bill was to hold health insurance providers accountable for discriminatory practices while also expanding and improving protections for Rhode Islanders who are seeking out healthcare. We are extremely disappointed that, once again, our legislators failed to protect the people in our state by choosing not to pass this bill.
There is some good news, however, and it’s that the Protect Our Courts Act (H7360/S2045) did pass! Per the Legislative Council, this bill would “protect people attending Rhode Island court proceedings from civil arrest without a judicial warrant, ensures court access, sets enforcement rules, and provides remedies for violations.” This bill came about in response to increased ICE presence at and around our courts, causing immigrants and people who appear to be immigrants to be afraid, targeted, and/or arrested. We hope that this bill will prevent these abuses of power from continuing on, and keep our immigrant community members safer.
While we are happy to see that RI is taking some of the steps necessary to protect communities across the state, it’s safe to say that, overall, this legislative session did not go the way we had hoped. We need our state leaders to understand that legislation intended to increase and improve protections for Rhode Islanders is legislation that needs to be prioritized. Having so many bills submitted this year that included language about protecting minorities and preventing discrimination indicates that whatever this state currently has in place simply isn’t enough.
Just because session is now over, it does not mean that our work is done. We will continue to fight to protect the rights of ALL Rhode Islanders and we hope that you will join us.
