2014 -- H 7999

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LC005279

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES - MISCELLANEOUS RULES

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Slater, and Diaz

     Date Introduced: March 27, 2014

     Referred To: House Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 31-22-22.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 31-22 entitled

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"Miscellaneous Rules" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     31-22-22.1. Child passenger protection -- Warnings of hazard and risk. -- (a) All law

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enforcement officers in this state are authorized to provide a verbal warning to any person who

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shall be deemed to have left a child under the age of seven (7) unattended in a motor vehicle. The

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warning shall apprise the offending person of the dangers of this practice including, but not

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limited to, the risk of kidnapping and/or abduction, and the dangers which may result from the

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accumulation of excessive temperatures within the motor vehicle.

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     (b) All law enforcement officers in the state are authorized to provide a verbal warning to

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any person who is smoking, as defined in § 23-20.10-2, in a motor vehicle containing a child who

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is restrained or required to be restrained pursuant to § 31-22-22(a). The warning shall apprise the

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offending person of the dangers of this practice to children. No motor vehicle may be stopped by

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any state or municipal law enforcement agency, nor may a law enforcement officer search a

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motor vehicle, its contents, the driver or passengers, based solely on such conduct.

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      (b)(c) No fine or sanction shall be imposed for a violation of this section, other than a

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verbal warning, and no record of any kind shall be maintained of the warning.

 

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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 MOTOR AND OTHER VEHICLES - MISCELLANEOUS RULES

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     This act would authorize police officers to provide a verbal warning to a person who is

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smoking in a vehicle containing a child who is restrained or required to be restrained.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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