Legislation

We strongly supported this legislation, which aimed to give formerly incarcerated individuals access to Medicaid coverage promptly upon their release.

In a move to ban a pervasive form of racial discrimination, we strongly supported a bill which would have expanded the definition of race under our state anti-discrimination laws to include “traits historically associated with race,” importantly including hair texture and protective hairstyles.

We supported a critical piece of legislation which would have largely eliminated the ability for a K-5 student to be given an out-of-school suspension and strengthen the current reporting requirements for school districts.

Noting the significant danger posed by allowing weapons on school campuses, we opposed this legislation which would have removed institutional discretion and instead mandated that all campus police officers be armed.

We urged amendment to this legislation, which sought to make certification easier for teachers in order to address a severe teacher shortage, to include a moratorium on the current standardized testing requirement for certification.

We urged that language which appropriately accommodates students with disabilities who may need more time to complete their studies be included in the codification of a bill that would extend a free tuition program, called the “Rhode Island Hope Scholarship,” to Rhode Island College students.

We strongly supported this legislation which would have reclassified the simple possession of 28 grams or less of certain controlled substances from a felony to a misdemeanor.

We supported a bill which would have comprehensively updated Rhode Island’s Access to Public Records Act for the first time in over a decade.

We supported this legislation which would have made two major changes to the Open Meetings Act.