Cherie Cruz

Rep. Cherie L. Cruz (D-Dist. 58, Pawtucket) was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives in November 2022. She represents Pawtucket's Fairlawn and Woodlawn neighborhoods, where she was born and raised. She is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, the House Municipal Government and Housing Committee, and the House Special Legislation Committee. During the 2025 legislative session, Representative Cruz introduced a bill that passed the House that would take advantage of underutilized land in a community for the purpose of housing construction . Portions of the bill were adopted into final passage as part of comprehensive housing legislation enacted by the legislature. She also had a bill pass the House that would reduce the time for expungements to three years for a single misdemeanor and five years for felonies and multiple misdemeanors . In 2024, Representative Cruz introduced a new law that will help alleviate the state's housing crisis by codifying the existing structure of the State Building Code Office and clarifying the role of the State Building Code Commissioner. She also introduced new laws that permit state child support agencies to bring actions under…