State Senator Melissa Murray Announces Candidacy for Re-election
Woonsocket, RI – Melissa Murray, Democrat, Senate District 24 (Woonsocket, North Smithfield) announces her candidacy for re-election.
With three terms of service in the Senate, Melissa brings a wealth of experience to the table. She championed an impressive number of bills this term, with 31 passing the Senate chamber and 21 signed into law. She was named Senate Deputy Majority Leader this year and received the Rhode Island Mental Health Association’s 2024 “Legislator of the Year” Award. Melissa currently serves as 1st Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, a member of the Senate Committee on Labor, and Secretary of the Permanent Joint Committee on State Lottery.
Melissa has consistently advocated for “kitchen table” policies that directly impact the daily lives of district residents. Some of Melissa’s bills that were passed into law include capping out of pocket costs for prescription drugs, eliminating onerous tangible taxes for 75% of our smallest local businesses, and increasing pension exemptions so more money stays in retirees’ pockets. Her bills prohibiting medical debt from affecting credit scores, expanding opportunities for special education students, and protecting victims of violent crimes also became law. Melissa successfully secured more education funding in the state’s budget for Woonsocket and North Smithfield, and championed expanding the Rhode Island Works Program, lifting children and families out of deep poverty.
In her statement, Melissa said, “I’m excited to be running for my fourth term in the RI Senate, representing the residents of Woonsocket and North Smithfield. I accomplished a lot this term, but there is still so much more work to be done. I vow to keep advocating for proper funding for public education, pushing back against big pharma and insurance companies that put profits over people’s well-being, and to keep fighting for economic justice for our families and children.
The Supreme Court has ruled that a January 6th Capitol rioter was improperly charged with obstruction. The case involved a former Pennsylvania police officer charged for his alleged participation in the attack on the Capitol. The Justices ruled 6-3 that the government's broad use of a 2002 law that specifically deals with obstruction does not apply to the officer, and by extension, others. 
