AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE--PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- EVIDENCE (Provides that evidence of life or work expectancy be based on statistical data using blended statistics and provides a chart with "completed age" and "expectation" which shall be used by courts as evidence and not be based on race, ethnicity or sex.)

H8054

2026 -- H 8054
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LC005360
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
____________
A N A C T
RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE--PROCEDURE GENERALLY --
EVIDENCE

Introduced By:
Representatives Batista, Kazarian, and Potter

Date Introduced:
February 27, 2026

Referred To:
House Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
1
SECTION 1. Section 9-19-38 of the General Laws in Chapter 9-19 entitled "Evidence" is
2
hereby amended to read as follows:
3

9-19-38. Proof of life or work life expectancy.
4
(a) In any proceeding commenced in any court, commission, or agency, when the life or
5
work life expectancy of a person shall be at issue or when it is necessary to establish the expectancy
6
of continued life or work life expectancy of any person from any period of the person’s life, whether
7
he or she is living at the time or not,
the most recent issue of “The United States Abridged Life
8
Tables” (United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control
9
and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics) or Tables of Work Life Expectancies as
10
published in “Work Life Estimates: Effects of Race and Education” (United States department of
11
labor, bureau of labor statistics)

the table hereto appended shall be received in all courts and by all
12
persons having power to determine litigation as evidence of such expectancy represented by the
13
figures in the columns headed by the words “completed age” and “expectation,” respectively,
shall
14
be admissible in evidence as competent evidence of such matter. The admissibility of evidence
15
provided for in this section shall not be deemed to render inadmissible evidence as to the health,
16
constitution, habits, or occupation of the person or any other evidence otherwise admissible under
17
the laws of this state.
Determinations of life or work expectancy shall not be based on race, ethnicity
18
or sex.

1
Completed Age

Expectation
2
0

75.8
3
1

75.4
4
2

74.5
5
3

73.5
6
4

72.5
7
5

71.6
8
6

70.6
9
7

69.6
10
8

68.6
11
9

67.6
12
10

66.6
13
11

65.6
14
12

64.6
15
13

63.7
16
14

62.7
17
15

61.7
18
16

60.7
19
17

59.8
20
18

58.8
21
19

57.9
22
20

56.9
23
21

56.0
24
22

55.1
25
23

54.1
26
24

53.2
27
25

52.2
28
26

51.3
29
27

50.4
30
28

49.4
31
29

48.5
32
30

47.5
33
31

46.6
34
32

45.7

LC005360 - Page 2 of 5
1
33

44.7
2
34

43.8
3
35

42.9
4
36

42.0
5
37

41.0
6
38

40.1
7
39

39.2
8
40

38.3
9
41

37.4
10
42

36.5
11
43

35.6
12
44

34.7
13
45

33.8
14
46

32.9
15
47

32.0
16
48

31.1
17
49

30.2
18
50

29.3
19
51

28.5
20
52

27.6
21
53

26.8
22
54

25.9
23
55

25.1
24
56

24.3
25
57

23.5
26
58

22.7
27
59

21.9
28
60

21.1
29
61

20.4
30
62

19.7
31
63

18.9
32
64

18.2
33
65

17.5
34
66

16.8

LC005360 - Page 3 of 5
1
67

16.1
2
68

15.5
3
69

14.8
4
70

14.2
5
71

13.5
6
72

12.9
7
73

12.3
8
74

11.7
9
75

11.2
10
76

10.6
11
77

10.0
12
78

9.5
13
79

9.0
14
80

8.5
15
81

8.0
16
82

7.5
17
83

7.1
18
84

6.6
19
85 and over

6.6
20
(b) The life and work life expectancy tables may be evidenced by an official publication of
21
the tables or by a copy of the tables as published in a compiler’s note under this section in the
22
general laws of Rhode Island. The tables as published in the general laws of Rhode Island shall be
23
sufficient proof of life and work life expectancy without further foundation or authentication;
24
provided, however, that written notice of the intention to offer the life or work life expectancy
25
tables as evidence, together with a copy of the tables, has been given to the opposing party or
26
parties, or to his or her or their attorneys, by mailing it by certified mail, return receipt requested,
27
not less than ten (10) days before the introduction of the tables into evidence, and that an affidavit
28
of the notice and the return receipt are filed with the clerk of the court immediately after the receipt
29
has been returned.
30
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC005360
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LC005360 - Page 4 of 5
EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE--PROCEDURE GENERALLY --
EVIDENCE
***
1
This act would provide that evidence of life or work expectancy shall be based on statistical
2
data using blended statistics and provide a chart with "completed age" and "expectation" which
3
shall be used by courts as evidence and shall not be based on race, ethnicity or sex.
4
This act would take effect upon passage.
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LC005360
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LC005360 - Page 5 of 5