2026 -- S 3042

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LC004755

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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 MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MOTOR VEHICLE OFFENSES

     Introduced By: Senators Patalano, Raptakis, Dimitri, Appollonio, Burke, de la Cruz,
Thompson, and Tikoian

     Date Introduced: March 05, 2026

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Chapter 31-27 of the General Laws entitled "Motor Vehicle Offenses" is

hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     31-27-22.1. Street takeovers prohibited.

     (a) Any person who engages in street takeovers shall be guilty of a felony and shall be

punishable by imprisonment for more than one year and be subject to a fine of not less than one

thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) and the motor vehicle or

low-speed motor vehicle, as defined in § 31-1-3, involved in the offense may be impounded and

subject to a forfeiture hearing in the superior court.

     (b) A vehicle operated in violation of subsection (a) of this section shall be subject to

forfeiture pursuant to the provisions of § 31-27-4.3.

     (c) For the purpose of this section, "street takeover" means an illegal meeting where

individuals and/or drivers block roadways to perform stunts, drag race, or otherwise illegally

obstruct a public street, road or highway to engage in reckless operation of a vehicle in violation of

the provisions of chapter 27 of title 31.

     SECTION 2. Section 11-45-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-45 entitled "Disorderly

Conduct" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     11-45-1. Disorderly conduct.

     (a) A person commits disorderly conduct if he or she intentionally, knowingly, or

recklessly:

     (1) Engages in fighting or threatening, or in violent or tumultuous behavior;

     (2) In a public place or near a private residence that he or she has no right to occupy,

disturbs another person by making loud and unreasonable noise which under the circumstances

would disturb a person of average sensibilities;

     (3) Directs at another person in a public place offensive words which are likely to provoke

a violent reaction on the part of the average person so addressed;

     (4) Alone or with others, obstructs a highway, street, sidewalk, railway, waterway, building

entrance, elevator, aisle, stairway, or hallway to which the public or a substantial group of the public

has access or any other place ordinarily used for the passage of persons, vehicles, or conveyances;

     (5) Engages in conduct which obstructs or interferes physically with a lawful meeting,

procession, or gathering;

     (6) Enters upon the property of another and for a lascivious purpose looks into an occupied

dwelling or other building on the property through a window or other opening; or

     (7) Who without the knowledge or consent of the individual, looks for a lascivious purpose

through a window, or any other opening into an area in which another would have a reasonable

expectation of privacy, including, but not limited to, a restroom, locker room, shower, changing

room, dressing room, bedroom, or any other such private area, notwithstanding any property rights

the individual may have in the location in which the private area is located.

     (8) [Deleted by P.L. 2008, ch. 183, § 1].

     (b) Any person, including a police officer, may be a complainant for the purposes of

instituting action for any violation of this section.

     (c) Any person found guilty of the crime of disorderly conduct shall be imprisoned for a

term of not more than six (6) months, or fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or both;

provided, however, any person found guilty of the crime of disorderly conduct while wearing a

mask or face covering, shall be imprisoned for a term of not more than one year, or fined not more

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

     (d) In no event shall subdivisions (a)(2) — (5) of this section be construed to prevent lawful

picketing or lawful demonstrations including, but not limited to, those relating to a labor dispute.

     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MOTOR VEHICLE OFFENSES

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     This act would ban street takeovers and violators would be guilty of a felony and

punishable by imprisonment for more than one year and be subject to a fine of not less than one

thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000). The act would also

authorize the impounding of the vehicle involved in the offense and subject it to a forfeiture hearing

in the superior court. The act would also increase the penalty for disorderly conduct while wearing

a mask.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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