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3/17/2025
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Media Advisory: House Health, Human Services Committee to vote on pharmacy, harm reduction bills
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STATE HOUSE – The House Health and Human Services Committee meets tomorrow to vote on two bills concerning pharmacies, and a bill extending the harm reduction center pilot program. The committee will also hold hearings on a number of bills.
The committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday, March 18, at the rise of the House session (sometime after 4:30 p.m.) in the Room 135 on the first floor of the State House.
The committee has scheduled votes on three bills:
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2025-H 5353, to be amended — This bill sponsored by Rep. Julie A. Casimiro (D-Dist. 31, North Kingstown, Exeter) allows pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns to perform technology-assisted dispensing process validation for medications prepared for distribution by another pharmacy technician or intern within an institutional pharmacy.
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2025-H 5427, to be amended — Sponsored by Rep. Michelle McGaw (D-Dist. 71, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Little Compton) at the request of the Department of Health, this bill would include the COVID-19 immunization under the consent and reporting provisions required for pharmacy-administered immunizations to individuals between 9 and 18 years of age.
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2025-H 5171, to be amended— The amendment to this bill sponsored by Rep. John G. Edwards (D-Dist. 70, Tiverton) would provide a two-year extension on the pilot program to prevent drug overdoses through the establishment of harm reduction centers.
Among the bills the committee is scheduled to hear are:
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2025-H 5253 — Sponsored by Rep. Tina L. Spears (D-Dist. 36, Charlestown, New Shoreham, South Kingstown, Westerly) removes the age restriction for benefits coverage and requires, for health insurance policies issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2026, that coverage must include reimbursement for applied behavior analysis provider services.
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2025-H 5430 — Sponsored by Rep. Kathleen A. Fogarty (D-Dist. 35, South Kingstown), this bill would prohibit insurers from imposing any cost-sharing requirements for any diagnostic or supplemental breast examinations.
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2025-H 5432 — This bill sponsored by Rep. Teresa A. Tanzi (D-Dist. 34, South Kingstown, Narragansett) would prohibit health insurance providers from requiring preauthorization for in-network mental health or substance-use disorder services.
The meeting will be televised by Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channels 15 and 61, on i3Broadband channel 15 and on Verizon channel 34. It will be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv.
Testimony on the bills being heard will be accepted in person or in writing via email to HouseHealthandHumanServices@rilegislature.gov. Written testimony must include a name and any applicable organization, the bill number(s) and viewpoint (for/against/neither). It will be considered a public document.
For more information, contact:
Larry Berman, Communications Director for the Office of the Speaker
State House Room 322
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-2466
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