NEW: Sexting, Popular Vote Bills Before House Committee Today
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The House Judiciary Committee today will hold hearings on bills dealing with everything from sexting to how the electoral college works.
One bill, sponsored by Rep Peter Martin, D-Newport, would make sexting a lesser offense than it currently is. The bill is meant to “allow for counseling and intervention, rather than a lifetime sex offender charge on a young person’s record, as would happen if they were prosecuted under child pornography charges, as is currently the law,” according to a Statehouse news release.
The second bill would sign Rhode Island onto a national compact that would commit electoral college votes for president and vice president to the winners of the popular vote in the country as a whole. The bill passed previously, but was vetoed by former Gov. Don Carcieri. It is sponsored by House Majority Whip J. Patrick O’Neill, D-Pawtucket.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTwo other bills are also up for consideration. According to an official synopsis, they are:
Campaign financing: 2011-H 5646 – Sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Edith H. Ajello (D-Dist. 3, Providence), this bill would create a legislative commission to study and recommend improvements to public campaign financing in Rhode Island.
Recording criminal interrogations: 2011-S 0331 A – Sponsored by Sen. Paul V. Jabour (D-Dist. 5, Providence), this bill would create a legislative commission to study and develop policies for the electronic recording of criminal interrogations for crimes that could be punishable by life imprisonment.
The hearing is today around 5 p.m. in Room 313 at the Statehouse.
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