Title 23, Title 23 and Safety

(a) Immediately upon any time that a hospital or other facility designated in this chapter takes physical possession of an infant pursuant to this chapter, the hospital or other facility designated in this chapter shall notify the director of the department of children, youth and…

There shall be established a “Safe Haven for Infants Awareness Program” which shall distribute literature relative to the rights and immunity established under this chapter. The awareness program shall be administered by the director of the department of children, youth and famil…

The director of the department of children, youth and families shall report annually to the general assembly at its January session as to the status of any infant abandoned under this chapter and all costs incurred by the department relative to this chapter.

If any provision of this chapter or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance shall be held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect the provisions or application of this chapter, which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to…

(a) An employer may provide reasonable unpaid break time each day to an employee who needs to breastfeed or express breast milk for her infant child to maintain milk supply and comfort. The break time must, if possible, run concurrently with any break time already provided to the…

Whereas birth defects are a major cause of infants deaths and childhood disabilities; and whereas early recognition and response to birth defects often prevents more serious effects; and whereas the epidemiological patterns of specific birth defects may provide keys to improved b…

(a) “Birth defects” means a physical or mental functional deficit or impairment resulting from one or more genetic or environmental causes detected in a newborn or before a child’s fifth (5th) birthday. (b) “Council” means the birth defects surveillance and information advisory c…

(a) The director shall establish and implement not later than one year after passage of this act a statewide birth defects reporting, surveillance and information system for the collection of information concerning birth defects of newborns and spontaneous fetal deaths. The direc…

(a) Not later than thirty (30) days after July 7, 2003, the director shall appoint a council to advise the department on the establishment and implementation of the birth defects reporting, surveillance and information system. (b) The council shall recommend to the director a lis…

Three (3) years after the date a birth defects surveillance and information system is implemented the department shall submit the first annual report to the governor, the general assembly, the Children’s Cabinet and the Interagency Coordinating Council. The report shall describe …

The legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) Chemicals known as brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are widely used in Rhode Island. To meet stringent fire standards, manufacturers add BFRs to a multitude of products, including plastic housing of electronics and co…

For purposes of this chapter, the following words shall have the following meanings: (1) “DecaBDE” means decabromodiphenyl ether. (2) “OctaBDE” means octabrominated diphenyl ether or any technical mixture in which octabrominated diphenyl ether is a predominate congener. (3) “PBDE…

(a) Effective January 1, 2007, a person may not manufacture, process, or distribute in commerce a product or a flame-retardant part of a product containing more than one-tenth (1/10%) of one percent (1%) of pentaBDE or octaBDE. (b) Subsection (a) of this section does not apply to…

By January 2, 2007, the department of environmental management shall submit to the general assembly a report that reviews the latest available scientific research to address the following issues: (1) Whether decaBDE is bio-accumulating in humans and the environment, and if so, wh…

By February 28, 2007, the department of health shall submit to the general assembly a report that reviews the department of environmental management’s decaBDE study. In addition to a review of any public health implications the department of health believes would result from expo…

Nothing in this chapter restricts a manufacturer, importer, or distributor from transporting products containing PBDEs through this state or storing PBDEs in this state for further distribution.

A woman may feed her child by bottle or breast in any place open to the public.

In any civil action alleging a violation of this chapter, the court may: (1) Afford injunctive relief against any person, entity or public accommodation that commits or proposes to commit a violation of this chapter; and (2) Award compensatory damages and reasonable attorney’s fe…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Lactation Consultant Practice Act of 2014.”

As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings: (1) “Lactation consultant” means a healthcare professional who specializes in the clinical management of breastfeeding.

The director of health is authorized and directed to formulate, promulgate, amend, and repeal procedures, rules, and regulations for the following: (1) The licensing of lactation consultants; (2) Standards and specifications for education, knowledge, and experience required for l…

(a) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent qualified members of other professions or other occupations or volunteers from performing functions consistent with the accepted standards of their respective professions; provided, however, that they do not hold themselve…

(a) This chapter shall be enforced by the director of health and he or she shall be exempt from the requirements of providing surety for costs. (b) Any person who violates the provisions of this chapter, or who violates any of the rules and regulations of the department of health…

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisio…

This chapter may be known and may be cited as “The Rhode Island Family Home-Visiting Act.”

(a) The Rhode Island department of health shall coordinate the system of early childhood home-visiting services in Rhode Island and shall work with the department of human services and department of children, youth and families to identify effective, evidence-based, home-visiting…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Lactation Counselors Practice Act of 2024.”

(a) A licensee shall notify the department, in writing, within five (5) business days of receiving notification from the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice that their status as a CLC or an ALC, as required in this chapter, has been revoked and/or subject to any restriction,…

(a) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent qualified members of other professions or other occupations or volunteers from performing functions consistent with the accepted standards of their respective professions; provided, however, that they do not hold themselve…

The director shall adopt, amend, promulgate, and enforce rules and regulations and standards deemed necessary, not inconsistent with law, to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

(a) Upon due notice and hearing in accordance with chapter 35 of title 42 (“administrative procedures”), and the provisions of this chapter, any violation pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, may be cause for denial, revocation, or suspension of license or for imposing a f…

All hearings and reviews required pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be held in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and chapter 35 of title 42 (“administrative procedures”).

As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings: (1) “Care extender” means an individual with lived experience who provides family navigation, care coordination, and peer support services to individuals. (2) “Department” means the Rhode Is…

(a) No individual shall practice unless the individual is licensed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. (b) A licensed lactation counselor shall provide lactation counseling services within the scope of practice in the performance of the counselor’s duties. (c) A li…

An applicant for licensure as a lactation counselor shall: (1) Be at least eighteen (18) years of age; (2) Successfully complete an academic and practice program in lactation counseling; (3) Pass the examination offered by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice of CLC and/o…

In order to apply for licensure as a lactation counselor, an applicant shall submit the following on forms provided by the department: (1) A completed application including, but not limited to: name, address, date of birth, social security number, telephone number, and email addr…

In order to apply for a license by endorsement, an applicant shall submit the following on forms provided by the department: (1) A completed application including, but not limited to: name, address, date of birth, social security number, telephone number, and email address; (2) A…

A license as a lactation counselor shall be issued to an applicant who meets the relevant requirements for licensure as required by this chapter.

(a) The license of every person licensed in accordance with this chapter shall expire on January 31 of the next odd-numbered year following the issuance of the lactation counselor’s license. (b) In order to renew a license, the licensee shall file a renewal application with the d…

(a) A licensed lactation counselor must provide lactation counseling services within the scope of practice which will include, but not be limited to, referral, as appropriate, to a healthcare professional both as defined by the director through the promulgation of regulations. Fu…

The general assembly finds that: (1) It is the right of every citizen of the state to have ready access to quality health care; and (2) Health care facilities serving the poor, including community health centers throughout the state, are experiencing increasing difficulty in attr…

The provisions of this chapter are severable. If any of its provisions shall be held unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, the decision of the court shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions.

The general assembly shall annually appropriate one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for the purpose of repayment of health education loans as outlined in this bill. Those funds shall be taken from the department of health appropriation for the governor’s children’s health ini…

For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and terms have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise: (1) “Board” means the health professional loan repayment board. (2) “Community health center” means a healthcare facility as defined and licen…

There is established within the department, to be administered by the director, the health professional loan repayment program whose purpose shall be to support the recruitment and retention of high-quality health professionals working with underserved populations in identified h…