H 8633

2026 -- H 8633
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  STATE  OF        RHODE  ISLAND
  IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
  JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
  ____________
  HOUSE RESOLUTION
 HONORING REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT E. CRAVEN SR. FOR HIS SERVICE TO THE
  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
  Introduced By: Representatives Blazejewski, Kazarian, McEntee, Chippendale, Fellela,
  Ajello, Caldwell, Dawson, Morales, and Corvese
  Date Introduced: June 11, 2026
  Referred To: House read and passed
1WHEREAS, It is with great respect and appreciation that this House bids farewell to our
2 good friend and colleague, the Honorable Robert E. Craven Sr., who is not seeking reelection in
3 2026 after more than a decade of devoted public service to the citizens of District 32 in North
4 Kingstown and the people of the State of Rhode Island; and
5WHEREAS, The Honorable Robert E. Craven Sr. has served with honor and distinction
6 as the State Representative from District 32 since his first election in November 2012,
7 representing his constituents with integrity, diligence, and a steadfast dedication to public service;
8 and
9WHEREAS, Representative Craven has been a longstanding member of the House
10 Judiciary Committee, the House Innovation and Technology Committee, and the House Small
11 Business Committee, and served as Chair of the House Judiciary Committee from 2019 through
12 2025, providing leadership and thoughtful guidance on legal and public policy issues facing the
13 State; and
14WHEREAS, During the 2025 legislative session, Representative Craven sponsored and
15 enacted legislation that protects employees’ rights in the workplace concerning political and
16 religious matters, establishing a civil action with potential damages and attorneys’ fees, and
17 sponsored legislation granting the Rhode Island Family Court concurrent jurisdiction over
18 juvenile cases arising on military bases and installations located in Rhode Island; and
19WHEREAS, Representative Craven also sponsored two laws as part of Speaker K.
1 Joseph Shekarchi’s 2025 housing package: one requiring municipalities to provide for village or
2 mixed-use zoning to allow residential use in commercial zoning districts, and another to ease
3 barriers to necessary housing production based on comprehensive stakeholder feedback; and
4WHEREAS, In 2024, Representative Craven sponsored laws designed to spur housing
5 production in Rhode Island and introduced legislation to simplify the process of changing an
6 individual’s name in municipal probate court while updating statutory language to be gender
7 neutral and more inclusive; and
8WHEREAS, During the 2023 legislative session, Representative Craven sponsored a law
9 increasing penalties for wage theft and introduced legislation addressing subdivision and land
10 development standards to promote needed housing opportunities; and
11WHEREAS, In 2022, in response to the pandemic’s economic effects on small
12 businesses, Representative Craven sponsored a law creating a temporary non-liquidating
13 receivership program to assist small businesses experiencing significant revenue loss due to
14 emergency declarations; and
15WHEREAS, Born on November 19, 1955, Representative Craven graduated from La
16 Salle Academy in Providence in 1974, earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode
17 Island in 1978, and received his Juris Doctor from New England Law | Boston in 1983; and
18WHEREAS, In addition to his legislative service, Representative Craven is an attorney at
19 Robert E. Craven & Associates in North Kingstown, and serves as Assistant Solicitor in
20 Charlestown, Probate Judge for the Town of Charlestown, Solicitor for the Exeter West
21 Greenwich Regional School District, Solicitor in New Shoreham, and Assistant Solicitor in
22 Westerly, demonstrating his deep commitment to law and community service; and
23WHEREAS, Representative Craven’s distinguished record of public service also includes
24 roles as Solicitor for the Town of Foster, Assistant Solicitor for the City of East Providence,
25 Legal Counsel to the Rhode Island Board of Elections, Assistant Attorney General including
26 Chief of the Rhode Island Public Corruption Unit, and Town Councilor in North Kingstown, as
27 well as service as an adjunct professor at the Community College of Rhode Island from 1983 to
28 2002; and
29WHEREAS, Representative Craven resides in Saunderstown with his wife Susan, and is
30 the proud father of two sons, Robert and Joseph; now, therefore be it
31RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby
32 honors and thanks Representative Robert E. Craven Sr. for his many years of dedicated and
33 meaningful service to his constituents and to the State, and extends its best wishes for health,
34 happiness, and success in all his future endeavors; and be it further
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1RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
2 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Robert E. Craven Sr.
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