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H 8064Police & Prisons

Criminal Offenses - Sexual Offender Registration and Community Notification

Requires homeless registered sex offenders to verify their presence with local police three times every week.

Introduced72 Yea1 Nay2 Not voting
Population
Affected
2
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the Rhode Island General Laws regarding sexual offender registration. It specifically adds a new requirement for registered sex offenders who are homeless. Under this bill, any person required to register as a sex offender who lacks a permanent residence must verify their presence in the community with the local law enforcement agency where they are registered. This verification must occur three times per week for as long as the individual remains homeless. The bill also updates a cross-reference regarding which offenders are subject to annual registration.

For younger readers

This bill creates new rules for people who have gotten in trouble for sexual crimes and are on a special list called a registry. Usually, people on this list have to tell the police where they live. This bill says that if a person on the list does not have a home, they must go to the police station three times every week. They have to do this to show the police that they are still in the area and following the rules, even though they do not have a house address.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Homeless Registered Sex OffendersLocal Law Enforcement AgenciesProbation and Parole OfficersHomeless Shelter OperatorsPublic Defenders
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Moderate risk

Low to Moderate. While sex offender registration acts are generally upheld as civil regulatory schemes rather than punishment, the requirement to report three times a week is significantly burdensome. It could be challenged under the Eighth Amendment (cruel and unusual punishment) or Due Process clauses if deemed punitive in effect rather than regulatory. However, courts typically grant the state wide latitude in regulating sex offenders for public safety.

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Ensures that high-risk individuals are not lost within the system simply because they lack housing, potentially increasing safety for vulnerable populations in the community.
  • Closes a registration gap that previously differentiated between housed and unhoused offenders, ensuring equal application of accountability standards regardless of economic status.
  • Facilitates regular contact between social services (often coordinated through law enforcement) and homeless individuals, potentially identifying crises or needs sooner.
  • Imposes a severe logistical burden on homeless individuals who likely lack transportation, making it difficult to maintain employment or seek housing while reporting to police three times a week.
  • Increases the likelihood of re-incarceration for technical violations rather than new crimes, effectively criminalizing the status of homelessness for this population.
  • Disproportionately impacts the poor and marginalized, creating an adversarial relationship with law enforcement rather than a supportive pathway to rehabilitation and stability.
For Conservatives
  • Strengthens law and order by ensuring that sex offenders cannot evade supervision or disappear from the radar simply by claiming they are homeless.
  • Closes a loophole in the current registry system, ensuring that transient offenders are held to strict standards of accountability similar to or greater than housed offenders.
  • Prioritizes public safety by mandating frequent, face-to-face verification of offenders' locations, deterring potential recidivism through constant monitoring.
  • Places an unfunded administrative mandate on local police departments, diverting officers and resources away from active crime fighting to process routine paperwork.
  • Represents government overreach by demanding an excessive frequency of reporting that restricts movement and liberty without necessarily proving it prevents crime.
  • Creates a bureaucratic system that is likely unenforceable for those truly intent on hiding, resulting in wasted taxpayer dollars on compliance checks for those who are already complying.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 4 additions · 1 deletion

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 11-37.1-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-37.1 entitled "Sexual Offender Registration and Community Notification" is hereby amended to read as follows: 11-37.1-4. Duration of registration — Frequency of registration.

(a) Annual registration. Any person required to register under § 11-37.1-3(a)(1), or (2), or

(9) shall annually register with the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the city or town in which the person having the duty to register resides for a period of ten (10) years from the expiration of sentence for the offense and shall verify his or her address with the agency on a quarterly basis for the first two (2) years of the period unless the person has been determined to be a sexually violent predator in accordance with § 11-37.1-6 or unless the person is required to register for the life of that person in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) of this section.

(b) Sexually violent predators. Any person who has been determined to be a sexually violent predator in accordance with the provisions of § 11-37.1-6 shall be required to annually register in person with the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the city or town in which the person having the duty to register resides for the life of that person and to verify his or her address on a quarterly basis for the life of that person.

(c) Recidivists and aggravated crime offenders. Any person required to register under § 11- 37.1-3 and who has one or more prior convictions for any offense described in § 11-37.1-2 or has been convicted of an aggravated offense as defined in § 11-37.1-2 shall annually register in person with the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the city or town in which the person having the duty to register resides for the life of that person and to verify his or her address on a quarterly basis for the life of that person.

(d) Nonresident workers and students. Any nonresident person required to register pursuant to § 11-37.1-3(b)(1) or (2) shall annually register in person with the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the city or town in which the person having the duty to register is employed or attends a public or private educational institution for the period of time that the person is employed in Rhode Island or is attending a public or private educational institution in Rhode Island.

(e) Initial registration; Incarcerated individuals. All persons required to register under this chapter who are sentenced to a period of confinement shall perform their initial registration by appearing in person at the local law enforcement agency in the city or town in which the person intends to reside within twenty-four (24) hours of their release from confinement.

(f) Initial registration; Non-incarcerated individuals. All persons required to register under this chapter who are convicted in Rhode Island and who are not sentenced to serve a term of incarceration or confinement shall perform their initial registration by appearing in person at the local law enforcement agency in the city or town in which the person intends to reside within twenty-four (24) hours of being sentenced.

(g) Initial registration; Individuals relocating to Rhode Island. All persons required to register under this chapter who are moving their residence to Rhode Island from another jurisdiction shall perform their initial registration by appearing in person at the local law enforcement agency in the city or town in which the person intends to reside within twenty-four (24) hours of their arrival in Rhode Island.

(h) Initial registration; Nonresident workers and students. All nonresident workers or students who are required to register under this chapter shall perform their initial registration by appearing in person at the local law enforcement agency in the city or town in which the person is employed or is attending a public or private educational institution within twenty-four (24) hours of their first day of their personal attendance at their place of employment or a public or private educational institution.

(i) Tolling provision. Where, during the period in which any person is required to register, a person required to register under this chapter is incarcerated or re-incarcerated for any offense or is civilly committed, the person’s registration requirements shall be tolled during the subsequent incarceration, re-incarceration or commitment.

(j) Juveniles. Any juvenile having the duty to register under subsections (b) and (c) of this section shall be required to annually register in person with the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the city or town in which the juvenile having the duty to register resides for fifteen (15) years subsequent to the date of release from confinement or placement in the community or probation for such offense or offenses and to verify his or her address on a quarterly basis for said fifteen (15) years. However, if a juvenile is adjudicated delinquent under § 11-37-8.1 or 11-37-8.3, the court shall assess the totality of the circumstances of the offense and if the court makes a finding that the conduct of the parties is criminal only because of the age of the victim, the court may have discretion to order the juvenile to register as a sex offender as long as the court deems it appropriate to protect the community and to rehabilitate the juvenile offender. Registration shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter.

(k) Annual registration for federal, foreign, or military offenses. Any person who is required to register under this chapter due to a conviction of a federal offense, a foreign offense, or a military offense shall register for the duration and frequency in the same manner as if the offense were committed within Rhode Island.

(l) Homeless persons. In addition to the other requirements of this section, a person who is required to register under this chapter and is homeless shall verify their presence in the community with the local law enforcement agency where they are required to register three (3) times a week for the duration of their being homeless.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.