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H 7549Violent Crime Penalties

Criminal Offenses - Assaults

This bill makes assaulting sports referees or coaches a felony punishable by prison time, fines, and mandatory community service.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 6, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation establishes specific criminal penalties for individuals who assault or commit battery against sports officials, such as referees, umpires, and coaches. The law applies to incidents occurring before, during, or after sporting events ranging from youth leagues to professional levels. Assaulting a sports official while they are performing their duties becomes a felony punishable by up to three years in prison and fines. If the assault results in serious bodily injury, the penalty increases to a mandatory minimum of three years in prison, up to twenty years. Mandatory restitution or community service is also required.

For younger readers

This new rule is designed to keep referees, umpires, and coaches safe during sports games. Sometimes, people get very angry at games and might try to hurt the person in charge. This law says that if someone hurts a sports official, they will get in very big trouble. They could go to jail for a long time and have to pay a lot of money. They would also have to do work to help the community to make up for their bad behavior. This helps make sure that sports games remain safe and fun for everyone.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Sports Officials (Referees, Umpires, Linesmen)CoachesAthletesSpectators/ParentsSports Leagues and Organizations
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Protects vulnerable workers and volunteers, such as referees and umpires, who often face harassment and abuse while performing low-paid or unpaid labor in service of the community.
  • Promotes community welfare by deterring violence in public spaces, specifically youth and school environments, fostering a safer atmosphere for children and families.
  • Includes rehabilitative components by allowing judges to mandate violence counseling and substance abuse counseling, addressing the root causes of the aggressive behavior.
  • Expands the carceral state by upgrading what might otherwise be misdemeanor assaults to felonies, contributing to mass incarceration and the permanent stigmatization of individuals.
  • Imposes mandatory minimum sentences (3 years for serious injury) and prohibits the waiver of restitution, removing judicial discretion to account for an individual's specific circumstances or ability to pay.
  • Risks disproportionately impacting low-income parents or community members who may get into heated altercations, subjecting them to severe felony consequences that can ruin employment prospects and housing stability.
For Conservatives
  • Upholds law and order by establishing strict, severe penalties for violent behavior against authority figures charged with maintaining rules and discipline.
  • Enforces personal responsibility by mandating that offenders pay restitution to victims and perform community service, ensuring they pay back for their actions.
  • Protects the integrity of competitive sports and the safety of the private and public organizations that facilitate these events.
  • Creates a special class of victims ("sports officials") with enhanced protections, rather than applying equal justice under existing assault laws for all citizens.
  • Represents government overreach into private recreational activities and voluntary associations by mandating state-level felony penalties for disputes at ballgames.
  • Limits the freedom of the judiciary by mandating specific sentences and restitution requirements, removing local control over sentencing outcomes.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 31 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 11-5 of the General Laws entitled "Assaults" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 11-5-18. Assault on sports officials.

(a) For purposes of this section the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) “Sports official” means any person who enforces the rules of any sporting event such as an umpire, referee, linesman, coach or any other participant in regulating or enforcing the rules of the sporting event.

(2) “Sporting event” means any interscholastic or intramural athletic activity of any public or private educational institution, any organized athletic activity sponsored by any community, business or non-profit organization to include, but not be limited to, any youth sports organization, any adult league sports organization or any other athletic activity whether semiprofessional or professional organized athletic activity.

(3) “Serious bodily injury” means physical injury that:

(i) Creates a substantial risk of death;

(ii) Causes protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily part, member or organ; or

(iii) Causes serious permanent disfigurement. (b)(1) Any person who shall make an assault or battery upon any sports official, while that sports official is performing their official duties, before, during or after the sporting event, shall be guilty of a felony and be imprisoned not exceeding three (3) years or fined not exceeding three thousand dollars ($3,000), or both.

(2) Any person who shall make an assault or battery upon any sports official while that sports official is performing their official duties, before, during or after the sporting event, that results in serious bodily injury, shall be guilty of a felony and be imprisoned for not less than three

(3) years but not more than twenty (20) years, or fined not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or both.

(3) Every person convicted pursuant to subsection (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section shall be ordered to make restitution to the victim of the offense or to perform up to five hundred (500) hours of public community restitution work or attend violence counseling and/or substance abuse counseling, or any combination of them imposed by the sentencing judge. The court may not waive the obligation to make restitution and/or public community restitution work. The restitution and/or public community restitution work shall be in addition to any fine or sentence which may be imposed and not in lieu of the fine or sentence.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.