SECTION 1. Section 9-19-38 of the General Laws in Chapter 9-19 entitled "Evidence" is hereby amended to read as follows: 9-19-38. Proof of life or work life expectancy.
(a) In any proceeding commenced in any court, commission, or agency, when the life or work life expectancy of a person shall be at issue or when it is necessary to establish the expectancy of continued life or work life expectancy of any person from any period of the person’s life, whether he or she is living at the time or not, the most recent issue of “The United States Abridged Life Tables” (United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics) or Tables of Work Life Expectancies as published in “Work Life Estimates: Effects of Race and Education” (United States department of labor, bureau of labor statistics) the table hereto appended shall be received in all courts and by all persons having power to determine litigation as evidence of such expectancy represented by the figures in the columns headed by the words “completed age” and “expectation,” respectively, shall be admissible in evidence as competent evidence of such matter. The admissibility of evidence provided for in this section shall not be deemed to render inadmissible evidence as to the health, constitution, habits, or occupation of the person or any other evidence otherwise admissible under the laws of this state. Determinations of life or work expectancy shall not be based on race, ethnicity or sex. Completed Age Expectation 0 75.8 1 75.4 2 74.5 3 73.5 4 72.5 5 71.6 6 70.6 7 69.6 8 68.6 9 67.6 10 66.6 11 65.6 12 64.6 13 63.7 14 62.7 15 61.7 16 60.7 17 59.8 18 58.8 19 57.9 20 56.9 21 56.0 22 55.1 23 54.1 24 53.2 25 52.2 26 51.3 27 50.4 28 49.4 29 48.5 30 47.5 31 46.6 32 45.7 33 44.7 34 43.8 35 42.9 36 42.0 37 41.0 38 40.1 39 39.2 40 38.3 41 37.4 42 36.5 43 35.6 44 34.7 45 33.8 46 32.9 47 32.0 48 31.1 49 30.2 50 29.3 51 28.5 52 27.6 53 26.8 54 25.9 55 25.1 56 24.3 57 23.5 58 22.7 59 21.9 60 21.1 61 20.4 62 19.7 63 18.9 64 18.2 65 17.5 66 16.8 67 16.1 68 15.5 69 14.8 70 14.2 71 13.5 72 12.9 73 12.3 74 11.7 75 11.2 76 10.6 77 10.0 78 9.5 79 9.0 80 8.5 81 8.0 82 7.5 83 7.1 84 6.6 85 and over 6.6
(b) The life and work life expectancy tables may be evidenced by an official publication of the tables or by a copy of the tables as published in a compiler’s note under this section in the general laws of Rhode Island. The tables as published in the general laws of Rhode Island shall be sufficient proof of life and work life expectancy without further foundation or authentication; provided, however, that written notice of the intention to offer the life or work life expectancy tables as evidence, together with a copy of the tables, has been given to the opposing party or parties, or to his or her or their attorneys, by mailing it by certified mail, return receipt requested, not less than ten (10) days before the introduction of the tables into evidence, and that an affidavit of the notice and the return receipt are filed with the clerk of the court immediately after the receipt has been returned.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
