State Senate: Democratic majority
State House: Democratic majority
Governor: Daniel McKee (D)
Attorney General: Peter Neronha (D)
Summary:
Democrats have long held near total control over the government of the deep-blue Ocean State with huge majorities in both chambers, although its working class roots give it a slightly more conservative and populist bent than the national party.
Current bills under consideration include limits on the use of generative-AI in elections and for the creation of explicit material, defining antisemitism in statute, and protecting free speech of employees. In an unusual move, Democrats in 2021 introduced H 5564, a bill that would prohibit certain social media companies from censoring users speech by either removal of the user’s speech or using algorithms to prevent the user’s speech. Although it did not progress, this bill stands out among the hundreds reviewed in this research project, as bills of this type introduced in other states were almost always entirely Republican.
Key Policymakers:
- Rep. Jacquelyn Baginski [D] and Rep. Joseph McNamara [D]
Legislative Activity:
H 7387/ S2456: This act would prohibit a person, corporation, or political action committee from using synthetic media, within 90 days of any election, unless a conspicuous disclosure is used. Introduced by Rep. Jacquelyn Baginski [D] and Sen. Louis Dipalma [D] in Feb. 2024 and is currently in committee.
H 6286: This act would authorize the office of attorney general to promulgate, adopt and enforce rules and regulations concerning generative artificial intelligence models, such as ChatGPT, in order to protect the public’s safety, privacy, and intellectual property rights. Democrat-only bill introduced by Rep. Lauren Carson [D], Rep. Jacquelyn Baginski [D], and Rep. Joseph McNamara [D] in April 2023 but did not progress.
H 8129: This act would include visual images that are created or manipulated by digitization, or without the consent of the person, including sexual depictions of minors, within the purview of the crime of unauthorized dissemination of indecent material and expands jurisdiction of the crime. Bipartisan bill introduced by Rep. John Edwards [D] and Rep. Sherry Roberts [R] in April 2024.
H 5990 (2021): This act would prohibit certain social media companies from censoring users’ speech by either removing the user’s speech or using algorithms to prevent the user’s speech. Republican-only bill introduced by Rep. Justin Price [R] and Rep. George Nardone [R] in Feb. 2021 but did not progress.
H 5564 (2021): Prohibits certain social media companies from censoring users speech by either removal of the user’s speech or using algorithms to prevent the user’s speech. Rare Democrat-only bill of this type introduced by Rep. Camille Vella-Wilkinson [D], Rep. Ramon Perez [D], Rep. Joseph McNamara [D], Rep. Anastasia Williams [D], Rep. Samuel Azzinaro [D] in Feb. 2021 but did not progress.
H 5099 (2021): House Resolution Condemning The Major Technology Companies, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, Apple, Google, Snapchat And Youtube, For Their Attack On The Free Speech Rights Of The American Public. Introduced in Feb. 2021 by Rep. Patricia Morgan [R] but did not progress.
H 7106: This act would protect the rights of employees in the workplace relating to free speech, assembly and religion, as well as attendance at employer-sponsored meetings regarding political or religious matters. Employees so aggrieved by discipline or discharge would have the right to bring a civil action against the employer seeking compensatory and punitive damages including attorneys’ fees. Introduced by Rep. Robert Craven [D] and Rep. Evan Shanley [D] in Jan. 2024 but has not progressed.
S 2430: This act would define “anti-Semitism” for the state human affairs commission to use while investigating and working to resolve complaints of discrimination and for the commission against prejudice and bias to use in defining hate crimes. Bipartisan bill introduced by Sen. Elaine Morgan [R] and Sen. Leonidas Raptakis [D] in Feb. 2024 but has not progressed.
Legal Actions:
Attorney General Neronha joins national bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in suing Meta. On October 24, 2023, Attorney General Peter F. Neronha joined 41 other attorneys general throughout the country suing social media company Meta in federal and state courts alleging that the company knowingly designed and deployed harmful features on Instagram and its other social media platforms that purposefully addict children and teens, while falsely assuring the public that these features are safe and suitable for young users.
The attorneys general assert that Meta’s business practices violate state consumer protection laws and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The federal complaint, joined by 33 states including Rhode Island and filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Meta knew of the harmful impact of its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, on young people. Instead of taking steps to mitigate these harms, it misled the public about the harms associated with use of its platform, concealing the extent of the psychological and health harms suffered by young users addicted to use of its platforms. The complaint further alleges that Meta knew that young users, including those under 13, were active on the platforms, and knowingly collected data from these users without parental consent. In parallel complaints filed in state courts, eight states have made similar allegations.
These lawsuits result from a bipartisan, nationwide investigation led by attorneys general of Colorado and Tennessee. Nearly all the attorneys general in the country, including Rhode Island, have worked together since 2021 to investigate Meta for providing and promoting its social media platforms to children and young adults while use is associated with physical and mental health harms.
The multistate coalition that brought this complaint is also investigating TikTok’s conduct on a similar set of concerns. That investigation remains ongoing, and states have pushed for adequate disclosure of information and documents in litigation related to TikTok’s failure to provide adequate discovery in response to requests by the Tennessee Attorney General’s office.
States joining Rhode Island in the federal lawsuit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
