Rhode Island 2026 Session Status: Passed House 10 D cosponsors

HB 7938 — AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- REGISTRATION OF NURSING ASSISTANTS -- QUALIFYING LANGUAGE

Last action — 06/09/2026 Referred to Senate Health and Human Services

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the House. Introduced February 27, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Moderate chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a moderate chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 58% · moderate confidence

  • Passed House

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 10 sponsors

    10 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (10 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 1 recorded vote so far.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

In plain language

This bill requires nursing assistant exams to be offered in English and Spanish.

The bill mandates that the Department of Health administer nursing assistant licensing exams in both English and Spanish. This aims to improve access for Spanish-speaking candidates.

What this means for you
  • Workers: This means Spanish-speaking nursing assistant candidates can take the exam in their preferred language.

Summary

Requires the examination for licensing of certified nursing assistants by the department of health to be administered in both English and Spanish.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. 06/09/2026 Referred to Senate Health and Human Services

  2. 06/09/2026 House read and passed

  3. 06/08/2026 Placed on House Calendar (06/09/2026)

  4. 06/08/2026 Committee recommends passage

  5. 06/05/2026 Scheduled for consideration (06/08/2026)

  6. 04/14/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

  7. 04/10/2026 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (04/14/2026)

  8. 02/27/2026 Introduced, referred to House Health & Human Services

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

10 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 104 not signed on

Sponsors (10)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (104)

104 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 104 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

PASSAGE

Passed 70 Yea · 0 Nay · 5 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 57004
Independent 1000
Republican 9001
Unaffiliated 3000
Total 70005
% of votes cast 93%0%0%7%
How each member voted (75)
Member Party Vote
Mr. Speaker — Yea
O'Brien — Yea
ShallcrossSmith — Yea
Alex Finkelman Democratic Yea
Alex Marszalkowski Democratic Yea
Anthony J. DeSimone Democratic Yea
Arthur Handy Democratic Yea
Arthur J. Corvese Democratic Yea
Brandon C. Potter Democratic Yea
Brandon T. Voas Democratic Yea
Brian Patrick Kennedy Democratic Yea
Carol Hagan McEntee Democratic Yea
Charlene M. Lima Democratic Yea
Cherie L. Cruz Democratic Yea
David A. Bennett Democratic Yea
David Morales Democratic Not Voting
Deborah A. Fellela Democratic Yea
Earl A. Read, III Democratic Yea
Edith H. Ajello Democratic Yea
Enrique George Sanchez Democratic Yea
Evan P. Shanley Democratic Yea
Grace Diaz Democratic Yea
Gregory J. Costantino Democratic Yea
Jacquelyn M. Baginski Democratic Yea
Jason Knight Democratic Not Voting
Jenni A. Furtado Democratic Yea
Jennifer A. Stewart Democratic Yea
Jennifer Smith Boylan Democratic Yea
John G. Edwards Democratic Yea
John J. Lombardi Democratic Yea
Jose F. Batista Democratic Yea
Joseph J. Solomon, Jr. Democratic Yea
Joseph M. McNamara Democratic Yea
Joshua J. Giraldo Democratic Yea
Julie A. Casimiro Democratic Yea
June Speakman Democratic Yea
Justine A. Caldwell Democratic Yea
K. Joseph Shekarchi Democratic Not Voting
Karen Alzate Democratic Yea
Katherine S. Kazarian Democratic Yea
Kathleen A. Fogarty Democratic Yea
Lauren H. Carson Democratic Yea
Leonela Felix Democratic Yea
Marvin L. Abney Democratic Yea
Mary Duffy Messier Democratic Yea
Matt S. Dawson Democratic Yea
Megan L. Cotter Democratic Yea
Mia A. Ackerman Democratic Yea
Michelle E. McGaw Democratic Yea
Nathan W. Biah Democratic Yea
Patricia A. Serpa Democratic Yea
Ramon A. Perez Democratic Not Voting
Raymond A. Hull Democratic Yea
Rebecca M. Kislak Democratic Yea
Robert D. Phillips Democratic Yea
Robert E. Craven, Sr. Democratic Yea
Samuel A. Azzinaro Democratic Yea
Scott A. Slater Democratic Yea
Stephen M. Casey Democratic Yea
Susan R. Donovan Democratic Yea
Teresa Ann Tanzi Democratic Yea
Terri Cortvriend Democratic Yea
Thomas E. Noret Democratic Yea
Tina L. Spears Democratic Yea
Jon D. Brien Independent Yea
Brian C. Newberry Republican Yea
Christopher G. Paplauskas Republican Yea
David J. Place Republican Yea
George A Nardone Republican Yea
Marie A. Hopkins Republican Yea
Michael W. Chippendale Republican Yea
Paul M. Santucci Republican Yea
Richard R. Fascia Republican Yea
Robert J. Quattrocchi Republican Not Voting
Sherry Roberts Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

healthcare labor
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 7938 do?
Requires the examination for licensing of certified nursing assistants by the department of health to be administered in both English and Spanish.
Who sponsors HB 7938?
HB 7938 is sponsored by Anthony J. DeSimone (Democratic), Karen Alzate (Democratic), Jacquelyn M. Baginski (Democratic), Jose F. Batista (Democratic), Cherie L. Cruz (Democratic), Grace Diaz (Democratic), David Morales (Democratic), Enrique George Sanchez (Democratic), Raymond A. Hull (Democratic), and Nathan W. Biah (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 7938?
This bill has passed the House. Introduced February 27, 2026. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track HB 7938?
Track HB 7938 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HB 7938

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HB 7938

Last checked for changes about 2 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →