H 7212Cities & Towns

Towns and Cities - Actions by and Against Towns

Removes the statutory limits on monetary damages in lawsuits against towns for injuries caused by defective roads or bridges.

Held for study

Population
Affected

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Introduced Jan 21, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This bill modifies the laws regarding lawsuits against towns for injuries or property damage caused by defective public highways, causeways, or bridges. Specifically, it exempts these types of lawsuits from the "Governmental Tort Liability" act (Chapter 31 of Title 9). In practice, this likely removes the statutory monetary caps on damages that usually limit how much a person can sue a government entity for. This means if a town is negligent in maintaining a road, a victim may be able to sue for the full amount of their damages without being restricted by the standard government liability limits.

For younger readers

Sometimes, roads or bridges get broken or dangerous because a town forgets to fix them. If a person gets hurt or their car gets broken because of this, they can ask the town for money to pay for the damage. Right now, there is a rule that limits the amount of money the town has to pay. This bill changes that rule so that if the town was careless, they might have to pay for the full cost of the injury or damage, ensuring the person gets enough money to fix everything.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Municipalities (Towns and Cities)Drivers and Vehicle OwnersPedestriansTaxpayersPersonal Injury Attorneys

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Ensures that victims of government negligence, particularly those who are poor or disadvantaged, can receive full compensation for catastrophic injuries rather than being capped at an arbitrary amount.
Incentivizes municipalities to prioritize infrastructure maintenance and public safety in all neighborhoods, potentially addressing neglect in lower-income areas.
Promotes justice by holding government entities fully accountable for their actions, ensuring that the cost of negligence is borne by the entity responsible rather than the injured individual.
Could significantly drain municipal budgets, diverting funds away from essential social services, schools, and public assistance programs to pay legal settlements.
May force towns to raise property taxes to cover increased liability insurance or legal payouts, which disproportionately impacts low-income homeowners and renters.
Might lead to a litigious environment where public funds enrich private attorneys rather than being invested back into the community welfare.

For Conservatives

Protects private property rights by ensuring individuals are fully reimbursed for damage to their vehicles or persons caused by government incompetence.
Enforces strict accountability on local governments, requiring them to perform their duties competently or face financial consequences.
Aligns with the principle that the government should not have special protections (sovereign immunity) that shield it from the same liabilities private entities face.
Removes fiscal protections for taxpayers, potentially exposing towns to massive, uncapped lawsuits that waste tax dollars.
Could encourage frivolous litigation and "jackpot justice," enriching trial lawyers at the expense of the public treasury.
Undermines the stability of local governments by subjecting them to unpredictable financial liabilities that could lead to municipal bankruptcy.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 4 additions

SECTION 1. Section 45-15-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 45-15 entitled "Actions by and Against Towns" is hereby amended to read as follows: 45-15-8. Recovery against town for damages from neglect to maintain highway or bridge.

(a) If any person receives or suffers bodily injury or damage to that person’s property by reason of defect, want of repair, or insufficient railing, in or upon a public highway, causeway, or bridge, in any town which is by law obliged to repair and keep the same in a condition safe and convenient for travelers with their vehicles, which injury or damage might have been prevented by reasonable care and diligence on the part of the town, the person may recover, in the manner provided in this chapter, from the town, the amount of damages, sustained by the aggrieved person, if the town had reasonable notice of the defect, or might have had notice of the defect by the exercise of proper care and diligence on its part.

(b) This cause of action is exempt from the provisions of chapter 31 of title 9.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.