Rhode Island legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Rhode Island H8094: AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MISCELLANEOUS RULES (Restores law enforcement discretion, allowing officers to issue a verbal warning when appropriate or pursue misdemeanor or felony charges in more egregious cases where a child is left unattended in a motor vehicle.)
Status: Signed into law, June 23, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, February 27, 2026:
2026 -- H 8094 ======== LC005622 ======== STATEOFRHODEISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ ANACT 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: SECTION 1. Section 31-22-22.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-22 entitled "Miscellaneous Rules" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-22-22.1. Child passenger protection -- Warnings of hazard and risk. (a) All law enforcement officers in this state are authorized to may provide a verbal warning to any person who shall be is deemed to have left a child under the age of seven (7) unattended in a motor vehicle. The warning shall apprise inform the offending person of the dangers of this practice including, but not limited to, the risk of kidnapping and/or abduction, and the dangers which may result from the accumulation of excessive temperatures within the motor vehicle. (b) No fine or sanction shall be imposed for a violation of this section, other than a verbal warning, and no record of any kind shall be maintained of the warning. Nothing in this section shall preclude prosecution under any applicable criminal law for acts arising from leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle that …
Sponsors
- Matthew Dawson (D, HD-065) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : Signed by Governor
- : Transmitted to Governor
- : Senate passed in concurrence
- : Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar
- : House read and passed
- : Placed on House Calendar
- : Committee recommends passage
- : Scheduled for consideration
- : Committee recommended measure be held for further study
- : Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration
Votes
- House Seq #480: PASSAGE (June 10, 2026): 70 yea, 0 nay, passed
- House Committee on Judiciary: Passage (June 8, 2026): 12 yea, 0 nay, passed
Subjects: MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES
Common questions
- What is H8094?
- H8094 is a bill in the Rhode Island Legislature (2026 Regular Session): AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES -- MISCELLANEOUS RULES (Restores law enforcement discretion, allowing officers to issue a verbal warning when appropriate or pursue misdemeanor or felony charges in more egregious cases where a child is left unattended in a motor vehicle.).
- What is the status of H8094?
- Signed into law as of June 23, 2026. Latest action: Signed by Governor (June 23, 2026).
- Who sponsored H8094?
- Matthew Dawson (D, HD-065).
- Where is the official record for H8094?
- On the Rhode Island Legislature website: http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText26/HouseText26/H8094.pdf
Source: official Rhode Island record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.