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Read. Follow. Verify.Rhode Island Bill S 2984 Requires Free Inmate Communications and In-Person Contact Visits
Last action · May 12, 2026: Committee recommended measure be held for further studySponsors: Meghan Kallman and 8 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Rhode Island Senate bill S 2984 requires the Department of Corrections to provide free communication services to inmates and juveniles in , while also mandating in-person contact visits at those facilities and repealing section 42-56-38.1.
Changes financial and visitation rules for incarcerated individuals and detention facilities by shifting communication costs and enforcing face-to-face visits.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Inmates and detained juveniles
Inmates and detained juveniles receive free communication services and guaranteed in-person contact visits.
Department of Corrections
The Department of Corrections must administer free communication services and ensure facilities provide in-person contact visits.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for free communication services under this bill?
What happens to section 42-56-38.1?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- May 12, 2026Committee recommended measure be held for further study
- May 8, 2026Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (05/12/2026)
- Mar 4, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, referred to Senate Judiciary
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 4 more sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
status.rilegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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