Honoring Representative Jason Knight for His Service to the People of the State of Rhode Island

WHEREAS, The Honorable Jason Knight has proudly represented the residents of District 67 in the towns of Barrington and Warren since his election to the Rhode Island House of Representatives in November 2016, serving with distinction, energy, and integrity; and

WHEREAS, Representative Knight was named a Deputy Majority Leader in January 2021 and currently serves as First Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee and as a member of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the House State Government and Elections Committee, providing thoughtful leadership on complex legal, environmental, and governmental issues; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure in the General Assembly, Representative Knight has been a strong advocate for public safety and common-sense firearms regulation, sponsoring and cosponsoring numerous measures, including the 2025 law banning the sale of assault weapons in Rhode Island, the 2021 law banning “straw purchases” of firearms, safe storage requirements, and the prohibition of high-capacity magazines and bump stocks, and strengthening oversight of gun sales; and

WHEREAS, Representative Knight has championed many efforts to reform and strengthen Rhode Island’s criminal justice system, including sponsoring legislation eliminating certain court fees to prevent unnecessary re-incarceration, expanding opportunities to seal arrest records for individuals who have been acquitted or exonerated, and waiving expungement fees to reduce barriers to fair outcomes; and

WHEREAS, In 2025, Representative Knight sponsored and passed legislation modernizing Rhode Island’s laws to address nonconsensual explicit material, including updating the State’s “revenge porn” statute to encompass “deepfakes,” and sponsored legislation enabling municipalities to establish tax credit programs for senior property owners who volunteer in their communities; and

WHEREAS, In his first term, Representative Knight enacted legislation allowing religious organizations to require national criminal background checks for volunteers working with children, and he has cosponsored many other bills advancing fair elections, environmental protections, and economic justice; and

WHEREAS, Outside of the General Assembly, Representative Knight has served both his country and community with distinction. He served eight years in the United States Navy as an enlisted nuclear power operator, including instructing at the Naval Nuclear Power Prototype facility in Idaho and serving aboard the USS Albuquerque, and later pursued a career in law after earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emerson College and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School; and

WHEREAS, Following his military and legal education, Representative Knight was admitted to the Rhode Island and Massachusetts Bars and served as a special assistant attorney general before founding a private law practice specializing in criminal defense and serving his community through leadership roles with Temple Habonim and Arts Alive!; and

WHEREAS, Representative Knight resides in Barrington with his wife Nicole and their two children, embodying a lifelong commitment to family, service, and civic participation; and

WHEREAS, Representative Knight has announced his candidacy for Attorney General of the State of Rhode Island, seeking to bring his legal experience, legislative insight, and commitment to justice to the highest law enforcement office in the State; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby honors and thanks Representative Jason Knight for his dedicated service to the people of Barrington, Warren, and the State of Rhode Island and extends its best wishes for continued success in his campaign and all future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Jason Knight.