Senator Friedman has co-sponsored the following bills relative to civil rights and privacy protections in the 2017-2018 legislative session:
S787 An Act to protect fundamental freedoms and prohibit discriminatory registration programs
- Summary: This bill would prohibit law enforcement from monitoring people’s lawful political expression without reasonable suspicion that the person is involved in actual criminal activity. It would further prohibit the state from requiring a registration program for the purposes of monitoring people with certain religious, political, or social views, or from participating in any federal effort to do so.
S943 An Act to protect electronic privacy
- Summary: This bill would require law enforcement to obtain a warrant to access personal information from telecommunications customers’ cell phones and personal electronic devices.
S1305 An Act to protect the civil rights and safety of all Massachusetts residents
- Summary: Known as the Safe Communities Act, this bill would: (1) prohibit state, local and campus police from participating in federal immigration enforcement activities, including participation in inquiries, investigations, raids, arrests or detentions that are based solely on immigration status; (2) prohibit state support for any federal registry program based on national origin, religion or other protected characteristics; and (3) guarantee basic due process rights for immigrants detained in state and local facilities.