Ensures that more developmentally disabled adults can self-direct the care they need and want, by incorporating collective bargaining rights into the self-directed supports program.

Plain-English Summary: Quality Self-Directed Supports Act of 2026

This bill deals with how care is provided to adults in Rhode Island who have developmental disabilities. Currently, some of these individuals can participate in a "self-directed" care program, which allows them to choose their own caregivers and have more control over the support services they receive in their daily lives. This bill aims to expand access to that program so more developmentally disabled adults can take advantage of it.

A key feature of this bill is that it would bring collective bargaining rights into the self-directed supports program. This means that the personal care workers — the people hired to assist individuals with developmental disabilities in their homes and communities — would have the legal right to organize and negotiate together with their employer over things like wages, working conditions, and benefits. This is similar to the rights that workers in many other industries have through unions.

The bill affects two main groups of people. First, it affects adults with developmental disabilities who could gain greater access to personalized, self-directed care. Second, it affects the caregivers and support workers who provide that care, by giving them new workplace rights. State agencies overseeing disability services and healthcare would also need to adjust how the program is managed to accommodate these changes.

As of now, the bill has been introduced in the Rhode Island Senate and referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, though a scheduled meeting was postponed in April 2026. It has not yet been voted on.