Legislation

Legislation was introduced to address regulations from the Board of Elections which unfairly limit the counting of provisional ballots and the rights of candidates to contest disputed ballots during recounts of close elections.

The Affiliate and other civil rights groups testified against legislation that would require voters to show identification at the polls.

Surveys indicate that 20% of teenagers have engaged in “sexting,” the practice of sending nude or semi-nude photos of oneself via cell phones or similar technology. The response: a bill from the Attorney General to drag these teens into Family Court and turn them into status offenders.

For the second year in a row, there’s a focus on whether to allow 18-20 year olds into nightclubs.

A liquor store owner who sells alcohol to a minor faces a $250 fine for a first offense. However, a major push is being made to amend the state’s “social host” law to subject teenagers under 21 to a six-month prison sentence if they give alcohol to someone else also under the age of 21.

A bill from the Attorney General’s office has again been introduced and heard this year that would set enhanced and mandatory sentences for “criminal street gang” activity.

This legislation, based on a federal law, would make it a felony for a public employee to “engage in any conduct that deprives the public of the intangible right of his or her honest services.”

Under a bill proposed by the Attorney General, any person who posts on a website opinions or information – even factual data – could be potentially subject to criminal charges if the posting is designed to “harass” and could cause a person “substantial emotional distress.”

The ACLU testified against a bill that would authorize the license suspension of teachers who engage in a strike, defined so broadly as to include a teacher’s “abstaining” even in part “from the full performance of his or her duties in his or her normal manner without permission.”