AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- INDICTMENTS, INFORMATIONS AND COMPLAINTS (Provides that the statute of limitations for second-degree sexual assault shall be 10 years from the date of the offense, or, in the case of a victim who is under the age of 18, ten years from the victim’s eighteenth birthday, whichever is later.)

H8086A

2026 -- H 8086 SUBSTITUTE A
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LC005630/SUB A
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- INDICTMENTS, INFORMATIONS AND
COMPLAINTS

Introduced By:
Representatives McEntee, Caldwell, Knight, Bennett, McNamara,
Dawson, Spears, O'Brien, Read, and Casey

Date Introduced:
February 27, 2026

Referred To:
House Judiciary
(Attorney General)
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Section 12-12-17 of the General Laws in Chapter 12-12 entitled "Indictments,
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Informations and Complaints" is hereby amended to read as follows:
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12-12-17. Statute of limitations.
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(a) There shall be no statute of limitations for the following offenses: treason against the
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state; any homicide, arson, first-degree arson, second-degree arson, third-degree arson, burglary,
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counterfeiting, forgery, robbery, rape, first-degree sexual assault, first-degree child molestation
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sexual assault, second-degree child molestation sexual assault, bigamy; manufacturing, selling,
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distribution, or possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or distribute, a controlled substance
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under the Uniform Controlled Substance Act, chapter 28 of title 21; or any other offense for which
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the maximum penalty provided is life imprisonment.
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(b) The statute of limitations for the following offenses shall be ten (10) years: larceny
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under § 11-41-2 (receiving stolen goods), § 11-41-3 (embezzlement and fraudulent conversion), §
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11-41-4 (obtaining property by false pretenses or personation), § 11-41-11 (embezzlement by bank
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officer or employee), § 11-41-12 (fraudulent conversion by agent or factor), and § 11-41-13
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(obtaining signature by false pretenses), or any larceny that is punishable as a felony; any violation
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of chapter 7 of title 11 (bribery); any violation of § 11-18-1 (giving false document to agent,
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employee, or public official); perjury; any violation of chapter 42 of title 11 (threats and extortion);
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any violation of chapter 15 of title 7 (racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations); any violation

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of chapter 57 of title 11 (racketeer violence); any violation of chapter 36 of title 6 (antitrust law);
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any violation of § 11-68-2 (exploitation of an elder); any violation of § 11-41-11.1 (unlawful
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appropriation); any violation of § 11-18-6 (false financial statement to obtain loan or credit); any
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violation of § 19-9-28 (false statement to obtain a loan); any violation of § 19-9-29 (bank fraud);
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or any violation of § 11-18-34 (residential mortgage fraud).
The statute of limitations for § 11-37-
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4 (second degree sexual assault) shall be ten (10) years from the date of the offense, or, in the case
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of a victim who is under the age of eighteen (18) at the time of the offense, ten (10) years from the
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victim's eighteenth birthday, whichever is later.
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(c) The statute of limitations for any other criminal offense shall be three (3) years, unless
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a longer statute of limitations is otherwise provided for in the general laws.
In the case of a violation
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of § 11-37-6 (third degree sexual assault), the three (3) years shall be measured from the date of
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the victim's eighteenth birthday, not from the date of the offense.
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(d) Any person who participates in any offense, either as a principal accessory or
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conspirator, shall be subject to the same statute of limitations as if the person had committed the
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substantive offense.
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(e) The statute of limitations for any violation of chapter 18.9 of title 23 (refuse disposal),
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chapter 19 of title 23 (solid waste management corporation), chapter 19.1 of title 23 (hazardous
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waste management), chapter 12 of title 46 (water pollution), and chapter 13 of title 46 (public
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drinking water supply) shall be seven (7) years from the time that the facts constituting the offense
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or violation shall have become known to law enforcement authorities, unless a longer statute of
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limitations is otherwise provided for in the general laws.
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SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- INDICTMENTS, INFORMATIONS AND
COMPLAINTS
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This act would provide that the statute of limitations for second-degree sexual assault shall
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be ten (10) years from the date of the offense, or, in the case of a victim who is under the age of
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eighteen (18), ten (10) years from the victim’s eighteenth birthday, whichever is later. The act
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would also provide that the statute of limitations for third-degree sexual assault will be measured
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from the date of the victim’s eighteenth birthday, not from the date of the offense.
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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