Allows a pregnant member or member that has given birth in the past six (6) months to appear remotely and permits any member that participates in a meeting remotely to vote at that meeting, provided that the meeting is held in person.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would update Rhode Island's open meetings rules to allow members of public boards, councils, or committees who are pregnant — or who have given birth within the past six months — to participate in official meetings remotely (such as by video call) instead of attending in person. Currently, open meetings laws have restrictions on remote participation, and this bill would create a specific exception for members in these circumstances.

The bill also addresses voting rights for remote participants. Under the proposed change, any member who joins a meeting remotely would be allowed to cast votes during that meeting, as long as the meeting itself is being held in person at a physical location. This means remote participants would have the same voting power as those physically present in the room.

This legislation would affect members of public governmental bodies across Rhode Island — things like town councils, school committees, planning boards, and state commissions. It is designed to ensure that pregnancy and postpartum recovery do not prevent elected or appointed officials from fully doing their jobs, including voting on important matters. Members of the public attending these meetings would not be directly affected, though they may notice that some officials are participating by video.

The bill was recently introduced and referred to the House State Government & Elections Committee, where it has been scheduled for a hearing. The committee has recommended it be held for further study, meaning it has not yet advanced to a full vote.