The Rhode Island General Assembly has been a leader on issues like paid family leave, and I applaud the work of this body in making it easier for Rhode Islanders to start a family. This bill is a natural extension of that same ideal, and I urge its passage.

Thank you."

We saw firsthand how that action led to more robust and inclusive public processes, and it is incumbent on all of us to ensure our permanent rules reflect that same spirit of inclusion.

That is what inspired me to bring this idea to Whip Kazarian, and I am so grateful that she thought it had merit.

I was also proud to work for Governor Raimondo during COVID-19 when she signed an executive order enabling exactly this type of participation in remote meetings.

(cont.) or - let’s face it - you just haven’t slept in three days and don’t feel safe driving to the State House - you should still have an equal opportunity to participate in our Democratic process.

If you are on bed-rest due to a complex or high-risk pregnancy; you have a prohibitively busy schedule of doctor’s visits; you are late in pregnancy and unable to sit still for prolonged periods; you’re the sole caregiver to a newborn with a compromised immune system; (cont.)

Years later, at the Cannabis Control Commission, I led meetings two weeks before Parker was born and again just a few weeks after.

But not every Rhode Islander is so fortunate, and every Rhode Islander should have the right to fully participate in public meetings.

I’m fortunate to have a great support system that has allowed me to show up to serve Rhode Island even while nine months pregnant or shortly after giving birth. As a prosecutor, I handled a full case load and brought murderers to justice just weeks before giving birth.

I was pregnant with my youngest daughter Parker at the time, and I was thinking a lot about how to make sure that Rhode Islanders who were pregnant or who have a newborn at home are still able to have a voice in public meetings and to take votes electronically.

This bill was inspired by a conversation I had with the Whip many years ago when I chaired the Cannabis Control Commission, a new state agency responsible for convening monthly open meetings.

"Thank you to the Chair, Vice Chairs, and members of this Committee for giving me the opportunity to speak on this important issue.

And I want to commend House Majority Whip Kazarian for introducing this much-needed bill.

As a mom, a wife, a daughter, and a human being, I cannot sit back and watch while Americans are killed in broad daylight without accountability. There must be a full independent investigation, and ICE cannot be allowed to continue this reign of terror. Enough is enough.

My dad served in Vietnam and received world-class treatment from doctors, nurses, and staff at the Providence VA. People like Alex Pretti are heroes, and his death is infuriating, heartbreaking - and avoidable.

This weekend, the world watched as another young person in MN was once again shot and killed by ICE agents - an ICU nurse helping those who served our country in the VA.