H8081/S3108 (2026): Expunged Records for Pistol Permit Decisions

Update: Held for Further Study (April 2026)

On April 8, 2026, the House Judiciary Committee recommended that H8081 be held for further study, and the Senate Judiciary Committee did the same for S3108 on April 14, 2026. The bill has not passed. There was no further action before the House and Senate recessed on June 11, 2026, and neither chamber had met again as of October 15, 2026.^[99]

What the Bills Would Do

H8081 and its Senate companion S3108 would permit law enforcement agencies to access and consider expunged criminal records when making decisions on applications for licenses or permits to carry a pistol or revolver. Under current Rhode Island law, expunged records are generally treated as though the offense never occurred.

Sponsors

H8081 was introduced by Rep. McEntee with Reps. Caldwell, Dawson, Spears, O'Brien, and Edwards. S3108 was introduced by Sen. Louis P. DiPalma.

Current Status

H8081 was introduced on February 27, 2026 and referred to the House Judiciary Committee. S3108 was introduced on March 13, 2026 and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. H8081 was scheduled for hearing and/or consideration by the House Judiciary Committee on April 8, 2026, and S3108 was scheduled for hearing and/or consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 14, 2026. Each committee recommended that its bill be held for further study on the respective date. Neither bill had further action before the House and Senate recessed on June 11, 2026, and neither chamber had met again as of October 15, 2026. Unless the General Assembly reconvenes before its term ends, the bills would need to be reintroduced in a future session. Under the current expungement statute, a custodian of records of an expunged conviction may not disclose their existence on inquiry from anyone other than the listed inquirers, and a law enforcement agency considering a pistol or revolver permit is not among them.

Context

These bills would create an exception to Rhode Island's expungement protections specifically for firearms licensing decisions. In its 2022 decision in NYSRPA v. Bruen, the Supreme Court struck down New York's "proper cause" requirement but said its analysis did not suggest that shall-issue licensing regimes were unconstitutional.