Arthur Handy

Representative Arthur Handy (D) was first elected to represent District 18 in Cranston in November 2002. Representative Handy was named a Deputy Majority Leader in January 2021. He is the first vice chair of the House Innovation and Technology Committee and is a member of the House Oversight Committee, chairing that committee's Energy Subcommittee. He is also a member of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the House Health and Human Services Committee. Representative Handy was the primary sponsor of the House same-sex marriage bill that became law in 2013, after he'd introduced it every year of his legislative career. A former chairman of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, he has championed greater environmental protections throughout his legislative career, and has also been a strong advocate for low-income Rhode Islanders, minorities, and the disabled. He was a force behind long-overdue rate increases and adjustments in the 2022 and 2023 state budgets for R.I. Works , the state's cash-assistance and work-readiness program for low-income families, and has successfully continued to push to make the program relevant to today's needs . In…