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H 7757Criminal Procedure

Courts and Civil Procedure - Courts - Family Court

Authorizes juvenile hearing boards to mandate rehabilitative driving courses for offenders, with license suspension penalties for non-compliance.

Introduced66 Yea0 Nay9 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 12, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the laws governing the Family Court's Statewide Juvenile Hearing Board. It grants juvenile hearing boards the authority to order a juvenile to attend a rehabilitative driving course offered by an accredited Rhode Island college or university if the board determines it would be beneficial based on the offense. The board can require the juvenile to pay for the course tuition, unless the juvenile proves they cannot afford it. If a juvenile fails to comply with the order to attend, they face a hearing at the traffic tribunal which could result in the suspension or revocation of their driver's license.

For younger readers

This bill creates new rules for young people who have to go to a juvenile hearing board because they got in trouble. If a young person gets in trouble for something related to driving, the board can now tell them they have to go to a special driving class at a college to learn how to be safer. The young person usually has to pay for the class themselves. If they don't go to the class like they were told, they could get in more trouble and lose their driver's license.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
JuvenilesParents and GuardiansRhode Island Colleges and UniversitiesTraffic TribunalDrivers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Prioritizes education and rehabilitation over standard punitive measures for juvenile offenders, aiming to correct behavior through instruction rather than solely through fines or detention.
  • Includes a specific provision to waive tuition costs if the juvenile demonstrates an inability to pay, ensuring that economic status does not prevent access to the rehabilitative program.
  • Utilizes the juvenile hearing board system, which is a diversionary program designed to keep youth out of the formal criminal justice system, thereby reducing the "school-to-prison pipeline" effect.
  • The threat of license suspension for non-compliance could disproportionately impact working-class youth who rely on driving for employment or school, potentially deepening economic instability.
  • While there is a waiver for inability to pay, the determination is discretionary, which could lead to inconsistent application and financial strain on low-income families if the waiver is denied.
  • Increases the entanglement of the legal system in the lives of juveniles by creating a direct pipeline from community hearing boards to the Traffic Tribunal for punitive enforcement.
For Conservatives
  • Enforces personal responsibility by requiring the offender to pay the tuition for their own rehabilitative course, rather than placing the financial burden immediately on the taxpayer.
  • Establishes clear, strict consequences for non-compliance by mandating a show cause hearing that can result in the revocation or suspension of driving privileges.
  • Promotes public safety and rule of law by ensuring that juveniles who commit driving-related offenses receive specific training to correct their behavior before returning to the road.
  • Expands the bureaucracy and reach of the government by giving the Family Court and hearing boards more authority to mandate participation in specific college-run programs.
  • The provision allowing for tuition waivers based on "inability to pay" may be viewed as a handout that reduces the deterrent effect of the financial penalty.
  • Creates a complex interaction between local hearing boards and the state Traffic Tribunal, potentially leading to administrative inefficiencies and more government red tape.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 11 additions

SECTION 1. Section 8-10-23.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 8-10 entitled "Family Court" is hereby amended to read as follows: 8-10-23.1. Statewide juvenile hearing board.

(a) The chief judge of the family court shall appoint a statewide juvenile hearing board coordinator who is qualified by education, training, previous experience in professional social welfare, personality, character, and special aptitude for the work, to serve at the pleasure of the chief judge. The juvenile hearing board coordinator shall provide education, training, data collection and analysis, coordination, and assistance to cities and towns in the establishment and maintenance of juvenile hearing boards and teen courts. Juvenile hearing boards and/or teen courts shall report any data deemed necessary by the family court to perform the functions of the juvenile hearing board coordinator. No juvenile hearing board or teen court in the State of Rhode Island shall hear, or dispose of offenses that constitute felony offenses if committed by an adult, except by the express written consent of the chief justice of the family court; nor shall any juvenile hearing board or teen court hear or dispose of any offense which has been amended from a felony offense to a misdemeanor offense, except by the express written consent of the chief justice of the family court. Juveniles, wherever they may live, upon a decision to refer the juvenile to the juvenile hearing board or teen court, shall be referred to the hearing board or teen court in the city or town where the offense was committed; provided, however, if the city or town does not have a hearing board or teen court, the juvenile shall be referred to the hearing board or teen court where the juvenile resides. The Statewide hearing board coordinator is responsible for setting up a statewide community service program which may be utilized by any hearing board or teen court.

(b) The position of statewide juvenile hearing board coordinator is a pilot program which shall commence on July 1, 1998 and terminate on June 30, 2001, unless extended by the general assembly.

(c) The juvenile hearing board may order a juvenile to attend a rehabilitative driving course operated under the jurisdiction of a college or university accredited by the State of Rhode Island if the circumstances of the offense indicate these programs would be beneficial to the juvenile. The hearing board, in its discretion, may include in its order a provision to pay reasonable tuition for the course unless the juvenile demonstrates an inability to pay. The order shall contain findings of fact and a copy shall be submitted by the board to the chief magistrate of the traffic tribunal. Failure to comply with an order of attendance, after notice and hearing, shall result in a show cause hearing conducted before the traffic tribunal to determine whether grounds exist for the suspension or revocation of a person's license or registration. Notice and hearings before the traffic tribunal shall be pursuant to the provisions of chapter 41.1 of title 31.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.