Requires that the license plates of a vehicle be confiscated by a police officer if the owner was arrested for driving while their license was suspended, revoked or cancelled for refusing to submit to a chemical test or for operating under the influence.
This bill amends Rhode Island’s laws on driving after denial, revocation, or suspension of a license for certain serious offenses, including DUI, refusal to submit to a chemical test, reckless driving, manslaughter from the operation of a motor vehicle, and driving so as to endanger resulting in death. It increases and clarifies the criminal penalties for driving while under these types of license restrictions, including misdemeanor and felony treatment depending on the number of offenses, mandatory fines, and minimum jail terms for certain repeat violations. The bill also directs the Division of Motor Vehicles to impose additional license suspension or revocation periods after convictions under this section.
A central new provision requires law enforcement to impound the license plates of a vehicle when the driver is arrested for driving while the license was suspended, revoked, or cancelled for DUI-related or chemical-test-refusal reasons, if the vehicle is owned in whole or in part by the arrested person. The impoundment must last at least 90 days, but the plates must be returned if the charges are dismissed, and the court may authorize temporary substitute plates if impoundment would create undue hardship for dependents. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage.
The bill would amend Rhode Island General Laws chapter 31-11 by adding an administrative and enforcement consequence tied to certain suspended-license arrests: plate impoundment for vehicles owned by the arrested driver. It would also reinforce existing criminal and licensing penalties for driving while suspended or revoked for specified offenses, including mandatory fines, minimum incarceration periods, longer DMV suspension periods, and no suspension of the penalties imposed under the section. The affected parties are drivers whose licenses were restricted for DUI, chemical-test refusal, reckless driving, or fatal motor-vehicle offenses, as well as law enforcement officers, the district court, and the Division of Motor Vehicles.
Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears to be framed as a public-safety and deterrence bill, with sponsors seeking tougher consequences for repeat or high-risk driving offenses. There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so no direct evidence of support or opposition is available. The overall tone of the proposal is punitive and enforcement-oriented, but it includes a limited hardship exception for dependents, suggesting an attempt to balance enforcement with practical family impacts.
The main point of contention is likely the added vehicle-plate impoundment requirement, which can affect not only the offender but also other household members who rely on the vehicle. The bill anticipates that concern by allowing courts to issue temporary substitute plates when impoundment would cause undue hardship to dependents. Another likely area of debate is the bill’s broader escalation of criminal penalties and mandatory minimum jail terms for repeat offenders, especially because the legislation removes discretion by stating that fines, suspensions, treatment, or jail terms under the section cannot be suspended.