Legislation

The General Assembly, in an effort to ease the financial burden on school districts, has eliminated a requirement that districts post advance notice of school committee meetings in newspapers.

A law passed last year allowing the state to appoint receivers to take over fiscally-distressed municipalities was strengthened this year over objections from the ACLU and lawmakers from Central Falls.

ACLU efforts to strengthen the state's open records law, known as APRA, fell short this year.

ACLU legislation was successfully enacted to clarify existing law about screening newborns for illnesses.

An ACLU bill that has been enacted into law bars most merchants from demanding any part of a customer’s social security number as a condition of commercial transactions.

An extremely significant civil liberties loss this year was the passage of legislation allowing law enforcement to obtain an individual’s internet subscriber information from internet service providers without a warrant.

The Affiliate testified in opposition to legislation amending current law allowing the use of cameras on school buses to catch drivers who unlawfully pass them.

The ACLU, community organizations, and individuals who have experienced racial profiling testified before the House and Senate judiciary committees in favor of the Comprehensive Racial Profiling Prevention Act.

For many years, the ACLU and community groups have testified against passage of a primary seat belt bill unless legislation to reduce racial profiling is also enacted.