Mary Ann Shallcross Smith Representative

Speaker @JoeShekarchi joined @rihumanities to announce the organization's 2026 THRIVE grant awards for local organizations. This year’s awards include $100,000 in grants to 20 local organizations throughout the state.

Yesterday the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Rhode Island held its State Action Day at the State House. @MASSforRep and Rep. Joseph Solomon spoke at the event about legislation they're sponsoring: Rep. Shallcross Smith has sponsored H-8177, which would fund the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and Rep. Solomon has sponsored H-8148, which would direct the RI Bridge & Turnpike Authority to design safety barriers on several bridges. The event can be viewed online: capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/12107

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Rhode Island has honored @MASSforRep as its 2026 advocacy champion. She was surprised with the award at the foundation’s Advocacy Action Day Tuesday at the State House. The award was given in recognition of Representative Shallcross Smith’s efforts to establish and maintain a 988 call center in Rhode Island. She led the initial efforts to create the call center in 2022, sponsoring legislation that was adopted in that year’s budget. “I am surprised and honored to be recognized by the AFSP,” said Representative Shallcross Smith (D-Dist. 46, Lincoln, Pawtucket). “I will continue to advocate for the 988 Center and other suicide prevention efforts in the General Assembly, and I look forward to working together with you to make those dreams a reality.” More information: rilegislature.gov/pressrelease/_…

Happening now: the House Committee on Education, chaired by @RIDemChair, is meeting. The agenda is online: status.rilegislature.gov/documents/agen… The meeting will air on @RICapitolTV and is livestreaming at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv, where a recording will be available to view on demand.

Thank you @repgracediaz,@MASSforRep and other members of the @RIHouseofReps for joining us at yesterday's Strolling Thunder! And thank you for your commitment to supporting budget investments and legislation to ensure ALL RI kids and families get off to the #RIghtStart!

In conjunction with #NationalSmallBusinessWeek, the U.S. Small Business Administration named its 2026 SBA Award winners from Rhode Island. Rep. Stephen Casey participated in the event, which was also attended by @MASSforRep.

Happening now: the Permanent Joint Legislative Commission on Child Care, co-chaired by @repgracediaz, is meeting. The agenda is online: status.rilegislature.gov/documents/Chil… The meeting will air on @RICapitolTV and is livestreaming at capitoltvri.cablecast.tv, where a recording will be available to view on demand.

Take a virtual tour of the beautiful Rhode Island State House 🏛️ From parking and security to the House & Senate chambers, galleries, committee rooms, café, and visitor resources, this video walks you through everything you need to know before your visit! youtube.com/watch?v=lg8q8_…

Earlier today, @MASSforRep hosted a group of students from Lincoln Central Elementary School at the State House. The students participated in a mock legislative session led by Rep. Shallcross Smith, where they debated several bills and learned about how laws are made.

@MASSforRep joined the Rhode Island Afterschool Network for a State House press conference to highlight the organization's focus on supporting children's mental health and emotional well-being in out-of-school settings. The event can be viewed online: capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/12085

Look out @GovDanMcKee, @RIHouseofReps + @RISenate because an army of cute babies, kids + parents will be strolling to the State House Thursday to make some noise in support of legislation + investments in RI kids + families. Join us for Strolling Thunder! eventbrite.com/e/strolling-th…

Congratulations Lincoln High School 🦁Class of 2026 top 10 students 📚

@MASSforRep (D-Dist. 46, Lincoln, Pawtucket) and Sen. Thomas J. Paolino (R-Dist. 17, Lincoln, North Providence, North Smithfield) joined Gov. Dan McKee, Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce Stefan Pryor, AAA Northeast CEO John Galvin to highlight the new Motor Club Insurance Company’s (MCIC) 21,000 square-foot space in Lincoln, a major expansion of business operations bringing in an estimated 370 new jobs to Rhode Island over the next decade. More information: rilegislature.gov/pressrelease/_…

Opinion piece by @MASSforRep in @RhodyBeat: If you can’t fix it yourself, is it really yours? One of the defining characteristics of American culture is its work ethic. The right to do what you wish with your own property, particularly to fix it, is ingrained in the fabric of our society. The problem is that it’s getting harder and harder to fix your own stuff. That’s because manufacturers are increasingly limiting access to the critical parts, tools and documentation we need to fix the products we own. We may not be able to repair our broken smartphone, laptop or farm equipment, even if the fix is simple. Even local repair shops are forbidden from doing the repairs, due to manufacturer restrictions such as software locks and limited parts access. This has left consumers facing the choice of either replacing products entirely or gambling on the mercy of the manufacturer, which will repair a product at great expense and inconvenience and with a long wait time. That’s why I’ve made right-to-repair legislation one of my priorities over the past few years. These bills are directed at the right of consumers to repair their own products instead of going back to the original manufacturer for service. Right-to-repair legislation includes bills addressing specific products and those targeting broader categories, such as medical, digital or agricultural equipment. Full piece: johnstonsunrise.net/opinion/if-you…

@MASSforRep and @bridget4ri have introduced legislation to help small businesses in Rhode Island grow while incentivizing Rhode Islanders to keep their investments local. Their bill would create the Rhode Island Local Investment Tax Credit, which would provide Rhode Island taxpayers a refundable income tax credit of up to $3,000 for half their qualified investment in a local small business. Said Representative Shallcross Smith (D-Dist. 46, Lincoln, Pawtucket), “Small businesses face a tremendous number of challenges in the modern world, including access to the money they need to compete with larger corporations. But small, locally owned businesses are the businesses we should be supporting. They are our neighbors, they keep Main Street alive, they are sponsoring our Little League teams and they are contributing to what makes each community special. With this legislation, we’re creating a program that provides a new local funding source for them, benefiting both small businesses and the neighbors who invest in them, and creating stronger connections between those businesses and their neighbors.” More information: rilegislature.gov/pressrelease/_…

Many Reps attended the @Provchamber's annual legislative luncheon. The event featured a panel discussion with GPCC President Laurie White and Speaker @JoeShekarchi, Majority Leader @CBlazejewski, Minority Leader @MikeWChip, Senate President @Val_Lawson, Senate Majority Whip @PTikoian66035, and Senate Minority Leader @JessicaforRI.

"For the third year in a row, Town Administrator Phil Gould said he is pushing hard for the General Assembly to pass Bill 7502." valleybreeze.com/news/gould-pus…

I was honored to be a guest at the new Motor Club Insurance Company space in Lincoln (the former Cross Pen building), along with the Governor, Town Administrator Phil Gould, Department of Commerce and AAA Northeast. The expansion will bring more than 350 jobs to RI.

Community Closeup: Student absenteeism; illegal dumping crackdown youtube.com/watch?v=107hBB…

This National Volunteer Month, we're thankful for the volunteer tour guides that show the State House to visitors from across the state and around the world. If you're interested in becoming a volunteer tour guide, email Tour Coordinator, Erin Stevenson, at estevenson@sos.ri.gov.