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H 8094Criminal Procedure

Motor and Other Vehicles - Miscellaneous Rules

This bill removes the ban on fining people who leave young children alone in cars, allowing for criminal prosecution.

Signed into law70 Yea0 Nay5 Not voting
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 27, 2026Committee House Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends the state's motor vehicle laws regarding leaving a child under the age of seven unattended in a vehicle. Under current law, police are authorized to give a verbal warning, but the law explicitly forbids fines or maintaining a record of the warning. This bill removes the language that prohibits fines and record-keeping. It clarifies that nothing prevents prosecution under other criminal laws for acts related to leaving a child unattended and states that violations may result in criminal penalties consistent with those laws.

For younger readers

Right now, there is a rule that says if a grown-up leaves a young child alone in a car, a police officer can only give them a warning. The officer tells them it is dangerous because someone could take the child or the car could get too hot. This new bill changes that rule. Instead of just a warning, the law now says the grown-up could get in trouble and face punishment if what they did breaks other laws about keeping children safe. It removes the part of the rule that said they couldn't be punished.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Parents of children under 7GuardiansLaw Enforcement OfficersChild Welfare AdvocatesDrivers
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
Amount unknown

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Increases accountability for guardians who endanger children, ensuring that serious negligence is not dismissed with a mere warning.
  • Aligns traffic safety statutes with broader child welfare goals, prioritizing the physical safety and well-being of vulnerable youth over the convenience of drivers.
  • Allows law enforcement to intervene more effectively in high-risk situations where a verbal warning is insufficient to address the immediate danger to a child.
  • Risk of criminalizing poverty, as parents without access to affordable childcare may be forced to bring children on errands and face prosecution for brief lapses in supervision.
  • Removes the prohibition on record-keeping, which could lead to permanent criminal records for parents who make non-malicious mistakes, potentially affecting their future employment and housing.
  • Expands police discretion regarding who to warn and who to charge, creating a significant risk of disproportionate enforcement against minority and low-income communities.
For Conservatives
  • Promotes personal responsibility by removing a statutory shield that protected negligent parents from the consequences of their actions.
  • Strengthens the rule of law by ensuring that actions endangering children can be prosecuted under applicable criminal statutes without administrative loopholes.
  • Empowers law enforcement with the necessary tools to penalize dangerous behavior rather than forcing them to issue toothless warnings.
  • Represents an expansion of state power into family life, potentially criminalizing parents for minor decisions regarding supervision.
  • Removes protections against government record-keeping, allowing the state to track citizens for behaviors that were previously considered non-criminal infractions.
  • Could lead to government overreach where otherwise law-abiding citizens are subjected to criminal penalties for momentary lapses in judgment that result in no actual harm.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 8 additions · 5 deletions

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 31-22-22.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-22 entitled "Miscellaneous Rules" is hereby amended to read as follows: 31-22-22.1. Child passenger protection — Warnings of hazard and risk.

(a) All law enforcement officers in this state are authorized to may provide a verbal warning to any person who shall be is deemed to have left a child under the age of seven (7) unattended in a motor vehicle. The warning shall apprise inform the offending person of the dangers of this practice including, but not limited to, the risk of kidnapping and/or abduction, and the dangers which may result from the accumulation of excessive temperatures within the motor vehicle.

(b) No fine or sanction shall be imposed for a violation of this section, other than a verbal warning, and no record of any kind shall be maintained of the warning. Nothing in this section shall preclude prosecution under any applicable criminal law for acts arising from leaving a child unattended in a motor vehicle that constitute a criminal offense. A violation of this section may result in criminal penalties consistent with such laws.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.