Legislation

Rather than addressing the problems that have forced people to engage in panhandling in the first place, this proposal instead aimed to punish them for their poverty by making it illegal for a person in a car to pass anything to a person outside the vehicle while in an "active lane of travel."

This legislation sought to require all higher education institutions to arm their campus police, regardless of the wishes of school administrators or students.

This legislation would have clarified that an existing statute that exempts "a book or writing" from sales tax when sold by the author covers both fiction and nonfiction writings.

Products that are necessary for the health and well being of women in Rhode Island are treated, for tax purposes, as luxury items. Legislation sought to change that by exempting feminine hygiene products from the state sales tax.

This legislation, opposed by the ACLU, would allow Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) to attest to a patient’s mental health condition and participate in certifying patients for mandated outpatient treatment, something that only doctors can do presently.

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.

Well-intentioned legislation relating to the fraudulent portrayal of a pet as a service animal prompted ACLU concerns.

Voters should have the right to have their votes tallied, even if it is for a losing cause. Legislation introduced this year would have imposed restrictions on that right, by eliminating the counting of write-in votes for persons who have not filed in advance a "declaration of intent."

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.