Makes it a felony for any person required to register as a sex offender to live within three hundred feet (300’) of a school as defined in § 11-37.1-2.
Summary
S0515 amends Rhode Island’s sexual offender registration and community notification law to create a new felony offense for certain registered sex offenders who knowingly reside within 300 feet of a school. The bill defines the distance measurement as a straight-line boundary-to-boundary calculation between the offender’s residence and the school property line, regardless of intervening structures or objects. The measure also preserves a separate, stricter 1,000-foot school-residency restriction for level-three sex offenders.
The bill retains existing penalties for knowingly failing to register, verify an address, or report a change of address, and it clarifies that such failures are violations of the terms of release, including probation, parole, home confinement, or other supervised release. The act takes effect immediately upon passage, meaning the new residency restriction would become enforceable without delay.
Impact
This bill would expand Rhode Island’s criminal penalties under chapter 11-37.1 by adding a school-proximity residency offense for registered sex offenders, while leaving the existing registration and verification framework in place. It affects persons subject to sex offender registration requirements, especially those living near schools, and it reinforces enforcement through felony penalties, fines, and possible imprisonment. The measure also continues the special 1,000-foot restriction for level-three offenders, creating a tiered school-zone residency scheme within state law.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong support for the bill, with passage in the Senate by a unanimous 37-0 vote. No committee transcript is available, but the final vote suggests broad agreement on the policy goal of increasing restrictions on where registered sex offenders may live near schools. The lack of recorded opposition in the vote indicates the bill was not politically contentious at the chamber level.
Contention
The main policy issue is the scope of the school-residency restriction and whether making a 300-foot proximity violation a felony is an appropriate enforcement tool. The bill distinguishes between all registrants and level-three offenders, who remain subject to a larger 1,000-foot buffer, which could raise questions about proportionality and consistency in enforcement. Although no committee debate is provided, any concerns would likely center on public safety versus housing restrictions, the practical enforceability of boundary-line measurements, and the severity of felony penalties for residency violations.