2014 -- S 2872

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LC005357

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

COMMENDING STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES ON

SUCCESSFULLY INVESTIGATING AND LITIGATING A SETTLEMENT WITH GOOGLE

AND RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING THAT NO LESS THAN 15 PERCENT OF THE $230

MILLION GOOGLE SETTLEMENT FUNDS BE USED TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY-

BASED PROGRAMS

     Introduced By: Senators Metts, Pichardo, Jabour, Sosnowski, and Miller

     Date Introduced: April 09, 2014

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     WHEREAS, The United States Justice Department, with assistance from the office of the

Rhode Island Attorney General, and both the North Providence and East Providence Police

Departments, investigated internet search company Google for allowing Canadian pharmacies to

illegally sell their drugs to American consumers through their website; and

     WHEREAS, As a result of this investigation and under the terms of an agreement with

the United States government, Google agreed to forfeit $500 million, reflecting the gross revenue

received by the company as a result of the advertising; and

     WHEREAS, The success of this investigation serves as a model of joint federal and state

law enforcement cooperation and could not have been accomplished without the efforts of the

United States Attorney's Office, the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal

Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation unit, the U.S. Immigration

and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations unit, the U.S. Postal Inspection

Service, the Rhode Island State Police, the Rhode Island National Guard, the Rhode Island

Department of the Attorney General, the East Providence Police Department, and the North

Providence Police Department; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island's share of the $500 million forfeited by Google in response to

the investigation is $230 million; and

     WHEREAS, This $230 million is to be distributed among the Rhode Island National

Guard, the Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General, the East Providence Police

Department, and the North Providence Police Department, as per the agreement with the federal

government; and

     WHEREAS, The use of these funds is restricted to certain purposes as outlined in the

United States Department of Justice's "equitable sharing" guidelines; and

     WHEREAS, According to the "Guide to Equitable Sharing for State and Local Law

Enforcement Agencies" issued by the United States Department of Justice in April of 2009,

among the permissible uses of equitable sharing funds is the support of community-based

programs; and

     WHEREAS, Said guidelines stipulate that up to 15 percent of the total shared monies

received can be used for costs associated with substance or drug use disorder treatment programs,

drug and crime prevention education, housing and job skills programs, or other nonprofit

community-based programs or activities that are formally approved by a chief law enforcement

officer; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island is currently experiencing a drug overdose epidemic that has

claimed over 70 lives as of April 1st of this year; and

     WHEREAS, Expansion of community-based behavioral healthcare, substance use

disorder prevention, and addiction recovery programs, will help combat and prevent addiction

and overdose, provide support for those struggling with addiction and their families, and assist

individuals in their recovery; and

     WHEREAS, Returning to the community from jail or prison is a complex transition for

many former offenders, as well as for their families and communities; and studies indicate that

upon reentering society, former offenders are more likely than others to struggle with substance

use disorders, lack of adequate education and job skills, limited housing options, and mental

health issues; and

     WHEREAS, Expansion of prisoner re-entry programs will help these individuals return

to society and lead productive lives, reduce crime, lower costs associated with incarceration, and

ultimately benefit all Rhode Islanders; and

     WHEREAS, Quality job training programs and access to affordable housing will not only

help reduce the rate of crime and recidivism in Rhode Island, but will also provide an added

benefit to the state’s economy and workforce; and

     WHEREAS, Community-based programs, as funded through the Rhode Island National

Guard, could also focus on the particular needs of ex-offenders who are former guardsmen and

guardswomen, as well as other veterans and their families, that may be facing the challenge of

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substance use disorder, lack of adequate education, limited housing options, and/or mental health

issues; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby commends the Rhode Island State Police, the Rhode Island National Guard, the Rhode

Island Department of the Attorney General, the East Providence Police Department, and the

North Providence Police Department, on the hard-fought legal victory for all Rhode Islanders;

and be it further,

     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby respectfully requests that no less than 15 percent of

the Google settlement funds be used to support community-based programs concentrating on drug

use disorder treatment, drug and crime prevention education, housing and job skills programs,

and other nonprofit community-based programs, including those to assist ex-offenders who are

re-entering society; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Rhode Island Attorney General, the

Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, the Adjutant General of the Rhode Island

National Guard, the Chief of the East Providence Police Department, and the Chief of the North

Providence Police Department.

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LC005357

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