Rhode Island 2026 Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 6 D · 3 R cosponsors

HB 7985 — AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS -- ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS

Last action — 03/31/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 27, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 10 sponsors

    10 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (6 D · 3 R) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Requires those with a public records request to provide identifying information.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. 03/31/2026 Committee recommended measure be held for further study

  2. 03/27/2026 Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/31/2026)

  3. 02/27/2026 Introduced, referred to House State Government & Elections

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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10 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 104 not signed on

Sponsors (10)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (104)

104 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 104 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 7985 do?
Requires those with a public records request to provide identifying information.
Who sponsors HB 7985?
HB 7985 is sponsored by David A. Bennett (Democratic), Arthur J. Corvese (Democratic), Richard R. Fascia (Republican), O'Brien, Patricia A. Serpa (Democratic), Thomas E. Noret (Democratic), Paul M. Santucci (Republican), Michael W. Chippendale (Republican), Jacquelyn M. Baginski (Democratic), and Earl A. Read, III (Democratic).
What is the current status of HB 7985?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced February 27, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 7985?
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Last checked for changes about 2 months ago · updated continuously

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