H 8636

2026 -- H 8636
========
LC006126
========
  STATE  OF       RHODE  ISLAND
  IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
  JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
  ____________
  HOUSE RESOLUTION
 HONORING REPRESENTATIVE JASON KNIGHT FOR HIS SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE
  OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
  Introduced By: Representatives Blazejewski, Kazarian, Speakman, Chippendale,
  Caldwell, Boylan, McEntee, Dawson, Spears, and Donovan
  Date Introduced: June 11, 2026
  Referred To: House read and passed
1WHEREAS, The Honorable Jason Knight has proudly represented the residents of
2 District 67 in the towns of Barrington and Warren since his election to the Rhode Island House of
3 Representatives in November 2016, serving with distinction, energy, and integrity; and
4WHEREAS, Representative Knight was named a Deputy Majority Leader in January
5 2021 and currently serves as First Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee and as a member
6 of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the House State Government
7 and Elections Committee, providing thoughtful leadership on complex legal, environmental, and
8 governmental issues; and
9WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure in the General Assembly, Representative Knight has
10 been a strong advocate for public safety and common-sense firearms regulation, sponsoring and
11 cosponsoring numerous measures, including the 2025 law banning the sale of assault weapons in
12 Rhode Island, the 2021 law banning “straw purchases” of firearms, safe storage requirements, and
13 the prohibition of high-capacity magazines and bump stocks, and strengthening oversight of gun
14 sales; and
15WHEREAS, Representative Knight has championed many efforts to reform and
16 strengthen Rhode Island’s criminal justice system, including sponsoring legislation eliminating
17 certain court fees to prevent unnecessary re-incarceration, expanding opportunities to seal arrest
18 records for individuals who have been acquitted or exonerated, and waiving expungement fees to
19 reduce barriers to fair outcomes; and
1WHEREAS, In 2025, Representative Knight sponsored and passed legislation
2 modernizing Rhode Island’s laws to address nonconsensual explicit material, including updating
3 the State’s “revenge porn” statute to encompass “deepfakes,” and sponsored legislation enabling
4 municipalities to establish tax credit programs for senior property owners who volunteer in their
5 communities; and
6WHEREAS, In his first term, Representative Knight enacted legislation allowing
7 religious organizations to require national criminal background checks for volunteers working
8 with children, and he has cosponsored many other bills advancing fair elections, environmental
9 protections, and economic justice; and
10WHEREAS, Outside of the General Assembly, Representative Knight has served both
11 his country and community with distinction. He served eight years in the United States Navy as
12 an enlisted nuclear power operator, including instructing at the Naval Nuclear Power Prototype
13 facility in Idaho and serving aboard the USS Albuquerque, and later pursued a career in law after
14 earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emerson College and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk
15 University Law School; and
16WHEREAS, Following his military and legal education, Representative Knight was
17 admitted to the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Bars and served as a special assistant attorney
18 general before founding a private law practice specializing in criminal defense and serving his
19 community through leadership roles with Temple Habonim and Arts Alive!; and
20WHEREAS, Representative Knight resides in Barrington with his wife Nicole and their
21 two children, embodying a lifelong commitment to family, service, and civic participation; and
22WHEREAS, Representative Knight has announced his candidacy for Attorney General of
23 the State of Rhode Island, seeking to bring his legal experience, legislative insight, and
24 commitment to justice to the highest law enforcement office in the State; now, therefore be it
25RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby
26 honors and thanks Representative Jason Knight for his dedicated service to the people of
27 Barrington, Warren, and the State of Rhode Island and extends its best wishes for continued
28 success in his campaign and all future endeavors; and be it further
29RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
30 transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Jason Knight.
========
LC006126
========
  LC006126 - Page 2 of 2