PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Senate approved legislation on Wednesday, voting 37-0 to allow civil lawsuits against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse. This legislation creates a two-year window for previously time-barred civil claims.

The filing window for these claims will open on July 1, 2026, and close on June 30, 2028. Senator Mark McKenney, a Warwick Democrat, sponsored the legislation. Sen. Ryan Pearson, a Cumberland Democrat, was absent during the Wednesday vote.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha released a 282-page report in March detailing decades of clergy abuse and institutional cover-ups by the Diocese of Providence. McKenney said, "We made sure last week that every senator had a hard copy of the Attorney General's report."

McKenney said, "It is particularly difficult to read that online at over 280 pages, but if you read that report, you know why the conduct of some authorities, particularly the authorities in the church, has been appalling. Their actions often show greater concern for protecting the institution's reputation, for protecting the corporation, than for protecting the children who are in their care."

The bill will now proceed to the Rhode Island House of Representatives for consideration. The Rhode Island House of Representatives approved a version of the legislation on April 7.

Senate leaders amended the bill to address constitutional concerns after opposition to an earlier advisory resolution. Attorney General Peter Neronha and former U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith expressed opposition to the advisory resolution during a hearing on May 14. The revised legislation preserves prior court judgments related to child sexual abuse, removing a provision that would have allowed refiling of dismissed lawsuits due to concerns about the state Constitution's separation of powers clause. Neronha said, "The Senate's changes actually made the bill stronger without giving up anything as it pertains to the heartland of victim opportunity to seek justice."

The Most Rev. Bernard A. Healey, Chairman of the Rhode Island Catholic Conference, said, "Senate Bill No. 2616 does nothing to protect children and the vulnerable from exploitation and abuse despite what the sponsors of this unconstitutional legislation claim."

Courts in New Hampshire, Maine, Colorado, Kentucky, and Utah struck down similar revival window laws in the past five years.