Legislation

Throughout the redistricting process – by which legislative districts are redrawn in Rhode Island every ten years – our organization has been vigilantly defending the need to simultaneously address the issue of prison gerrymandering.

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 strengthened the current reporting requirements for school districts.

We supported a bill which will allow for classified employees to seek nomination or become a candidate for elective state office and require their resignation from employment only if they win the election.

We opposed legislation which would have created an “animal abuse registry” similar to the registration requirements already in effect for persons convicted of sex offenses.

We supported legislation which would have clarified the Access to Public Records Act (APRA) to ensure police accountability and transparency when it comes to final reports of internal investigations of police misconduct.

We supported an important piece of technology, privacy, and law enforcement policy which would have prohibited law enforcement agencies from using stingray devices without a court order.

As communities nationwide grapple with the best ways to promote transparency and accountability in law enforcement agencies, the implementation of body cameras has become a major part of the discussion.

For individuals who are transgender or gender non-conforming, the ability to access private and safe bathroom facilities is critical.

In a move to address the fundamental due process implications of civil asset forfeiture, we supported legislation which would have provided stricter judicial oversight to the process and ensured that law enforcement cannot seize and forfeit a person’s belongings in the absence of criminal charges.