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S 2982Criminal Procedure

Courts and Civil Procedure - Courts - Family Court

Allows juvenile hearing boards to mandate rehabilitative driving courses, with license suspension possible for non-compliance.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 4, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation amends Rhode Island's Family Court laws regarding juvenile hearing boards. It grants these boards the authority to order a juvenile to attend a rehabilitative driving course at an accredited college or university if the board determines it would be beneficial based on the offense. The order may require the juvenile to pay reasonable tuition for the course. If a juvenile fails to comply with the order, the Traffic Tribunal is authorized to conduct a hearing to determine if the juvenile's driver's license or registration should be suspended or revoked.

For younger readers

This bill is about rules for young drivers who get into trouble. There are groups called juvenile hearing boards that help decide what happens when a young person breaks a rule. This new law says that if a young person makes a mistake with a car, the board can tell them to go to a special driving class at a college to learn how to be safer. The young person might have to pay for the class. If they refuse to go, they could lose their driver's license.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
JuvenilesParents and GuardiansJuvenile Hearing BoardsColleges and UniversitiesRhode Island Traffic Tribunal
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Prioritizes rehabilitation and education over punitive criminal justice measures, helping young people learn from mistakes without gaining a permanent criminal record.
  • Utilizes community-based juvenile hearing boards, which allows for more localized and individualized restorative justice approaches compared to traditional courts.
  • Enhances public safety by ensuring that young offenders receive accredited training to improve their driving behaviors, rather than just paying a fine.
  • Creates a potential financial barrier for low-income families by allowing the board to order the payment of tuition, which could lead to inequitable outcomes based on socioeconomic status.
  • Risks the suspension of licenses for non-compliance, which can disproportionately harm disadvantaged youth who rely on driving for employment or education, potentially creating a cycle of poverty.
  • The definition of when a course is "beneficial" is subjective, which could lead to bias in how these orders are applied to minority or marginalized youth compared to their peers.
For Conservatives
  • Promotes personal accountability by requiring offenders to actively participate in a rehabilitative course rather than simply receiving a warning.
  • Utilizes a "user-pays" model where the offender is responsible for the tuition costs, ensuring that taxpayers do not bear the financial burden of the rehabilitation program.
  • Strengthens the rule of law by providing a clear, enforceable consequence (license suspension) for those who disrespect or ignore the orders of the hearing board.
  • Represents an expansion of government authority by allowing quasi-judicial boards to mandate attendance at specific higher education institutions.
  • Interferes with parental rights and responsibilities regarding the discipline and education of their children by mandating state-approved coursework.
  • Creates additional bureaucratic entanglement between local hearing boards and the state Traffic Tribunal, potentially complicating the legal process.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 10 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. An order to attend a course may also include a provision to pay reasonable tuition for the course. 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.