Legislation

Legislation sought to make Rhode Island the next state to adopt “death with dignity” legislation, allowing terminal patients to seek medication to end their lives.

In 2016, the General Assembly greatly expanded the entities that have access to the Health Information Exchange, including granting access to broadly defined health plans for purposes totally unrelated to direct medical care, the original goal of the Exchange.

In April, the House committee on Health, Education and Welfare approved dangerous legislation granting law enforcement access to the prescription information of thousands of Rhode Islanders without a warrant; the Senate Judiciary committee followed in May.

In June, the House and Senate approved legislation requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant before requesting location information, except in emergencies dealing with the threat of death or serious physical injury.