Every year, the ACLU of RI lobbies on hundreds of bills during Rhode Island's annual Legislative Session. Below are some of the bills we have tracked and testified on before the General Assembly. For more info on advocating for the issues you care about, check out our Advocacy 101 Guide. To see how your Reps and Senators voted on various bills over the past few years, visit our Legislative Voting Records page.
This legislation will save lives by protecting from prosecution individuals calling for emergency care in the case of a drug overdose.
On June 13, Governor Chafee signed into law monumental legislation decriminalizing the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana, and imposing civil penalties instead of criminal charges against...
In March, the Affiliate testified before the Senate Health and Human Services committee in opposition to legislation sanctioning the creation of an electronic prescription monitoring database.
In March, the Affiliate testified before the House Health, Education and Welfare committee in favor of legislation to prevent the use of standardized tests as a barrier to graduation.
While tobacco use among teenagers is by no means to be encouraged, legislation mandating participation in a tobacco treatment program for any minor caught using or possessing tobacco products brought...
The General Assembly passed another ACLU-drafted free speech bill, this time ensuring citizens the right to criticize their elected officials in public newspapers.