AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS REQUIRED AT PUBLIC PLACES AND HEALTHCARE FACILITIES (Adds centers for independent living pursuant to § 42-12.2-2 to the healthcare facilities required to have automated external defibrillators on site.)

H8366

2026 -- H 8366
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LC006077
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS
REQUIRED AT PUBLIC PLACES AND HEALTHCARE FACILITIES

Introduced By:
Representatives Fascia, and Corvese

Date Introduced:
March 27, 2026

Referred To:
House Health & Human Services
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 23-6.5-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-6.5 entitled "Automated
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External Defibrillators Required at Public Places and Healthcare Facilities" is hereby amended to
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read as follows:
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23-6.5-4. Definitions.
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The following definitions govern the construction of this chapter:
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(1) “Healthcare facility” means any healthcare facility licensed by the department of health
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including any institutional health-service provider, facility, or institution, place, building, agency,
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or portion thereof, whether a partnership or corporation, whether public or private, whether
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organized for profit or not, used, operated, or engaged in providing healthcare services, including,
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but not limited to: hospitals; nursing facilities; rehabilitation centers; kidney disease treatment
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centers; health maintenance organizations; and facilities providing surgical treatment to patients
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not requiring hospitalization (surgi-centers); hospice care;
and
physician ambulatory-surgery
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centers and podiatry ambulatory-surgery centers providing surgical treatment
; and any center for
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independent living pursuant to § 42-12.2-2
. The term “healthcare facility” also includes organized
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ambulatory-care facilities that are not part of a hospital but that are organized and operated to
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provide healthcare services to outpatients, such as: central-services facilities serving more than one
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healthcare facility or healthcare provider; treatment centers; diagnostic centers; outpatient clinics;
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infirmaries and health centers; school-based health centers; and neighborhood health centers. The

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term “healthcare facility” also includes a practitioner’s (physician, dentist, or other healthcare
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provider) office or group of practitioners’ offices (whether owned and/or operated by a hospital or
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an affiliate of a hospital or an individual practitioner, alone or as a member of a partnership,
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professional service corporation, organization, or association).
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(2) “Public place” means an enclosed area capable of holding three hundred (300) people
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or more and to which the public is invited or in which the public is permitted, including, but not
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limited to: banks; bars; educational facilities; laundromats; public or private golf courses; public
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transportation facilities; reception areas; restaurants; retail food production and marketing
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establishments; retail service establishments; retail stores; shopping malls; sports arenas;
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government offices; theaters; and waiting rooms. A private residence is not a “public place” unless
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it is used as a childcare or adult daycare facility.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS
REQUIRED AT PUBLIC PLACES AND HEALTHCARE FACILITIES
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This act would add centers for independent living pursuant to § 42-12.2-2 to the healthcare
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facilities required to have automated external defibrillators on site.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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