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.

A major disappointment of 2007 was the failure of the House or Senate to take any action on comprehensive legislation, supported by a coalition of more than 40 organizations organized by the Affiliate, designed to address the problem of racial profiling.

No action was taken on an ACLU bill designed to address the state’s racial profiling problem; among other things, the bill would have strengthened the remedies available to victims and required continued data collection of traffic stops by police.

In an historic collaboration between the civil rights community and local police chiefs, the General Assembly enacted a comprehensive bill designed to tackle the problem of racial profiling in the state.

The ACLU was not displeased to see the House take no action on a Senate bill to establish a “civil rights advocate” in the Attorney General’s office.