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H 7656Police & Prisons

Public Officers and Employees - Rhode Island Public Employee Pension Revocation and Reduction Act

This bill allows the state to revoke the pension of public employees who commit felony sexual assault using their position.

Signed into law73 Yea0 Nay2 Not voting
Population
Affected
8
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 11, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the Rhode Island Public Employee Pension Revocation and Reduction Act. It expands the definition of crimes that can result in a public official or employee losing their pension. Specifically, it adds any felony sexual assault (as defined in Chapter 37 of Title 11) committed on or after July 1, 2026, to the list of revocable offenses. This applies if the crime is committed through the use or attempted use of the power, rights, or position of the individual's public office or employment.

For younger readers

This law changes the rules for people who work for the government, like in city hall or state offices. Usually, when these workers retire, they get money called a pension to live on. This new rule says that if a government worker does something very bad—specifically, if they hurt someone in a sexual way while using their job power to do it—they will not be allowed to get that pension money. It is a punishment to make sure workers do not use their jobs to hurt others.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Public officialsState employeesMunicipal employeesSexual assault victimsTaxpayers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Strengthens accountability for public officials who abuse their power to commit sexual violence, aligning with social justice principles of holding authority figures responsible for their actions.
  • Protects community welfare by ensuring that public funds are not used to financially support individuals who have committed egregious acts of sexual harm against others while in office.
  • Sends a strong message that the state prioritizes the safety and dignity of victims over the financial security of perpetrators who exploit their public positions.
  • Removes retirement security which acts as a safety net, potentially plunging the individual and their innocent dependents into poverty, which contradicts the goal of a generous social welfare system.
  • Treats earned pension benefits, which are essentially deferred wages, as a privilege that can be revoked rather than a property right, setting a precedent that could be expanded to other offenses.
  • Focuses on punitive measures after a crime has occurred rather than investing in systemic reforms or preventative measures to stop abuse of power before it happens.
For Conservatives
  • Protects taxpayer money by ensuring that citizens are not forced to fund the retirement of corrupt public officials who have committed serious felonies while in office.
  • Upholds the rule of law and traditional moral standards by imposing severe consequences on government employees who violate the public trust through criminal behavior.
  • Limits the "gravy train" of government benefits, reinforcing the idea that public service is a trust that must be honored, not a guaranteed entitlement regardless of conduct.
  • Empowers the government to seize private property (earned pension benefits), which could set a dangerous precedent for state overreach into personal assets and financial rights.
  • Could be viewed as the state imposing an additional, excessive penalty beyond the criminal justice system's sentence, potentially violating principles against excessive punishment.
  • Opens the door for the government to attach conditions to earned benefits, which might eventually be weaponized against political opponents for other types of "misconduct."

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 10 additions · 1 deletion

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 36-10.1-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-10.1 entitled "Rhode Island Public Employee Pension Revocation and Reduction Act" is hereby amended to read as follows: 36-10.1-2. Definitions.

(a) “Crime related to public office or public employment” shall mean any of the following criminal offenses:

(1) The committing, aiding, or abetting of an embezzlement of public funds;

(2) The committing, aiding, or abetting of any felonious theft by a public officer or employee from his or her employer;

(3) Bribery in connection with employment of a public officer or employee; and

(4) The committing of any felony by a public officer or employee who, willfully and with the intent to defraud the public or the public agency for which the public officer or employee acts, or in which they are employed, of the right to receive the faithful performance of their duty as a public officer or employee, realizes or obtains, or attempts to realize or obtain, a monetary or nonmonetary profit, gain, or advantage for himself or herself or for some other person through the use or attempted use of the power, rights, privileges, duties, or position of his or her public office or employment position; or

(5) The committing on or after July 1, 2026, of any felony under chapter 37 of title 11 by a public officer or employee through the use or attempted use of power, rights, privileges, duties, or position of their public office or employment position.

(b) “Public official” or “public employee” shall mean any current or former state or municipal elected official as defined in § 36-14-2(10), state or municipal appointed official as defined in § 36-14-2(4), and any employee of state or local government, of boards, commissions or agencies as defined in § 36-14-2(8)(i), (ii), who is otherwise entitled to receive or who is receiving retirement benefits under this title, under title 16, under title 45, under title 8, under chapter 30 of title 28, under chapter 43 of title 31, or under chapter 28 of title 42, whether that person is acting on a permanent or temporary basis and whether or not compensated on a full-time or part-time basis. For the purposes of this chapter, all these persons are deemed to be engaged in public employment.

(c) As used in this chapter, the phrase “pleads guilty or nolo contendere” shall not include any plea of nolo contendere which does not constitute a conviction by virtue of § 12-10-12 or 12- 18-3.

(d) For purposes of this chapter, “domestic partner” shall be defined as a person who, prior to the decedent’s death, was in an exclusive, intimate and committed relationship with the decedent, and who certifies by affidavit that their relationship met the following qualifications:

(1) Both partners were at least eighteen (18) years of age and were mentally competent to contract;

(2) Neither partner was married to anyone else;

(3) Partners were not related by blood to a degree which would prohibit marriage in the state of Rhode Island;

(4) Partners resided together and had resided together for at least one year at the time of death; and

(5) Partners were financially interdependent as evidenced by at least two (2) of the following:

(i) Domestic partnership agreement or relationship contract;

(ii) Joint mortgage or joint ownership of primary residence;

(iii) Two (2) of: (A) joint ownership of motor vehicle; (B) joint checking account; (C) joint credit account; (D) joint lease; and/or

(iv) The domestic partner had been designated as a beneficiary for the decedent’s will, retirement contract or life insurance.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.