Administrative Procedures Act (H 7314, S 2715)

The General Assembly considered closing a loophole that allows your basic election processes to change behind closed doors. Currently, the state Board of Elections is virtually the only major state agency exempt from the Administrative Procedures Act, which requires state agencies to adopt rules and regulations through an open, public process. As a result, the Board can modify how elections take place in Rhode Island without having to inform the public or accept public input. In February, the ACLU testified before the House Judiciary committee in support of legislation to eliminate this exemption. The ACLU testified before the Senate Judiciary committee in support of companion legislation in April. Similar legislation passed the full Senate in 2015, but the bill failed to move out of either committee this year.