This misnomered legislation from the Attorney General would make it a crime to electronically transmit nude or sexually explicit images without the person’s consent, regardless of the sender’s intent. The Media Coalition, the RI Press Association, and the ACLU opposed the bill since it could criminalize publishing, among other newsworthy items, some of the photos from Abu Ghraib. In 2016 Governor Raimondo vetoed the legislation on constitutional grounds, but this year supported the bill with some minor revisions that failed to address the ACLU’s First Amendment concerns.

In March, the House passed this legislation and referred it to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Fortunately, the bill died in the Senate after passing the House.

Sponsors

Representative Robert Craven

Status

Died

Session

2017

Bill number

Position

Oppose