Legislation

Paradoxically, while Rhode Island continues to deny same-sex couples the right to marry, the state also prevents couples legally married in other states from divorcing.

In a stunning response to the Woonsocket cross controversy, the General Assembly overwhelmingly approved legislation creating a permanent commission to determine whether any memorial in the state of Rhode Island is religious or secular.

The General Assembly passed landmark legislation to protect people from employment, housing, and voting discrimination, among others, solely because of their homeless status.

Nationwide, women face higher premiums than men for the same health insurance, leaving women disproportionately less able to purchase vital health care coverage.

While the ACLU weighed in on the expected spate of abortion bills, including bills mandating ultrasounds before abortions and codifying Roe v. Wade into state law, perhaps the most heated debate came from an innocuous bill seeking to create a licensing program for genetic counselors.

The House passed a resolution calling upon Congress to repeal sections of the National Defense Authorization Act which sanction the indefinite detention without charge or trial of anyone in the United States.