Legislation

A pair of bills to address the opioid overdose crisis would have caused considerable damage instead by allowing for the involuntary commitment of people with substance abuse disorders considered a danger to themselves or others.

In April, the ACLU testified before the House Judiciary committee in support of legislation to clarify the law protecting medical marijuana patients from discrimination by their employers.

Legislation passed by the General Assembly this year will impose additional onerous registration and community notification requirements on sex offenders which make it even more difficult to find housing and rehabilitate and reintegrate into society.

The ACLU strongly supported legislation to address problems with the entire concept of civil forfeiture. These bills would have ensured judicial oversight, and that law enforcement could not confiscate a person's belongings even when they know they cannot make a criminal case against them.

The General Assembly continued its spate this year of legislation to further penalize sex offenders without emphasizing public safety. This year, that included legislation would authorize innkeepers to kick out any Level III sex offender living in the establishment for more than 30 days.

This important legislation would make it unlawful for employers to refuse to hire, discharge or otherwise discriminate against an individual on account of their use of medical marijuana.

Among the most dangerous of legislation put forward by the Attorney General’s office in response to the opioid crisis was this measure to impose a life sentence on anyone who provides an unlawful controlled substance to a person, when consumption of that substance results in the person’s death.

"Moral turpitude" is a legally ambiguous term that has caused considerable confusion in Rhode Island. Currently, this antiquated term can be found in several professional licensing statutes as a basis on which to deny or revoke a person's professional license.

Rhode Island remains one of only three states to still have on the books a statute declaring as "civilly dead" any person serving a life sentence. It's a provision so archaic the Harvard Law Review called it "outworn as a mode of punishment" all the way back in 1937.