Legislation

The House and Senate Judiciary committees considered legislation to drastically Rhode Island’s computer crimes laws by altering the definitions of old laws and creating new offenses.

The legislative session brought a familiar bill allowing for the collection of DNA from any person arrested for a crime of violence, which included larceny offenses such as pickpocketing.

The General Assembly considered a spate of bills this session authorizing both statewide and fingerprint-based national criminal background checks on employees in a wide variety of circumstances.

In March the ACLU testified before the House labor committee in support of a bill that would bar employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal history before determining whether or not they are a qualified candidate for the job.

House and Senate committees heard testimony, but took no action, on several marijuana-focused bills this year.

The Affiliate testified in opposition to legislation permitting the National Guard to receive a portion of the funds garnered from money and items confiscated during counterdrug operations.

The ACLU, joined by the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Association, testified against legislation that would have expanded the reach and use of drug courts in the state.

The ACLU, the Public Defender and the Urban League all testified in opposition to legislation that would have required the collection of DNA samples from any person arrested for a felony.

The ACLU testified before the House and Senate Judiciary committees in opposition to legislation that would have dramatically limited the ability of prisoners to accrue “good time” days that shorten their sentence.