On March 4, R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha P’19 P’22 released the results of a nearly seven-year investigation into Rhode Island clergy members’ sexual abuse of minors dating back to 1950, and how the Diocese of Providence allegedly covered up the scandal. In the wake of the report, legislators have drafted four pieces of legislation aimed at combatting sexual abuse and protecting survivors.
The legislation was first suggested by Neronha upon the release of the report, and aims to “ensure greater accountability for child sexual abusers and their enablers,” he wrote in a press release emailed to The Herald.
The legislation was heard by the State House Judiciary Committee on March 12.
The first recommendation includes a grand jury reporting statute, which would allow grand juries to issue public reports in cases without indictments if the case is a “matter of public concern.”
Another bill would establish a two-year “revival window” in which prospective plaintiffs with expired complaints could file lawsuits against the institutions that concealed their abuse.
If passed, a third bill would amend the mandatory reporting statute to mandate reports of child sexual abuse committed in religious institutions or educational programs.
The last bill, which was first introduced in the House last year but died in committee, proposed a 10-year statute of limitations, which would give a victim up to 10 years to file a lawsuit against the offender in cases of second-degree sexual assault. The 10-year period would begin either from the date of the offense or from the victim’s 18th birthday if they were a minor at the time of the crime, whichever is later.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests wrote in a press release sent to The Herald that it “strongly urges immediate action by the Rhode Island General Assembly to address the unfinished business of justice,” referencing the previous statue of limitations bill that was not passed.
“The Senate’s previous refusal to take up this legislation denied survivors their day in court,” the release reads. In light of Neronha’s report, “there can be no justification for further delay in the new legislative session.”
Senate President Valarie Lawson (D-East Providence) wrote in a statement sent to The Herald that she will review Neronha’s report, “which will provide the Judiciary Committee with important context as they consider the legislative proposals the Attorney General recommends.”
State House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee (D-South Kingstown, Narragansett), who reintroduced the statute of limitations bill, argued in the Genreal Assembly press release that sexual abusers and those who protect them “should not be able to hide behind statutes of limitations or other time delaying tactics to avoid liability for these perverse and evil crimes.”
“The systematic cover-up of this pervasive and appalling behavior is just as bad as the actual assaults of countless helpless children,” McEntee, who will also be introducing the three other bills, stated in the release.
She explained that the proposal to establish the two-year revival window — beginning on July 1, 2026 and ending on June 30, 2028 — also holds institutions accountable for “negligent supervision or concealment of a person who sexually abused a minor.”
The Diocese of Providence did not respond to The Herald’s requests for comment.
While abuse is a “prevalent experience in our community,” it is “very underreported,” according to Jessica Kiebler, research and policy director at the Sojourner House, a Rhode Island-based domestic and sexual abuse victim services nonprofit.
According to Kiebler, 17% of the Sojourner House’s adult clients last year — around 400 individuals — reported experiencing sexual abuse as a child. But the most recent report from Rhode Island Kids Count noted that there were around 87 reports of childhood sexual abuse in 2024. This discrepancy in reporting demonstrates that it “can take a lot of time for people to disclose” experiences of abuse, Kiebler wrote.
Kiebler said in an interview with The Herald that she believes that the legislative reforms are focused on “trying to support people who have already had these experiences of abuse,” rather than “managing” the abuse itself.
“There needs to be a cultural shift in the way that we think about these types of abuses going forward,” Kiebler said. “Violence is not an isolated incident, but often relates to further abuse in adulthood.”
The four proposals were held in the House for further study.
Annika Melwani is a metro senior staff writer covering state politics and justice. She is from New York City and plans on concentrating in English and International and Public Affairs. In her free time, she can be found reading or drinking an iced vanilla latte.
