Provides that evidence of life or work expectancy shall be based on statistical data using blended statistics and shall not be based on race, ethnicity or sex.
Summary
H5904 amends Rhode Island’s evidence statute governing proof of life expectancy and work-life expectancy in court, commission, and agency proceedings. The bill directs decision-makers to use the most recent federal life tables and federal work-life expectancy tables as competent evidence when expectancy is at issue, and it specifies that those determinations may not be based on race, ethnicity, or sex. It also preserves the admissibility of other relevant evidence about a person’s health, constitution, habits, occupation, or similar factors.
The bill further provides that the life and work-life expectancy tables may be introduced through an official publication or through the version printed in the Rhode Island General Laws, and that the published tables are sufficient proof without additional foundation or authentication if advance notice is given to the opposing party by certified mail at least 10 days before use, with proof of notice filed with the court. The act would take effect immediately upon passage.
Impact
This bill would update Rhode Island General Laws § 9-19-38 by codifying a race-, ethnicity-, and sex-neutral method for proving life expectancy and work-life expectancy in legal proceedings. It affects evidentiary practice in civil litigation and other adjudicatory settings where damages, future earnings, annuities, or similar issues depend on expected lifespan or work life. Courts, agencies, litigants, and experts would be required to rely on the specified statistical tables rather than demographic-based assumptions.
Sentiment
The available bill text and context suggest a generally supportive, reform-oriented purpose with no recorded opposition in the provided materials. The measure is framed as a modernization and fairness update to evidentiary rules, using standardized federal statistical tables and prohibiting reliance on protected characteristics. Because there are no committee transcripts or votes included, there is no documented debate or recorded sentiment beyond the bill’s stated anti-discrimination approach.
Contention
The main point of contention, if any, would likely concern the elimination of race, ethnicity, and sex as factors in life-expectancy determinations. Supporters would view that change as promoting fairness and consistency, while critics might argue that it removes variables some experts have historically considered in actuarial or damages calculations. A secondary procedural issue is the notice-and-authentication requirement for introducing the tables, though the bill appears to make that process straightforward by allowing the tables to be used without further foundation once notice is provided.