IsPressReleaseHighlight: No

LegislatorID: #260;

PressReleaseID: 21,520

Publicist: Greg Pare

PublicistID: 7

Published Date: 10/30/2026 11:17 AM

Senator/Representatives: Sen. Valarie J. Lawson;

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SenRepBioPageFlag: Yes

Status: Approved

Description: STATE HOUSE – Senate President Valarie J. Lawson (D-Dist. 14, East Providence) today announced that the Rhode Island Senate will convene briefly next week to receive judicial nominations from Governor Daniel J. McKee.
 
The Senate will convene on Thursday, November 5, at 4 p.m. in the Senate Chamber solely to accept the anticipated appointments, which will be referred to the Senate Committee on Judiciary for hearings as part of the advice and consent process.
 
The session will be televised live by Capitol Television, which can be seen by Spectrum subscribers on channels 15 and 61 for high definition, on channel 15 by i3Broadband viewers and channel 34 for Verizon subscribers. It will be live streamed at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv.

MigrationFlag: 1

ContactInformationFlag: 0

NewsYear: 2026

Image: https://rilegislature.gov//pressrelease/Pictures/_w/IMG_3862web_jpg.jpg

IsPressReleaseHighlight: No

LegislatorID: #288;

PressReleaseID: 21,519

Publicist: Tristan Grau

PublicistID: 40

Published Date: 10/29/2026 3:02 PM

Senator/Representatives: Sen. Alana DiMario;

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SenRepBioPageFlag: Yes

Status: Approved

Description: STATE HOUSE — Sen. Alana M. DiMario was honored today for her work on behalf of families and children with special needs with a Legislative Partner award at the RIPIN Annual Breakfast.

“I am honored to receive this award and celebrate the 35th anniversary of RIPIN, a group founded by parents of children with special needs who recognized that through community and mutual support they could build a more inclusive and supportive Rhode Island,” said Senator DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown, New Shoreham). “I’ve been proud to do my part in the General Assembly to move our laws in the same direction. Every child deserves to thrive, and every family deserves the support they need to provide the best learning environment possible for their children.”

Senator DiMario has sponsored a number of laws supporting special education and children with special needs, including to improve individualized education plans (IEP) for children and their parents, to ensure that parents of children with special educational needs have access to local advisory committees for support and advice, to allow students to help with IEP physical education classes, and to codify federal 504 education plans into state law.

She also successfully advocated for the state budget to fund behavioral health training for staff in out-of-school programs and personally supported workforce training for child mental health professionals by covering membership fees for infant and child care professionals.

“Senator DiMario is such a dedicated champion for children with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. She understands the challenges that families face, and she knows how to build solutions,” said Samuel Salganik, executive director at RIPIN. “We’re thrilled to honor her work, and it’s been such a privilege to work with her to enact policies that help Rhode Islanders of all abilities thrive.”

Established in 1991 by a passionate group of parents of children with special needs, RIPIN is a statewide network dedicated to helping Rhode Islanders of all abilities, ages and backgrounds get the support they need to thrive. Today it has over 100 employees, most of whom have personal experience caring for a loved one with special health care or educational needs.

IN PHOTO: From left, Sen. Alan M. DiMario and RIPIN Executive Director Samuel Salganik.

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NewsYear: 2026

IsPressReleaseHighlight: No

LegislatorID: #262; #261;

PressReleaseID: 21,517

Publicist: Lee Ann Sennick

PublicistID: 37

Published Date: 10/26/2026 2:42 PM

Senator/Representatives: Sen. Jessica de la Cruz; Sen. Gordon E. Rogers;

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SenRepBioPageFlag: Yes

Status: Approved

Description: STATE HOUSE, RI — Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz and Senate Minority Whip Gordon Rogers joined students and educators at Ponaganset High School on October 23, 2026 for a student-led debate examining the complex issues surrounding automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and AI-driven Flock surveillance cameras.
 
The event highlighted the critical voices of Rhode Island youth on an issue rapidly moving to the forefront of state legislative agendas. Following the formal debate, Leader de la Cruz and Whip Rogers participated in an open discussion and Q&A session with the students and audience members to hear their perspectives on how these policies impact the community. There was a strong consensus among participants that while modern law enforcement tools are vital for solving crimes, robust legislative guardrails are essential to protect the civil liberties of ordinary citizens.
 
“Flock cameras raise serious questions about how we balance public safety with personal privacy, and those are exactly the kinds of questions lawmakers wrestle with every session,” said Leader de la Cruz. “Debate teaches students to research an issue, understand both sides, and make their case with evidence. Whip Rogers and I are glad to support that work and to give these students a real-world look at how policy gets made.”
 
"Seeing these students engage so deeply with such a complex, modern issue is incredibly reassuring," said Whip Rogers. "The decisions we make regarding privacy and technology today will shape the world they inherit tomorrow. Hearing their structured arguments and insights provides valuable perspective as we navigate these regulatory boundaries at the State House."
 
The full event remains available for on-demand streaming online via Capitol TV at:
 
https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/12424

MigrationFlag: 1

ContactInformationFlag: 0

NewsYear: 2026