Rhode Island Governor McKee signs five bills supporting women’s health and equity

Governor Dan McKee was joined by Rhode Island House Speaker and representatives, Rhode Island Senate President and women’s advocates and organizations for the signing of bills in support of women’s health and equity. Source: Twitter @GovDanMcKee

 

By Karl Ojeda
EBC New York Bureau

Providence, RI (Eagle News) – Governor Dan McKee signed five bills into law that support women’s health and equity. Covering a variety of issues, the bills address pay equity, providing free feminine hygiene products in schools, ending health insurer gender rating, allowing campaign funds for childcare and protecting domestic and sexual violence survivors’ health information.

“Rhode Island is closing a number of discriminatory gaps and eliminating a collection of practices that have unfairly impacted women for generations,” said McKee. He was joined by Rhode Island House Speaker and representatives, Rhode Island Senate President and women’s advocates and organizations for the ceremonial signing.

The first bill (2021-S 0270A, 2021 H 5261A) ensures pay equity for all employees, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Representative Susan Donovan, one of the bill sponsors, stated that she has experienced unequal pay for comparable work personally and ending this practice has been her priority since her first term in legislature. Senator Gayle Goldin, bill sponsor, said this legislation will provide employees with an effective and realistic set of tools for addressing wage disparity. She sees this bill as a way for Rhode Island employees and families to build financial stability.

The second bill (2021-S 0003A, 2021-H 5763) bans health insurers from using gender rating, which charges women and men different premiums for individual insurance. Senator V. Susan Sosnowski said that women face disparity buying health insurance in the individual market and are sometimes charged up to 50% higher than men for identical coverage. This especially applies when the woman is of child-bearing age.

The third bill (2021-S 0086A, 2021-H 5083A) requires all public schools to provide feminine hygiene products at no cost to students. Feminine hygiene products are a necessity for every woman. A longtime educator and bill sponsor, Senator Valarie J. Lawson, expressed that lack of access to these items can cause students to miss crucial school days. She elaborated that these products should not be viewed as luxuries, but as necessities just as soap and paper towels are readily available in bathrooms.

The fourth bill (2021-S 0060, 2021-H 5289) will allow candidates for office to use campaign funds for childcare while they are participating in campaign or officeholder activities. Senator Goldin, bill sponsor, stated that elected officials should “truly reflect the people they represent, and that includes parents of young children.” This bill will encourage more women to run for office and allow candidates to perform their political or officeholder activities more effectively.

The fifth bill (2021-S 0062Aaa, 2021-H 5370Aaa) protects survivors of domestic and sexual violence by allowing people to request that their insurers send health communications directly to them instead of a parent or spouse. It provides an option to patients to protect the privacy of their treatment plans by not providing these details to family members. Representative Donovan, sponsor of the bill, said this will eliminate obstacles which keep people from seeking the intervention and help they need.

(Eagle News Service)