Legislation

The General Assembly continues to push for harsher penalties around drunk driving in general, but the ACLU was particularly troubled by the punitive nature of bills, part of a package from the City of Providence, addressing underage drinking.

ACLU efforts prevailed in removing language from an “anti-bullying” bill that would have turned name-calling between students into an offense that could lead to the filing of a “wayward/delinquent” petition, Family Court jurisdiction and a potential sentence to the Training School.

Budget articles passed by the legislature took some positive steps in addressing the continued overcrowding problem at the R.I. Training School.

The ACLU and children’s rights advocates were shocked when the House Finance Committee passed out a budget that retained a proposal from the Governor and DCYF to treat all 17 year olds as adults for criminal purposes.

In response to a tragic incident where a teenager was killed in a drag race, the General Assembly approved an Attorney General bill that sets steep criminal penalties for this practice.

The General Assembly overwhelmingly approved an ACLU bill to require schools to take a caseby- case approach in determining the appropriate discipline for students charged with drug, alcohol or weapons violations.

The legislature approved requiring public schools to educate students about, and respond to incidents of, “dating violence,” but only after the bill was amended at the ACLU’s request.

An ACLU bill that would require schools to take a case-by-case approach in determining the appropriate discipline for students charged with drug, alcohol or weapons violations, passed the Senate but died in the House.

The General Assembly approved an ACLU bill setting standards for police interrogation of students in public schools.