Legislation

Every year, the ACLU of RI lobbies on hundreds of bills during Rhode Island's annual Legislative Session. Below are some of the bills we have tracked and testified on before the General Assembly. For more info on advocating for the issues you care about, check out our Advocacy 101 Guide. To see how your Reps and Senators voted on various bills over the past few years, visit our Legislative Scorecards page.

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Civil Asset Forfeiture (S 732)

In a move to address the fundamental due process implications of civil asset forfeiture, we supported legislation which would have provided stricter judicial oversight to the process and ensured that law enforcement cannot seize and forfeit a person’s belongings in the absence of criminal charges.

June 3, 2021 Criminal Justice

Mental Health Court (H 6025)

While supporting the goal of this legislation which would establish an alternative sentencing method for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, we expressed concern that the legislation contained sparse detail on how the implementation of the program would occur.

June 3, 2021 Criminal Justice

Ban on Hairstyle Discrimination (S 539)

In a move to ban a pervasive form of racial discrimination, we strongly supported a bill which would have expanded the definition of race under our state anti-discrimination laws to include “traits historically associated with race,” importantly including hair texture and protective hairstyles.

May 21, 2021 Racial Justice