# Rhode Island S2605: AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- CAUSES OF ACTION -- THE RHODE ISLAND FEDERAL CONSTITUTION DEFENSE ACT .

Rhode Island S2605, AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- CAUSES OF ACTION -- THE RHODE ISLAND FEDERAL CONSTITUTION DEFENSE ACT ., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Frank A. Ciccone, III (Democratic); status signed, last action 2026-06-22 (Signed by Governor — Chapter 192) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S2605-2026
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Rhode Island S2605
- State: Rhode Island
- Session: 2026 Regular Session
- Title: AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- CAUSES OF ACTION -- THE RHODE ISLAND FEDERAL CONSTITUTION DEFENSE ACT .
- Status: signed
- Chamber: Senate
- Introduced: 2026-02-13
- Last action: 2026-06-22, Signed by Governor — Chapter 192
- Sponsor: Frank A. Ciccone, III (Democratic)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 2 (92 yes, 17 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 4

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Sue federal officials for rights violations: benefit, medium. The law lets any person in Rhode Island sue someone acting under federal authority for violating U.S. Constitutional rights. It covers deprivations, attempts, and interference by threats, intimidation, or coercion. You can seek money damages, an injunction, a declaration, or other relief. State-law…
- Winning plaintiffs get attorney fees paid: benefit, medium. If you win under this law, the court must award your reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. This is in addition to any damages or court orders you receive. In cases seeking an injunction, you count as a winner for fees if your suit was a substantial factor or significant catalyst in getting the resu…
- Three-year deadline to file claims: cost, low. You must file your case within three years of the incident. If you were under a disability because of age, mental incompetence, or another reason, the clock pauses. You then have three years to file after the disability ends.
- Court classification and no new duties: mixed, low. Courts treat these suits as actions for a violation of the U.S. Constitution under 28 U.S.C. 2679(b)(2)(A). This can affect how the case is handled under federal rules. The law does not add any duties for federal officials beyond what the U.S. Constitution already requires.

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Frank A. Ciccone, III (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Jonathon Acosta (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Jacob Bissaillon (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Dawn Euer (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Tiara T. Mack (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Melissa A. Murray (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Lori Urso (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Samuel D. Zurier (Democratic), Senate

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-06-11 | House | FEDERAL CONSTITUTION DEFENSE ACT PASSAGE IN CONCURRENCE | pass | 61 | 10 |   |
| 2026-06-03 | Senate | COURTS & CIVIL PROCEDURE -- RI FEDERAL CONSTITUTION DEFENSE ACT Passage | pass | 31 | 7 |   |

## Actions (11)

- 2026-06-22: Signed by Governor — Chapter 192 (Governor)
- 2026-06-18: Transmitted to Governor (Governor)
- 2026-06-11: House passed in concurrence (House)
- 2026-06-10: Placed on House Calendar (06/11/2026) (House)
- 2026-06-03: Senate read and passed (Senate)
- 2026-05-27: Placed on Senate Calendar (06/03/2026) (Senate)
- 2026-05-26: Committee recommends passage
- 2026-05-22: Scheduled for consideration (05/26/2026)
- 2026-05-05: Committee recommended measure be held for further study
- 2026-05-01: Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/05/2026)
- 2026-02-13: Introduced, referred to Senate Judiciary (Senate)

## Bill text

- S2605 - As Introduced, 2026-02-13: [HTML](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2605.htm), [PDF](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2605.pdf)

## Related bills

- S3047: AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- DISTRICT COURT PRACTICE . (became law)
- H8605: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS . (became law)
- H8586: AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY . (became law)
- H8580: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT . (became law)
- H8506: AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELATING TO CENTRAL FALLS PENSION PLAN . (became law)
- H8525: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES . (became law)

## Sources
- [S2605 - As Introduced (HTML)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2605.htm)
- [S2605 - As Introduced (PDF)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2605.pdf)

## Related
- [S3047: AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- DISTRIC…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3047-2026)
- [H8605: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8605-2026)
- [H8586: AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8586-2026)
- [H8580: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8580-2026)
- [H8506: AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELATING TO CENTRAL FALLS PENSION PLAN .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8506-2026)
- [H8525: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8525-2026)
- [Rhode Island bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island/bills)
- [Rhode Island state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island)
- [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S2605-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).