Legislation

A Joint Resolution was introduced which proposed to put before voters a Constitutional amendment establishing the right to an adequate education for Rhode Island’s youth as a fundamental and judicially enforceable right.

Some of the most concerning civil liberties legislation this year came in the form of legislation dealing with your health, including bills to require that all adult immunization records be automatically included in a DOH database unless the patient opts out.

Among the most dangerous of legislation put forward by the Attorney General’s office in response to the opioid crisis was this measure to impose a life sentence on anyone who provides an unlawful controlled substance to a person, when consumption of that substance results in the person’s death.

The ACLU supported various bills aimed at repealing or amending 2016 legislation that authorized the installation of speed cameras to issue traffic tickets.

This year, the General Assembly considered yet another exemption to the confidentiality of the state prescription drug monitoring database in the form of legislation allowing health insurers, workers’ compensation insurers and HMOs, among others, to access private prescription information.

Legislation aimed to make Rhode Island the next state to adopt “death with dignity” legislation, allowing terminal patients to obtain medication to end their lives.

The ACLU of RI has long objected to legislative efforts to impose additional qualifications on candidates to qualify for the ballot. Just as the legislature should refrain from setting unnecessary barriers in the way for people to vote, it should not add unnecessary obstacles to get on the ballot.

No person should face the end of their life worrying if their memory will be negated by someone's ignorance or, worse, hostility. Legislation introduced this session ensures that no person will be misgendered on their death certificate, either by accident or on purpose.