Expungement of Multiple Felony and Misdemeanor Records

State Bills: Rhode Island

Published March 31st, 2026

Detected April 1st, 2026

Summary

Rhode Island Senate Bill S3036, passed the Senate on March 31, 2026, would expand expungement eligibility to individuals with multiple felony and misdemeanor convictions. The bill establishes court criteria for evaluating whether applicants demonstrate good moral character. This legislation modifies existing criminal procedure rules governing record expungement in Rhode Island.

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What changed

Rhode Island Senate Bill S3036 proposes to permit the expungement of multiple felony and misdemeanor records, creating new eligibility criteria for individuals seeking to clear their criminal history. The bill provides the court with specific factors to consider when determining whether an applicant is of good moral character, establishing a structured evaluation framework for expungement petitions involving multiple convictions.

Legal professionals and criminal defense practitioners in Rhode Island should monitor this legislation as it advances through the House. If enacted, this bill would significantly expand access to expungement, potentially affecting thousands of individuals with multiple convictions. Courts will need to apply the new 'good moral character' criteria, and petition procedures will require updating to accommodate multiple-offense cases.

What to do next

Monitor bill progress through Rhode Island House of Representatives
Review current expungement petition procedures for compliance with new criteria once enacted
Update internal forms and client guidance materials to reflect expanded eligibility

Source document (simplified)

RI S3036 | 2026 | Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill 3036

RI State Legislature page for S3036
- Summary
- Sponsors
- Texts
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Status

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10)
Status: Engrossed on March 31 2026 - 50% progression
Action: 2026-03-31 - Senate passed Sub A
Text: Latest bill text (Comm Sub) [PDF]

Summary

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- EXPUNGEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS - Permits those individuals convicted of multiple felonies and misdemeanors to have their records expunged and provides criteria for the court to consider in determining whether the person is of good moral character.
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Title

Permits those individuals convicted of multiple felonies and misdemeanors to have their records expunged and provides criteria for the court to consider in determining whether the person is of good moral character.

Roll Calls

2026-03-31 - Senate - Passage (Y: 34 N: 2 NV: 2 Abs: 0) [PASS]

History

| Date | Chamber | Action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-03-31 | Senate | Senate passed Sub A |
| 2026-03-27 | Senate | Placed on Senate Calendar (03/31/2026) |
| 2026-03-26 | Senate | Committee recommends passage of Sub A |
| 2026-03-24 | Senate | Proposed Substitute |
| 2026-03-24 | Senate | Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/26/2026) |
| 2026-03-05 | Senate | Introduced, referred to Senate Judiciary |

Subjects

Criminal Procedure
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- EXPUNGEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS

Rhode Island State Sources

| Type | Source |
| --- | --- |
| Summary | https://status.rilegislature.gov/ |
| Text | https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S3036.pdf |
| Text | https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S3036A.pdf |
| Roll Call | https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/SVotes/votereport.asp?id=17405 |

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