Legislation

In March, the ACLU testified before the House and Senate Judiciary committees in opposition to legislation addressing the electronic dissemination of sexually explicit material, often referred to as “revenge porn.”

The state budget adopted in 2007 included $1 million in tax breaks to businesses making donations to “scholarship organizations” that funnel financial aid to students attending private and parochial schools.

In May, the ACLU testified before the House Judiciary committee in opposition to a proposed state constitutional amendment responding to the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial Citizens United decision.

Until this year, an outdated and overly-broad section of Rhode Island law stated that transmitting any false information over the Internet was a misdemeanor, punishable by a $500 and up to one year in jail.

The General Assembly passed another ACLU-drafted free speech bill, this time ensuring citizens the right to criticize their elected officials in public newspapers.

The General Assembly passed campaign finance legislation aimed at combatting so-called Super PACs, but which carried serious ramifications for small organizations, including non-profits, which engage in referenda campaigns or even publicly references legislators too close to an election.

In May, the Affiliate testified before the House and Senate Judiciary committees in opposition to legislation which would remove the requirement that legal notices be posted in a newspaper, and instead permit them to be posted on a website.

Budget Article 32 would double, from $1 million to $2 million, the tax credit program for businesses that make donations to “scholarship organizations” that funnel money to private and parochial schools for tuition purposes.

Under a bill proposed by the Attorney General, any person who posts on a website opinions or information – even factual data – could be potentially subject to criminal charges if the posting is designed to “harass” and could cause a person “substantial emotional distress.”