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H 7637Police & Prisons

State Affairs and Government - Department of Public Safety

Lawful permanent residents may now train to become police or firefighters but must obtain citizenship to be sworn in.

Held for study
Population
Affected
12
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 11, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation allows individuals who are lawful permanent residents (green card holders) of the United States to apply for jobs as law enforcement officers or firefighters in Rhode Island. Under current law, U.S. citizenship is typically required to apply or enter the training academies. This bill permits these residents to undergo the necessary training and background checks. However, it stipulates that they cannot be officially sworn in as officers or firefighters until they have successfully obtained their United States citizenship.

For younger readers

This new rule helps people who want to become police officers or firefighters. Right now, you usually have to be a U.S. citizen to even apply for these jobs. This bill says that people who live here legally but aren't citizens yet (called permanent residents) can go to the training school to learn the job. However, there is a catch: they cannot officially become a police officer or firefighter until they finish becoming a U.S. citizen. It lets them start the learning process early while they wait for their citizenship papers.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Lawful permanent residentsPolice departmentsFire departmentsMunicipal governmentsState Police
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Promotes inclusivity and social mobility by removing immediate employment barriers for lawful permanent residents who are on the path to citizenship.
  • Diversifies public safety agencies, potentially allowing police and fire departments to better reflect and serve the diverse immigrant communities within the state.
  • Address critical staffing shortages in public services by expanding the pool of qualified applicants to include dedicated residents eager to serve their community.
  • Creates a potential "limbo" for applicants who complete arduous training but experience unexpected delays or denials in their naturalization process, leaving them unemployed despite their qualifications.
  • Focuses on expanding police recruitment rather than reallocating resources toward non-carceral community support systems or social services.
  • May place undue pressure on permanent residents to rush through the naturalization process solely for employment eligibility, rather than personal desire.
For Conservatives
  • Upholds the rule of law by strictly limiting this opportunity to "lawful permanent residents," rewarding those who have entered the country through legal immigration channels.
  • Maintains the ultimate standard of allegiance by mandating that no individual can actually exercise authority or be sworn in until they become a full United States citizen.
  • Strengthens public safety by ensuring police and fire departments are fully staffed with qualified individuals, reducing the risks associated with personnel shortages.
  • Allows non-citizens access to sensitive state training facilities and law enforcement tactics, which could be viewed as a potential security risk.
  • Dilutes the traditional view that government roles involving public trust and authority should be exclusively reserved for citizens from the very start of the process.
  • Could be perceived as a slippery slope toward allowing non-citizens to eventually hold positions of authority or arrest powers without citizenship.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 42 additions · 2 deletions

SECTION 1. Chapter 42-7.3 of the General Laws entitled "Department of Public Safety" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 42-7.3-11. Employment eligibility in law enforcement and fire services.

(a) As used in this chapter:

(1) "Law enforcement officer" shall have the meaning provided in § 42-28.6-1; and

(2) "Firefighter" shall have the meaning provided in § 45-19.1-2.

(b) Notwithstanding any general law, special law, municipal charter, ordinance, or regulation to the contrary, no person otherwise qualified shall be denied an opportunity to apply for appointment or employment as a law enforcement officer or firefighter or admission to a training academy solely on the basis of the person's country of citizenship; provided that, the person is qualified pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section.

(c) For purposes of this section, any person who is a lawful permanent resident of the United States under federal law shall be deemed eligible to apply for appointment or employment as a law enforcement officer or firefighter as defined in subsection (a) of this section; provided that, the individual is legally authorized to work in the United States and satisfies all other qualifications required by law; provided however, following completion of the academy training the individual shall not be sworn in as a law enforcement officer or firefighter until the individual has acquired United States citizenship.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect requirements relating to background investigations, training, or certification standards applicable to law enforcement officers or firefighters under state law.

SECTION 2. Sections 42-28-10 and 42-28-28 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-28 entitled "State Police" are hereby amended to read as follows: 42-28-10. Appointment and removal of members. The superintendent shall appoint the other members of the division authorized by this chapter for terms of three (3) years each, and may remove any member after a hearing, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the division, and no member so removed shall be eligible to reappointment. No person shall be eligible for appointment for the first time by the superintendent unless he or she shall comply with the provisions of § 42-7.3-11 and be a citizen of the United States between the ages of eighteen (18) and thirty-five (35) years and shall have passed a physical and mental examination in accordance with the rules of the division. 42-28-28. Persons admissible to school. No person shall be admitted as a candidate to the municipal police training school unless he or she is in compliance with the provisions of § 42-7.3-11 and is a citizen of the United States and a resident of the state of Rhode Island and shall have reached the age of eighteen (18) years; nor shall any person be admitted who shall not have first been certified by a physician as being physically and mentally sound on an examination made within one month prior to the acceptance of his or her candidacy.

SECTION 3. Chapter 45-2 of the General Laws entitled "General Powers" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 45-2-15.3. Employment eligibility in law enforcement and fire services.

(a) As used in this chapter:

(1) "Law enforcement officer" shall have the meaning provided in § 42-28.6-1; and

(2) "Firefighter" shall have the meaning provided in § 45-19.1-2.

(b) Notwithstanding any general law, special law, municipal charter, ordinance, rule, or regulation to the contrary, no person otherwise qualified shall be denied an opportunity to apply for appointment or employment as a law enforcement officer or firefighter or admission to a training academy solely on the basis of the person's country of citizenship; provided that, the person is qualified pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section.

(c) For purposes of this section, any person who is a lawful permanent resident of the United States under federal law shall be deemed eligible to apply for appointment or employment as a law enforcement officer or firefighter as defined in subsection (a) of this section; provided that, the individual is legally authorized to work in the United States and satisfies all other qualifications required by law; provided however, following completion of the academy training the individual shall not be sworn in as a law enforcement officer or firefighter until the individual has acquired United States citizenship.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect requirements relating to background investigations, training, or certification standards applicable to law enforcement officers or firefighters under state law.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.