Clarifies that a magistrate or sentencing judge sitting in a court with jurisdiction over alcohol-related offenses shall, upon request, immediately grant a conditional hardship license after imposing a ninety (90) day hardship loss of license.

Plain-English Summary

This bill clarifies the rules around what happens when someone is convicted of an alcohol-related driving offense in Rhode Island. Under current law, judges can impose a 90-day "hardship" license suspension, which is a shorter penalty than a full license revocation. This bill makes it clear that when a judge or magistrate imposes that 90-day hardship suspension, they must — if the person asks — immediately grant the person a "conditional hardship license" right then and there in the courtroom.

A conditional hardship license is a restricted license that allows someone to continue driving in limited circumstances, such as getting to and from work, school, or medical appointments, even while serving a suspension. The key word in this bill is "immediately" — it removes any delay between when the suspension is imposed and when the restricted license is granted, so the person doesn't have to wait or go through additional steps after leaving court.

This bill primarily affects people convicted of alcohol-related driving offenses, such as DUI, who receive a 90-day hardship suspension. It also affects judges and magistrates in courts that handle these types of cases, making their obligation to grant the hardship license upon request clearer and more straightforward. The bill is essentially a technical clarification meant to make the existing process more consistent and easier to understand, rather than creating an entirely new policy.