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| 5 | 5 | | 2025 -- H 5649 |
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| 6 | 6 | | ======== |
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| 7 | 7 | | LC001446 |
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| 8 | 8 | | ======== |
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| 9 | 9 | | S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D |
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| 10 | 10 | | IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 11 | 11 | | JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | ____________ |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A N A C T |
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| 15 | 15 | | RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE--COURTS -- FAMILY COURT |
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| 16 | 16 | | Introduced By: Representatives Caldwell, Batista, Edwards, Morales, Knight, and Place |
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| 17 | 17 | | Date Introduced: February 26, 2025 |
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| 18 | 18 | | Referred To: House Judiciary |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | |
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| 21 | 21 | | It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
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| 22 | 22 | | SECTION 1. Section 8-10-23.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 8-10 entitled "Family 1 |
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| 23 | 23 | | Court" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2 |
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| 24 | 24 | | 8-10-23.1. Statewide juvenile hearing board. 3 |
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| 25 | 25 | | (a) The chief judge of the family court shall appoint a statewide juvenile hearing board 4 |
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| 26 | 26 | | coordinator who is qualified by education, training, previous experience in professional social 5 |
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| 27 | 27 | | welfare, personality, character, and special aptitude for the work, to serve at the pleasure of the 6 |
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| 28 | 28 | | chief judge. The juvenile hearing board coordinator shall provide education, training, data 7 |
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| 29 | 29 | | collection and analysis, coordination, and assistance to cities and towns in the establishment and 8 |
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| 30 | 30 | | maintenance of juvenile hearing boards and teen courts. Juvenile hearing boards and/or teen courts 9 |
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| 31 | 31 | | shall report any data deemed necessary by the family court to perform the functions of the juvenile 10 |
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| 32 | 32 | | hearing board coordinator. No juvenile hearing board or teen court in the State of Rhode Island 11 |
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| 33 | 33 | | shall hear, or dispose of offenses that constitute felony offenses if committed by an adult, except 12 |
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| 34 | 34 | | by the express written consent of the chief justice of the family court; nor shall any juvenile hearing 13 |
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| 35 | 35 | | board or teen court hear or dispose of any offense which has been amended from a felony offense 14 |
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| 36 | 36 | | to a misdemeanor offense, except by the express written consent of the chief justice of the family 15 |
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| 37 | 37 | | court. Juveniles, wherever they may live, upon a decision to refer the juvenile to the juvenile 16 |
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| 38 | 38 | | hearing board or teen court, shall be referred to the hearing board or teen court in the city or town 17 |
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| 39 | 39 | | where the offense was committed; provided, however, if the city or town does not have a hearing 18 |
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| 40 | 40 | | board or teen court, the juvenile shall be referred to the hearing board or teen court where the 19 |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | LC001446 - Page 2 of 3 |
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| 44 | 44 | | juvenile resides. The Statewide hearing board coordinator is responsible for setting up a statewide 1 |
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| 45 | 45 | | community service program which may be utilized by any hearing board or teen court. 2 |
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| 46 | 46 | | (b) The position of statewide juvenile hearing board coordinator is a pilot program which 3 |
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| 47 | 47 | | shall commence on July 1, 1998 and terminate on June 30, 2001, unless extended by the general 4 |
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| 48 | 48 | | assembly. 5 |
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| 49 | 49 | | (c) The juvenile hearing board may order a juvenile to attend a rehabilitative driving course 6 |
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| 50 | 50 | | operated under the jurisdiction of a college or university accredited by the State of Rhode Island if 7 |
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| 51 | 51 | | the circumstances of the offense indicate these programs would be beneficial to the juvenile. The 8 |
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| 52 | 52 | | hearing board, in its discretion, may include in its order a provision to pay reasonable tuition for 9 |
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| 53 | 53 | | the course unless the juvenile demonstrates an inability to pay. The order shall contain findings of 10 |
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| 54 | 54 | | fact and a copy shall be submitted by the board to the chief magistrate of the traffic tribunal. Failure 11 |
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| 55 | 55 | | to comply with an order of attendance, after notice and hearing, shall result in a show cause hearing 12 |
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| 56 | 56 | | conducted before the traffic tribunal to determine whether grounds exist for the suspension or 13 |
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| 57 | 57 | | revocation of a person's license or registration. Notice and hearings before the traffic tribunal shall 14 |
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| 58 | 58 | | be pursuant to the provisions of chapter 41.1 of title 31. 15 |
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| 59 | 59 | | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 16 |
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| 60 | 60 | | ======== |
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| 61 | 61 | | LC001446 |
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| 62 | 62 | | ======== |
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| 63 | 63 | | |
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| 64 | 64 | | |
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| 65 | 65 | | LC001446 - Page 3 of 3 |
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| 66 | 66 | | EXPLANATION |
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| 67 | 67 | | BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL |
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| 68 | 68 | | OF |
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| 69 | 69 | | A N A C T |
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| 70 | 70 | | RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE--COURTS -- FAMILY COURT |
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| 71 | 71 | | *** |
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| 72 | 72 | | This act would give statewide juvenile hearing boards the authority to refer a juvenile 1 |
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| 73 | 73 | | offender to a rehabilitative driving course, as part of a disposition of an offense before the board. 2 |
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| 74 | 74 | | The order may be enforced by the traffic tribunal. 3 |
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| 75 | 75 | | This act would take effect upon passage. 4 |
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| 76 | 76 | | ======== |
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| 77 | 77 | | LC001446 |
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| 78 | 78 | | ======== |
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