The bill amends Section 11-37-13.3 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-37, titled "Sexual Assault," to enhance the reporting requirements for law enforcement agencies regarding sexual assault and child molestation incidents. It mandates that law enforcement agencies complete a domestic violence/sexual assault reporting form upon determining probable cause for an incident and submit this form to the attorney general's office. The bill specifies that the reporting form must include detailed information about the incident, such as the existence of any prior court orders, the nature of the alleged abuse, and any language barriers present.

Additionally, the bill requires law enforcement departments to electronically submit the domestic violence/sexual assault reporting forms and the corresponding police report narratives at the end of each month. For cases that are still under investigation or for which an arrest warrant has been issued but not yet executed, the responsible law enforcement department must electronically submit the forms and narratives as soon as practicable, but no later than the end of the calendar year in which the incident occurred.

The bill also introduces a provision for the expungement of the domestic violence/sexual assault reporting form upon adjudication of acquittal, dismissal, or other exoneration. It replaces the previous requirement for submitting a sexual assault report (DV/SA-1) with the new domestic violence/sexual assault reporting form and updates the process for data collection to improve the accuracy of information regarding sexual assault incidents in the state. The act is set to take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
2955: 11-37-13.3