2026 -- S 2957

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LC005891

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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 -- THREATS AND EXTORTION

     Introduced By: Senators Tikoian, Burke, McKenney, Famiglietti, LaMountain, Gallo,
Thompson, Dimitri, Ciccone, and Patalano

     Date Introduced: March 04, 2026

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 11-42-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-42 entitled "Threats and

Extortion" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     11-42-4. Threats to public officials.

     (a) Whoever knowingly and willfully delivers or conveys, directly or indirectly, a verbal

or written threat to take the life of, or to inflict bodily harm upon, a public official or a member of

a public official’s immediate family because of the performance or nonperformance of some public

duty; because of hostility of the person making the threat toward the status or position of the public

official; or because of some other factor related to the official’s public existence, shall be guilty of

a felony and shall be imprisoned for not more than five (5) years, or fined not more than five

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

     (b) Whoever knowingly and willfully delivers or conveys, directly or indirectly, a verbal

or written threat to take the life of, or to inflict bodily harm upon, any election official, or a member

of their immediate family because of the performance or nonperformance of their public duty;

because of hostility of the person making the threat toward the status or position of the election

official; or because of some other factor related to the election official’s public existence, shall be

guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be imprisoned for not more than one year, or fined not more than

one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.

     (c) For purposes of this section:

     (1) “Public official” means a person who is elected or appointed to office in accordance

with the constitution, a statute, or a city or town charter, or who is a judge, magistrate, assistant

attorney general, special assistant attorney general, or law enforcement officer, or in the case of

schools and local education agencies (“LEAs”), a school superintendent, central office official,

school principal, and all other school employees or in the case of an elective office, any person who

has filed the required documents for nomination or election to that office or who is appointed by

the governor to serve as the director or their designee of a state department that is established and

the qualifications and duties of which are prescribed by statute to discharge a public duty for the

state of Rhode Island;

     (2) “Election official” means a person who is appointed, hired, or assigned to any polling

place and includes, but is not limited to, any poll worker, election worker, warden, moderator, clerk,

and any member of the board of canvassers, in accordance with any statute, town charter, or

ordinance and whose qualifications and duties are prescribed by statute, town charter, or ordinance;

     (3) “Immediate family” means a public official’s spouse, child, or children.

     (4) In the case of schools and local education agencies, a school superintendent, central

office official, school principal, and all other school employees, a suspect shall be charged under

this section only if the suspect is eighteen (18) years of age or older or is otherwise considered a

legal adult and is not a student within the LEA where the threat is allegedly made. No student

enrolled or matriculating within the LEA where the threat is allegedly made shall be charged under

the provisions of this section.

     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 -- THREATS AND EXTORTION

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     This act would add school superintendents, central office officials, school principals, and

all other school employees, to the definition of a “public official” for purposes of the criminal

prohibition against making threats to public officials. In the case of an alleged threat against these

persons, a suspect would be charged only if the suspect is eighteen (18) years of age or older and

is not a student within the local education agency ("LEA") where the threat is allegedly made. No

student enrolled or matriculating at the LEA would be charged under the provisions of this act.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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