Legislation

In May, the ACLU testified before the Senate Judiciary committee in opposition to well-intentioned legislation designed to provide special driver’s licenses to foreign nationals.

At the request of the Governor’s office of energy resources, the General Assembly also approved legislation exempting from public scrutiny a variety of information collected by that office from fuel suppliers in the state.

There was one small bright spot on the open records front this year. The House and Senate each approved legislation requiring independent fire districts to post draft minutes of their meetings online.

The General Assembly passed legislation allowing health care providers to disclose a patient’s personal medical information to law enforcement under a variety of circumstances.

This year, the General Assembly dismantled the privacy of employees by permitting the random drug testing of any person working in the “highway maintenance industry,” from highway workers to receptionists.

Following the nationwide revelations that the federal government had obtained millions of cell phone information records from Verizon, the General Assembly failed to protect Rhode Islanders against rampant phone location tracking.

The General Assembly added Rhode Island to the list of states that have joined the National Popular Vote compact.

The House adopted amendments proposed by the ACLU in addressing legislation that restricted the possession of the plants salvia divinorum and datura stramonium, or Gypsum Weed.

With table games legalized in Rhode Island, the General Assembly fast-tracked legislation overhauling the casino gaming statute and adding a number of new crimes, penalties, and regulations.