Rhode Island: Special Enrollment for Pregnant Individuals Created

 

Effective January 1, 2023, all group health plans, carriers, and the Rhode Island Health Benefit Exchange must establish a special enrollment period that allows pregnant individuals to enroll in the coverage any time after they become pregnant. The coverage will be effective on the first day of the month in which they apply.

This special enrollment period is in addition to any other special enrollment periods that are required under federal and state law.

Rhode Island Expands Pay Equity

The following changes to Rhode Island employment law apply as of January 1, 2023. Rhode Island’s pay equity law applies to employers of all sizes.

Pay Equity

Rhode Island expanded its pay equity law in 2021, with the changes taking effect in 2023.

Wage Differences

Employers will be prohibited from paying different rates to members of different protected classes for comparable work unless the difference is based on legitimate job-related factors. The protected classes are race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, age, and ancestry.

Employers can’t lower an employee’s wage or salary to eliminate unlawful pay differences.

Salary History Inquiry Ban

Employers won’t be able to seek an applicant’s salary or wage history. Even if wage information is volunteered, employers can’t use it to screen an applicant in or out of the running or to determine how much to offer them for the job

Pay Disclosure

Employers will be required to provide applicants with the wage range for the position they’re applying for upon request. Employees are entitled to know the wage range for their position at the time of hire, upon request, and when they transfer into a new position.

Poster

Employers will have to display a poster about employees’ pay equity rights in their workplaces. The director of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) is supposed to create a poster but hasn’t yet. We recommend checking the required posters page closer to the end of the year.

Action Items

• Audit your pay scales to identify and fix unlawful pay differences.
• Establish pay ranges for all jobs and prepare to provide them as outlined above.
• Standardize your offers for positions with similar functions.
• Train everyone involved in the interview process to steer clear of salary history questions.
• Ensure that your applications don’t ask for salary history. We have a compliant application available on the platform.
• Display the pay equity poster once it’s available.