State Rep. Amore Named to Several House Leadership Posts including Deputy Majority Leader

The Rhode Island House of Representatives released a January 11th statement in which it was announced that Rep. Gregg Amore (D-Dist. 65, East Providence) was appointed to the position of Deputy Majority Leader. The appointment was made by House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello (D-Dist. 15, Cranston). Amore, an East Providence educator, was also named as Chairman of the Finance Subcommittee on Education by Speaker Mattiello.

“I am honored to have been appointed as Deputy Majority Leader and I thank Speaker Mattiello and the rest of my colleagues for their confidence in my ability to join the House leadership team,” said Representative Amore. “And, as the new Chairman of the House Finance Subcommittee on Education, I am looking forward to tackling the issues our education system faces within the budget to ensure that our state’s children receive the best education that they and our taxpayers thoroughly deserve,” he added.

Amore was also reappointed to the full House Finance Committee, which reviews the governor’s proposed budget as well as all legislation regarding public finance, and he was also appointed to the Finance Subcommittee on General Government.

Representative Kazarian Supporting Fair Shot Agenda:

Also on Thursday of this week a group of state representatives announced their collective support for the “Fair Shot Agenda,” a package of four legislative solutions they propose to support working families and address the growing gap between the wealthy and the middle class.

“In the aftermath of the November elections and in the midst of decades of economic policy that has continually tilted the scales toward the wealthy and large corporations, a group of House Democrats came together to craft an economic agenda that gives voice to the many, many working Rhode Islanders who believe their government has been unresponsive to their struggles,” said Rep. Gregg Amore (D-East Providence). “Today we are here to announce that, together, we will work this session on this concrete agenda to make sure that every Rhode Islander has an opportunity to succeed.”

The four pieces of the Fair Shot Agenda consist of earned paid sick days, a $15 minimum wage, school building repairs, and a fairer tax system that reduces the car tax for working families by asking the wealthiest Rhode Islanders to pay their fair share.

The legislators’ agenda also stressed the need for the state to increase its investment in repairing public school buildings. “Every day we are sending our children to school in buildings that do not meet the most basic criteria of being safe, warm and dry,” said Rep. Katherine Kazarian (D-East Providence). “There are schools where buckets are placed to catch leaks in the halls when it rains. There are schools that lack heat in the winter. There are schools where mold and asbestos are a constant threat to the health of our children and our teachers. My colleagues and I who support the Fair Shot Agenda are no longer willing to sit by and wait, and we will fight with everything we’ve got to secure the greater state investment that is desperately needed,” said Rep. Kazarian. "I am honored to stand by my colleagues today in support of the Fair Shot agenda. I was particularly excited to speak about the need for investments in school infrastructure," she added.

The representatives who gathered in the House Lounge Thursday committed to working together to advocate for each of the Fair Shot Agenda’s four policy proposals over the coming months.

According to spokesperson Jacob Bissaillon, Deputy Communications Director, among several legislators present for the package rollout, were Rep. Gregg Amore (D-East Providence), Rep. Helder Cunha (D-East Providence) and Rep. Katherine Kazarian (D-East Providence). Also Rep. Jason Knight (D-Barrington, Warren).