Current Status
The Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act, HB5572, was introduced in the Rhode Island Assembly on February 12, 2021, by Representative Edith Ajello. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee where it had a public hearing on April 9, 2021. A Senate companion bill, SB775, had its public hearing in the Senate Judiciary on April 26, 2021.
Both bills await decisions by legislative leadership to move forward.
Follow progress on our legislative tracker.
Resources
Rhode General Assembly website
Death with Dignity Legislative Tracker
History
2020
H 7369
- Full text of H 7369
- Legislative history of H 7369
- Sponsors: Rhode Island State Representatives Edith Ajello (D-Providence) – primary, Liana Cassar (D-Barrington, East Providence), Rebecca M. Kislak (D-Providence), Jason Knight (D-Barrington, Warren), Teresa Ann Tanzi (D-Narragansett, South Kingstown)
SB 2265
- Full text of SB 2265
- Legislative history of SB 2265
- Introduced on February 4, 2020
- Sponsor: Rhode Island State Senators Joshua Miller (U) – primary, Cynthia Armour Coyne (U), Gayle L. Goldin (D), Melissa Murray (D), Bridget Valverde (D)
- Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee
2019
The Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act, a death with dignity bill, was heard in House and Senate committees, which recommended it be held for further study.
S 157 / S 320
- Full text of S 157
- Legislative history of S 157 [enter 157 in Bills field]
- Introduced on January 28, 2019
- Sponsors: Rhode Island State Senators Gayle Goldin (D), Cynthia Armour Coyne (D), Dawn Euer (D), and Joshua Miller (D)
- Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee and heard on April 25, 2019. The Committee recommended the bill be held for further study.
H 5555
- Full text of H 5555
- Introduced on February 27, 2019
- Sponsors: Rhode Island State Representatives Edith Ajello (D-Providence) – primary, Liana Cassar (D-Barrington, East Providence), Rebecca Kislak (D-Providence), Jason Knight (D-Barrington, Warren), and Teresa Ann Tanzi (D-Narragansett, South Kingstown)
- Referred to the House House Health, Education & Welfare Committee and heard on March 27, 2019. The Committee recommended the bill be held for further study.
2018
Rhode Island State Representative Edith Ajello (D-Providence) again introduced an assisted dying bill in the 2018 session. Co-sponsored by Representatives Lauren Carson (D), Susan Donovan (D), and Jason Knight (D-Barrington, Warren), H 7297, Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act was referred to the Rhode Island House Health, Education, and Welfare Committee on January 25, 2018. A hearing on the bill took place on April 4.
2017
Rhode Island Representative Edith Ajello, together with co-sponsors Aaron Regunberg (D), Lauren Carson (D), Susan Donovan (D), and Teresa Tanzi (D-Narragansett, South Kingstown), introduced H 5468, the Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act, on February 15, 2017. The bill was referred to the House Health, Education, and Welfare Committee. On March 15, the sponsor requested the bill be postponed, which effectively ended its progress.
2016
Representative Ajello’s bill, H 7659, Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act, was heard in a House Committee on March 23, 2016, and held for further study.
2015
In 2015, State Representatives Edith Ajello (D-Providence), Teresa Tanzi (D-Narragansett, South Kingstown), Aaron Regunberg (D), Christopher Blazejewski (D) and David Bennett (D) on February 12 introduced H 5507, Lila Manfield Sapinsley Compassionate Care Act, in the House. The bill was heard on April 8 in the Committee on Health, Education, and Welfare, which recommended the measure be held for further study.
Senator Gayle Goldin (D-Providence) and co-sponsors Christopher Ottiano (R), Joshua Miller (D), Erin Lynch (D), and Paul Jabour (D) introduced a companion bill, S 598, in the Senate, where the Judiciary Committee on May 28 made the same recommendation as the House Committee.
Pre-2015
Oregon-style physician-assisted dying bills were considered in the Rhode Island state legislature in
