Legislation

We testified in favor of legislation which would have implemented a pilot program for harm reduction clinics but noted that a critical part of its success would be statutorily ensuring that law enforcement have no jurisdiction over the clinic.

We supported legislation which would have updated Rhode Island parentage and adoption laws to reflect the diversity of families that live in the state.

The ACLU has consistently opposed the imposition of mandatory minimum sentencing terms because they are ineffective, costly, eliminate individualized consideration of the offender and the circumstances of the offense, and place too much power in the hands of prosecutors instead of neutral judges.

These bills would have ensured judicial oversight in the process of asset seizure by law enforcement, and would have provided for the ability of Rhode Island residents to retain their belongings without the burdens that a civil forfeiture process places upon them.

The ACLU testified on a variety of election-related bills, some of which we supported and some of which we did not.

This legislation would have ensured that a positive drug test cannot become a roundabout way of firing or refusing to employ a patient who is lawfully using medical marijuana.

Legislation supported by the ACLU would have allowed for certain terminally ill patients to make knowing and competent decisions about death and peacefully determine the end of their lives with dignity, autonomy, and privacy.

This legislation would have allowed for one such critical measure, by extending the right to obtain a driver’s licenses to those who are undocumented.