By Edward Fitzpatrick The First Amendment has become a political football. Conservatives pile on when liberals try to shut down conservative speakers on campus, and liberals lash out when President Trump calls for sacking those who take a knee during NFL national anthems or dare to call him a bigot. So will Little Rhody come […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition wrote to Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo this week encouraging her to sign a bill protecting student journalism in the state. House Bill 5550 would prevent schools from retaliating against student journalists for reporting controversial topics. The bill is a “commonsense attempt […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently asked Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo to sign a bill that would provide the public more time to be notified about municipality meetings and would require minutes of those meetings to be posted online. House Bill 6323 excludes weekends and holidays […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently wrote to Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo in support of her “revenge porn” bill currently being debated by the state’s legislature. Revenge pornography is commonly considered the sharing of images depicting adult nudity without the consent of the person pictured. Such images are often shared to […]
By Edward Fitzpatrick | NEFAC and Roger Williams University Earlier this year, student journalists at a Kansas high school decided to write a profile about their newly hired principal. As they researched the principal’s background, they began unearthing questions about her educational credentials. For example, the young reporters found that she had received master’s and […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org The New England First Amendment Coalition recently called for constitutional safeguards in Rhode Island legislation intending to combat so-called “revenge pornography.” Senate Bill 0401 would criminalize the unauthorized sharing of sexually explicit images or photos of a person’s “intimate areas.” It does not, as NEFAC […]
The following blog post is one of several that the New England First Amendment Coalition will publish during Sunshine Week, highlighting the need for government transparency and addressing freedom of information concerns throughout the New England states. When posted, these articles can be read here. By Linda Lotridge Levin | Access/RI When Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island […]
Bill Sponsor Title Description 5098 McEntee, Craven, Ruggiero, O’Brien, McKiernan AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS — ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS Excludes preliminary drafts, notes, impressions, memoranda, working papers and work products involving research at state institutions of higher learning from the definition of a public record. 5269 Williams, Ranglin-Vassell, […]
Bill Sponsor Title Description 68 Archambault, Conley, Lombardi, Morgan, Lombardo AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS – ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS Revises access to public records charter re: definitions of public body public record, right to inspect, copy records, arrest logs, compliance, costs, court jurisdiction, remedies, claims settlement, violations (ACCESS/RI bill) […]
The following blog post is one of six that the New England First Amendment Coalition will publish during Sunshine Week, highlighting the need for government transparency and addressing freedom of information concerns throughout the New England states. When posted, these articles can be read here. By Linda Lotridge Levin ACCESS/RI While we celebrate open government each Sunshine Week, […]