S2156 • 2026

AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING (Adds a rebuttable defense if any person shall die or sustain a personal injury while committing robbery of the owner, lessor, or occupant of a motor vehicle and that the owner or occupant of the vehicle acted in self-defense.)

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Rogers, de la Cruz, Morgan, Raptakis
Last action: 2026-05-12
Official status: Committee recommended measure be held for further study
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING (Adds a rebuttable defense if any person shall die or sustain a personal injury while committing robbery of the owner, lessor, or occupant of a motor vehicle and that the owner or occupant of the vehicle acted in self-defense.)

What This Bill Does

AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING (Adds a rebuttable defense if any person shall die or sustain a personal injury while committing robbery of the owner, lessor, or occupant of a motor vehicle and that the owner or occupant of the vehicle acted in self-defense.)

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-05-12 Committee
Committee recommended measure be held for further study
2026-05-08 Rhode Island General Assembly
Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/12/2026)
2026-01-16 Rhode Island General Assembly
Introduced, referred to Senate Judiciary

Official Summary Text

AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING (Adds a rebuttable defense if any person shall die or sustain a personal injury while committing robbery of the owner, lessor, or occupant of a motor vehicle and that the owner or occupant of the vehicle acted in self-defense.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

S2156

2026 -- S 2156
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LC003278
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
____________
A N A C T
RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING

Introduced By:
Senators Rogers, de la Cruz, E Morgan, and Raptakis

Date Introduced:
January 16, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
1
SECTION 1. Section 11-8-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-8 entitled "Burglary and
2
Breaking and Entering" is hereby amended to read as follows:
3

11-8-8. Injury or death — Defense.
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In the event that any person shall die or shall sustain a personal injury in any way or for
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any cause while in the commission of any criminal offense enumerated in §§ 11-8-2 — 11-8-6
, or
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§ 11-39-2
, it shall be rebuttably presumed as a matter of law in any civil or criminal proceeding
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that the owner, tenant, or occupier of the place where the offense was committed acted by
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reasonable means in self-defense and in the reasonable belief that the person engaged in the
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criminal offense was about to inflict great bodily harm or death upon that person or any other
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individual lawfully in the place where the criminal offense was committed. There shall be no duty
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on the part of an owner, tenant, or occupier to retreat from any person engaged in the commission
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of any criminal offense enumerated in §§ 11-8-2 — 11-8-6
, or § 11-39-2
.
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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 OFFENSES -- BURGLARY AND BREAKING AND ENTERING
***
1
This act would add a rebuttable defense if any person shall die or sustain a personal injury
2
while committing robbery of the owner, lessor, or occupant of a motor vehicle and that the owner
3
or occupant of the vehicle acted in self-defense and in the reasonable belief that the person engaged
4
in the criminal offense was about to inflict great bodily harm or death upon that person or any other
5
individual.
6
This act would take effect upon passage.
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