RI H7361

Self-directed direct support professionals who provide personal care services to developmentally disabled adults may choose a provider organization to serve as their exclusive collective bargaining representative through a secret ballot election requiring only 10% showing of interest to trigger.

Collective bargaining topics include wage ranges, benefits, training and professional development, recruitment and retention, payment procedures, provider qualification standards, and grievance resolution processes.

The Director of Administration must negotiate in good faith within 30 days of receiving a written request, with impasse procedures following existing state employee labor relations law; strikes are prohibited.

Participants and their representatives retain full rights to select, hire, direct, supervise, and terminate their own self-directed direct support professionals and to set wages within the director-established range.

Self-directed direct support professionals are explicitly not state employees for purposes of pension or health benefits eligibility; economic aspects of any negotiated contract remain subject to legislative appropriation.