Legislation

We strongly supported this bill which would not require proof of lawful presence in the United States to obtain a professional or occupational license.

Though we were very sensitive to the intentions behind this bill, which would have established a voluntary program by which individuals with autism could receive a specially marked driver’s license and a car decal indicating that they have autism, we opposed this legislation.

We strongly supported legislation which would have required that juveniles sentenced to long prison sentences as adults be reviewed by the parole board no later than fifteen years into their sentence.

Because there is no question that rehabilitation is substantially enhanced by making contact easier between incarcerated individuals and their loved ones, we strongly supported this bill which would have provided free communication services to people at the ACI.

Though we appreciated its laudable goal, we opposed legislation which would require the state Department of Education to offer a kosher meal school lunch option to school districts.

We opposed a number of bills seeking to increase the penalties for a variety of driving offenses, noting that the approach of sending people to prison for longer periods of time and imposing steeper fines on offenders would not deter reckless driving nor assist in the rehabilitation of offenders.

We supported legislation which would have generally prohibited the detention of a juvenile under the age of 14 at the Rhode Island Training School.

This bill would prohibit the questioning of a juvenile suspected of criminal activity without a parent or legal guardian present.

Though bullying is a scourge, a piece of legislation which would have statutorily created an “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights” drew our opposition over concerns about its breadth.