Weird and Unusual Bills That Passed This Week
Stephen Beale, GoLocalProv News Editor
Weird and Unusual Bills That Passed This Week
From eBooks and STD medication to the use of the word “retardation,” the General Assembly tackled a variety of unusual and unnoticed issues in its race to finish its session Thursday night.
It may be a playground insult, but it also is part of the name of a state agency—the Rhode Island Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals. But now the General Assembly wants to change that to the more tactful Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals. (Read the House bill and the Senate bill.)
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
The days of first graders hunched over with a back-pack full of books could become a thing of the past. The General Assembly approved a commission to study the benefits and drawbacks of creating “paperless classrooms” where students use eBooks instead of textbooks, download lessons from computers, and turn their homework in electronically. It may sound futuristic, but one school in Dayton, Ohio has already done it. Now, California is thinking about following suit. Could Rhode Island be next? (Read the House bill and the Senate bill.)
Normally, you would need to see a doctor to get prescription medication, but under bills that passed the General Assembly, doctors and other medical professionals can prescribe treatment for the sexual partners of patients infected with gonorrhea and Chlamydia. And the bills prevent doctors from being sued or criminally charged for doing so. (Read the House bill and the Senate bill.)
The days of smuggling fireworks across the border from Connecticut could soon be over, if Gov. Don Carcieri signs a proposed law that allows Rhode Islanders to buy the “simplest and safest” fireworks such as sparklers, smoke balls, snakes, and snappers. However, aerial fireworks, fire crackers, bottle rockets, and anything else explosive would still be illegal for the average Rhode Islander. (Read the House bill and the Senate bill.)
Genetic counselors help patients understand the genetic basis of various diseases and disorders, but under existing law, there are no educational requirements or other mandatory qualifications for those who want to work in this field. The General Assembly didn’t think this was a good idea, and, if the governor agrees, genetic counselors would have to get licenses through the state. Genetic counseling is a relative new field, with only 13 practicing counselors in Rhode Island, according to an official summary of the legislation. (Read the bill.)