Legislation

Legislation introduced would have required that a minor have a parent or guardian present during questioning by law enforcement.

The General Assembly once again introduced several bills to expand the use of background checks in professions that rather than promote public safety, further push ex-offenders outside of a positive community atmosphere.

Between 2000 and 2017, the General Assembly created more than 170 new crimes, and increased prison sentences for dozens of existing offenses.

In the wake of the tragic shooting of students in Parkland, Florida, the General Assembly introduced so-called “Red Flag” legislation aimed at removing firearms via an “extreme risk protection order” (ERPO) from individuals who pose a “significant danger of causing personal injury to self or others.

The majority of states allow for in-person early voting, recognizing that allowing people several days - instead of just one crowded day - to cast their ballot only increases the ability of the public to exercise the franchise.

The Access to Public Records Act is essential to promoting open government and an informed citizenry. Despite updates to the law in 2012, an audit by the ACLU and other groups found the law’s enforcement policies insufficient to ensure compliance from dozens of agencies.

To draw new voting districts, any individuals incarcerated at the ACI in Cranston on the day the Census worker comes through are recorded as living at the prison, including individuals awaiting trial or serving misdemeanor sentences who are still allowed to vote, but only from their home addresses.

Through a combination of cheap, sophisticated technology and financial incentives provided by the federal government, law enforcement entities nationwide have begun obtaining and using drones. Yet, the laws protecting us from misuse have not caught up with the technology or the demand.

This much talked-about bill aimed to “require Internet service providers to provide digital blocking of sexual content and patently offensive material . . . and allow consumers to deactivate digital block upon payment of a twenty dollar ($20.00) fee.”