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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Apr 6, 2023
H 5613, S 628
voting rights
Apr 6, 2023
H 5613, S 628

Prison Gerrymandering (H 5613, S 628)

Voting Rights
Position: Support
Status: Died in Committee

We supported legislation which would have barred the practice of "prison gerrymandering."

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Apr 6, 2023
H 5616, S 122
government transparency
Apr 6, 2023
H 5616, S 122

Open Meetings Translation (H 5616, S 122)

Government Transparency
Position: Support
Status: Died in Committee

We supported legislation which would have required public bodies to establish a plan for providing translation services at public meetings, ensuring that access to these meetings is not inhibited because an...

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Mar 31, 2023
H 5688, H 5739, H 5859
first amendment
Mar 31, 2023
H 5688, H 5739, H 5859

“Parental Rights” Legislation (H 5688, H 5739, H 5859)

First Amendment
Position: Oppose
Status: Died in Committee

We  strongly opposed a package of bills purporting to enhance parental consent and involvement in their minor’s academic interests, but which instead sought to dictate curricular and educational decisions...

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Mar 31, 2023
H 5686, S 405
criminal justice
Mar 31, 2023
H 5686, S 405

Parental Status in Sentencing (H 5686, S 405)

Criminal Justice
Position: Support
Status: Died in Committee

We strongly supported legislation which would have required that the parental status of a defendant be taken into account as a component of the sentencing process.

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Mar 31, 2023
H 5373, S 230
racial justice
Mar 31, 2023
H 5373, S 230

Police PTSD Disability Benefits (H 5373, S 230)

Racial Justice
Position: Needs amendments
Status: Passed Senate, Died in House

We opposed a provision in this legislation that could have allowed police officers to recoup disability benefits if they allege to suffer from PTSD from misconduct that they have themselves inflicted on a...

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Mar 31, 2023
S 424, H 5371
economic justice
Mar 31, 2023
S 424, H 5371

Domestic Worker Minimum Wage Exemption (H 5371, S 424)

Economic Justice
Position: Support
Status: Passed House, Died in Senate

We supported the repeal of an exemption for domestic workers in state minimum wage laws, noting that its impact is sexist, racially discriminatory, and limiting of the economic mobility of domestic workers...

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