Government
Public services and government action
ACLU files new UHIP-related lawsuit over Medicaid termination notices
The ACLU of Rhode Island today filed a class-action lawsuit claiming that participants in a Medicaid program run by the state are not being given proper notice before being kicked off the program, leading to a loss of income that the sui...
ACLU says new East Greenwich social media policy violates town employees’ First Amendment rights
The ACLU of Rhode Island has called upon the East Greenwich Town Council to revisit an “Employee Social Media Policy” it adopted last week. In a letter to the Council, the ACLU raises concerns about the policy’s “breadth and its impact o...
The case for a clean Dream Act
Over a hundred young immigrants are losing their DACA status every day Congress fails to act. Time is running out for Congress to pass legislation that fully takes into account the humanity of DACA recipients. Borrowing, with apologies,...
In the midst of frigid temperatures, ACLU sues over law that will kick some homeless out into the cold
[caption id="attachment_3982" align="alignright" width="316"] Governor Gina Raimondo at Harrington Hall in 2015[/caption] “We have been involved in preparing this lawsuit because as an outreach program, our work centers on helping people...
In split decision, appeals court denies journalist access to court documents in major drug trial
In a ruling that the ACLU of Rhode Island called a blow to an open judicial process, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit today held, by a 2-1 vote, that the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) can kee...
400 electric-assist bikes to be available in Providence in summer 2018
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza has launched JUMP Bikes, a public-private partnership to bring 400 shareable electric bikes to the city. These bikes are dockless, in that they can be parked at any bike rack or to any fixed object. Each bik...
Economic Progress Institute issues call for workforce investment in latest report
[Note: Since the original publication of this post on December 20, 2017, the Economic Progress Institute has updated its report. This post was altered on January 5, 2018 to reflect those updates.] The Economic Progress Institute (EPI) re...
Fall River City Council continues to investigate water deal with Invenergy
[caption id="attachment_3890" align="alignright" width="400"] Steven Camara[/caption] The Fall River City Council Committee on Health and Environmental Affairs met on Monday night to discuss the city’s contract with Benn Water, a pool fi...
ACLU: Despite state law, Internet censorship in RI public schools continues
“Political,” “hobbies,” “dictionary” and “news” are just four of the ‘filtered’ categories blocked by Rhode Island school districts’ Internet filtering systems. This was one of the findings of a report on the status of Internet filtering...
Public testimony at the Special Legislative Committee to Study the Energy Facilities Siting Act
Greater weight should be given to public input. The size of the board should be greater than three members. Fossil fuel power plants should be automatically disallowed. Environmental impact statements should be mandatory. These are just...