2026 -- S 2281

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LC004363

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- SEXUAL OFFENDER REGISTRATION AND

COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION

     

     Introduced By: Senators Patalano, Ciccone, Tikoian, Thompson, LaMountain, Dimitri,
de la Cruz, Appollonio, Burke, and Famiglietti

     Date Introduced: January 23, 2026

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 11-37.1-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-37.1 entitled "Sexual

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Offender Registration and Community Notification" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     11-37.1-10. Penalties.

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     (a) Any person who is required to register or verify his or her the person's address or give

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notice of a change of address or residence who knowingly fails to do so shall be guilty of a felony

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and, upon conviction, be imprisoned not more than ten (10) years, or fined not more than ten

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thousand dollars ($10,000), or both.

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     (b) Any person who is required to register or verify his or her the person's address or give

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notice of a change of address or residence who knowingly fails to do so shall be in violation of the

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terms of his or her the person's release, regardless of whether or not the term was a special condition

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of his or her the person's release on probation, parole, home confinement or other form of

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supervised release.

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     (c) Except in the case of a level-three (3) sex offender, any Any person who is required to

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register or verify his or her the person's address, who knowingly resides within three hundred feet

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(300′) of any school as defined in § 11-37.1-2, which distance shall be measured from the nearest

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boundary line of the real property supporting the residence of the person to the nearest boundary

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line of the real property that supports or upon which there exists a school in a straight line, without

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regard for intervening structures or objects, from the nearest portion of the property on which the

 

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person subject to this section resides, to the nearest property line of the premises of any school shall

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be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, may be imprisoned not more than five (5) years, or fined

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not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both.

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     (d) Any level-three (3) sex offender who knowingly resides within one thousand feet

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(1,000′) of any school as defined in § 11-37.1-2, which distance shall be measured from the nearest

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boundary line of the real property supporting the residence of the person to the nearest boundary

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line of the real property that supports or upon which there exists a school shall be guilty of a felony

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and, upon conviction, may be imprisoned for not more than five (5) years, or fined not more than

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five thousand dollars ($5,000), or both.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- SEXUAL OFFENDER REGISTRATION AND

COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION

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     This act would make it a felony for any person required to register as a sex offender to live

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within three hundred feet (300’) of a school as defined in § 11-37.1-2.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC004363

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