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.
S2156 2026 -- S 2156 ======== LC003278 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ A N A C T RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING Introduced By: Senators Rogers, de la Cruz, E Morgan, and Raptakis Date Introduced: January 16, 2026 Referred To: Senate Judiciary It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: 1 SECTION 1. Section 11-8-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-8 entitled Burglary and 2 Breaking and Entering is hereby amended to read as follows: 3 11-8-8. Injury or death — Defense. 4 In the event that any person shall die or shall sustain a personal injury in any way or for 5 any cause while in the commission of any criminal offense enumerated in §§ 11-8-2 — 11-8-6 , or 6 § 11-39-2 , it shall be rebuttably presumed as a matter of law in any civil or criminal proceeding 7 that the owner, tenant, or occupier of the place where the offense was committed acted by 8 reasonable means in self-defense and in the reasonable belief that the person engaged in the 9 criminal offense was about to inflict great bodily harm or death upon that person or any other 10 individual lawfully in the place where the criminal offense was committed. There shall be no duty 11 on the part of an owner, tenant, or occupier to retreat from any person engaged in the commission 12 of any criminal offense enumerated in §§ 11-8-2 — 11-8-6 , or § 11-39-2 . 13 SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. ======== LC003278 ======== EXPLANATION BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF A N A C T RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING *** 1 This act would add a rebuttable defense if any person shall die or sustain a personal injury 2 while committing robbery of the owner, lessor, or occupant of a motor vehicle and that the owner 3 or occupant of the vehicle acted in self-defense and in the reasonable belief that the person engaged 4 in the criminal offense was about to inflict great bodily harm or death upon that person or any other 5 individual. 6 This act would take effect upon passage. ======== LC003278 ======== LC003278 - Page 2 of 2
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