Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Rhode Island General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-29. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
H8094 2026 -- H 8094 ======== LC005622 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ A N A C T RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MISCELLANEOUS RULES Introduced By: Representative Matthew S. Dawson Date Introduced: February 27, 2026 Referred To: House Judiciary (Attorney General) It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: 1 SECTION 1. Section 31-22-22.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-22 entitled 2 Miscellaneous Rules is hereby amended to read as follows: 3 31-22-22.1. Child passenger protection — Warnings of hazard and risk. 4 (a) All law enforcement officers in this state are authorized to may provide a verbal warning 5 to any person who shall be is deemed to have left a child under the age of seven (7) unattended in 6 a motor vehicle. The warning shall apprise inform the offending person of the dangers of this 7 practice including, but not limited to, the risk of kidnapping and/or abduction, and the dangers 8 which may result from the accumulation of excessive temperatures within the motor vehicle. 9 (b) No fine or sanction shall be imposed for a violation of this section, other than a verbal 10 warning, and no record of any kind shall be maintained of the warning. Nothing in this section shall 11 preclude prosecution under any applicable criminal law for acts arising from leaving a child 12 unattended in a motor vehicle that constitute a criminal offense. A violation of this section may 13 result in criminal penalties consistent with such laws. 14 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. ======== LC005622 ======== EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF A N A C T RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MISCELLANEOUS RULES *** 1 This act would restore law enforcement discretion, allowing officers to issue a verbal 2 warning when appropriate or pursue misdemeanor or felony charges in more egregious cases where 3 a child is left unattended in a motor vehicle. 4 This act would take effect upon passage. ======== LC005622 ======== LC005622 - Page 2 of 2
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