Legislation

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.

As a state with one of the most protective Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights statutes in the country – imposing numerous barriers to disciplining wayward officers – it is long past time for significant revisions to be made to this law.

We opposed a provision in this legislation that could have allowed police officers to recoup disability benefits if they allege to suffer from PTSD from misconduct that they have themselves inflicted on a civilian.

We supported the repeal of an exemption for domestic workers in state minimum wage laws, noting that its impact is sexist, racially discriminatory, and limiting of the economic mobility of domestic workers.

Though bullying is a scourge, a piece of legislation which would have statutorily created an “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights” drew our opposition over concerns about its breadth.

Noting that all patients should be treated in a non-discriminatory manner by medical professionals, we supported legislation which will prohibit the denial of appropriate medical care to individuals based on various irrelevant characteristics.

In the interest of proactively and preemptively restricting the use of new technology which could harm communities, we testified in favor of legislation which would have generally barred the use of “robot dogs” by law enforcement.