Legislation

the ACLU testified in support of legislation to limit the practice of civil asset forfeiture by requiring an individual to be convicted of an offense before their assets can be relinquished, and ensuring that co-owners of assets are not unfairly punished.

In June, the House and Senate approved legislation requiring law enforcement to obtain a warrant before requesting location information, except in emergencies dealing with the threat of death or serious physical injury.

Following the passage three years ago of “Ban the Box” legislation that prohibited employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal record at the time of application, the General Assembly has nonetheless considered – and approved – broad background check requirements for a wide range of jobs.

The ACLU has demonstrated for the past several years that the tremendous overuse of suspensions in Rhode Island’s schools leaves students of color and students with disabilities disproportionately affected, particularly for the less-serious “subjective” offenses.

As technology becomes more ubiquitous, schools statewide have begun handing out school-owned computers for at home. Although these devices are used in the home, they carry virtually no privacy protections and some schools have even informed children the computers are subject to monitoring any time.

Rhode Island has grappled for a number of years with several election issues, including questions of when and how recounts can be conducted, how votes are counted, and even how the rules regarding elections are made.

While a majority of the states have a process for in-person early voting, Rhode Island’s voters remain restricted to voting on Election Day, although in recent years the General Assembly has expanded the opportunities for absentee voting.