Rhode Island House Bill H5274

Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/31/25
• Refer: 1/31/25

Caption

Requires state use actual residences of persons in government custody for redistricting purposes. Information would be collected by the department of corrections and forwarded to the secretary of state to be utilized for redistricting.

Impact

The bill imposes specific reporting requirements on the Department of Corrections, which must maintain a comprehensive electronic record of individuals' legal residences and associated demographic information. Annually, the department is tasked with delivering this information to the Secretary of State, who will utilize it to prepare redistricting population data. The use of this data is intended to ensure that electoral representation reflects the true distribution of the population, aiming for more equitable districting across the state.

Summary

House Bill 5274, known as the 'Residence of Individuals in Government Custody Act,' aims to reform the way individuals in government custody are counted for redistricting purposes in Rhode Island. The bill mandates that the actual residences of persons held in government custody be used instead of their places of incarceration when determining population counts for electoral districts. This measure seeks to rectify an existing discrepancy where incarcerated individuals are reported as residents of correctional facilities rather than their home addresses, potentially skewing representation in legislative bodies.

Contention

Notable points of contention may arise around the implementation of the bill and its potential impact on local governance. Critics might express concerns about the feasibility and accuracy of tracking residences for individuals who are incarcerated, particularly those who may not have stable home addresses prior to their incarceration. Additionally, there could be debates on privacy issues regarding the handling of personal data, despite the bill aiming to treat this data confidentially. The challenge will be balancing accurate electoral representation while ensuring that individual rights and privacy are maintained.