Legislation

In the last days of the legislative session, the General Assembly authorized the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue specialty “Choose Life” license plates.

The Senate took a big leap backward this year when it passed a bill requiring the inclusion in the state Health Insurance Exchange of plans that do not cover abortion services.

Turning back impassioned objections from Rep. Maria Cimini, Grace Diaz and others in the closing hours of the session, the General Assembly passed legislation drastically raising the criminal penalties for graffiti offenders, going so far as to turn graffiti into a felony at the third offense.

In May, the Senate Judiciary committee approved legislation expanding law enforcement authority to seize and forfeit any money or property they believed was derived from the proceeds of prostitution.

At the request of the Attorney General’s office, the Senate approved legislation imposing additional and mandatory penalties on individuals determined to be part of a “criminal street gang,” up to one extra year in jail for a misdemeanor and up to ten extra years in jail for any felony.

The General Assembly again considered a number of bills dealing with the required installation of ignition interlock devices in the cars of individuals convicted of DUI and other offenses.

In July, the House passed legislation overhauling the state’s sex offender registration and community notification laws, replacing them with federal standards so costly that few states have chosen to implement them.

A bill permitting Rhode Island to enter into the International Emergency Management Assistance Compact with other states contained a dangerous provision permitting the suspension of any statutes or ordinances that might impede the military’s ability to respond to an emergency.

The state budget adopted in 2007 included $1 million in tax breaks to businesses making donations to “scholarship organizations” that funnel financial aid to students attending private and parochial schools.