Legislation

We testified in favor of legislation which would have decriminalized sex work.

We opposed two pieces of legislation which would have indefinitely extended the reimbursement structure that had previously existed for SROs, incentivizing schools to continue to hire personnel who are not adequately trained in youth mental and behavioral health, such as SROs.

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.

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 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.

As one of only two states without a process for the certification and de-certification of law enforcement officers, we strongly supported this legislation which would have instituted such oversight over these public-facing personnel.

After the quiet expiration of the CCPRA in 2020, we supported legislation that would have both renewed the data collection provisions and annual report requirements and imposed more stringent requirements on the collection and analysis of the data.

Noting that “life without parole” sentencing robs incarcerated individuals of any rehabilitative hope, is a type of sentencing with a racially discriminatory impact, and is wasteful, we supported legislation which would have eliminated this criminal sentence in Rhode Island.