Legislation

Despite persistent efforts, no action was ultimately taken on a comprehensive bill that would have strengthened the state’s racial profiling law.

On a more positive note, ACLU vigilance thwarted a last-minute effort by the State Police and the Department of Transportation to obtain passage of their bill making seat belt violations a primary offense.

A budget article establishing a special kind of charter school, known as mayoral academies, initially contained a provision allowing the academies to be exempt from a wide variety of school mandates, including anti-discrimination provisions.

The General Assembly unanimously passed a bill promoted by the Affiliate to make clear that plaintiffs have three years, rather than one year, to sue under the Rhode Island Civil Rights Act, a major state law prohibiting discrimination in employment and other settings.