Legislation

In May, the Affiliate testified before the House and Senate Judiciary committees in opposition to legislation which would remove the requirement that legal notices be posted in a newspaper, and instead permit them to be posted on a website.

The General Assembly again took steps to protect the overuse of social security numbers, by prohibiting credit agencies from using an individual’s social security number as the sole means of verification matching a credit record to an inquiry by a merchant.

In April, the House Corporations committee heard legislation sanctioning the installation of cameras on police cruisers to continuously scan every license plate on the street.

The Affiliate testified before the House Labor and Senate Judiciary committees in favor of returning legislation that would bar employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal history before determining whether they were a qualified candidate for the position.

The General Assembly once again considered a tremendous number of bills requiring fingerprint-based background checks for a wide range of professions and volunteer opportunities, from school mentors to nursing home employees to fire department volunteers.

Legislation sought to restore representation in Rhode Island to “one person, one vote” by requiring that, for the purposes of redistricting, prisoners are identified as living at their last known address.

Perennial legislation, drafted by the ACLU, sought to reform a number of Rhode Island’s practices in relation to elections.

The General Assembly approved legislation amending the duties of the Drug Court magistrate, and altering which individuals are eligible for participation in the court.

This legislation will save lives by protecting from prosecution individuals calling for emergency care in the case of a drug overdose.