Legislation

In 2016, the General Assembly greatly expanded the entities that have access to the Health Information Exchange, including granting access to broadly defined health plans for purposes totally unrelated to direct medical care, the original goal of the Exchange.

In April, the House committee on Health, Education and Welfare approved dangerous legislation granting law enforcement access to the prescription information of thousands of Rhode Islanders without a warrant; the Senate Judiciary committee followed in May.

This year, the General Assembly approved legislation, submitted on behalf of the Attorney General, undermining a previous effort to decriminalize marijuana effort by placing juveniles caught with marijuana back in front of a Family Court judge instead of the Traffic Tribunal.

Language in legislation to combat human trafficking carried serious potential for unintended consequences, including the further victimization of individuals caught up in trafficking.

In February and March, the ACLU testified in opposition to broadly worded legislation that treated whistleblowers and overzealous spouses the same as malicious hackers, subjecting them to felony penalties for gaining "unauthorized access" to a computer.

Individuals owing overdue court fees may soon find their names on a public list shaming scofflaws -- even if the fees are minor, decades old, or even inaccurate -- without prior notification.

This legislation gives the police unilateral authority, without court review, to obtain Internet subscriber information on new crimes including “online impersonation,” a law that already raises serious First Amendment concerns.

The General Assembly once again considered a spate of anti-abortion legislation, including legislation prohibiting women who get an insurance plan tax credit from buying a plan that includes any abortion coverage beyond life, rape, and incest – with no exception for women’s health.