Cherie L. Cruz

Voted to require doctors and hospitals to tell patients when artificial intelligence is used to write up their visit. It passed the House 51-14.

June 11, 2026Supports AI Regulation

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to keep Rhode Island's supervised drug-use centers open two more years, to March 2028. The centers are meant to prevent overdose deaths. It passed the House 51-16.

May 29, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to make kratom legal to sell to adults 21 and over, with labeling rules and a ban on mixing it with harmful substances. It passed the House 40-24.

May 29, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: legiscan.com

Voted against letting Providence raise its property tax levy by up to 8 percent in one year, above the usual state cap. It passed the House 56-17.

May 27, 2025Supports Cost of Living Reduction

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to let residents who cannot prove legal immigration status get a Rhode Island state ID card. It passed the House 60-13.

June 14, 2023Supports Immigration

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced the Rhode Island Child Care for All Act on February 11, 2026 to provide affordable, high-quality child care to families across the state. It went to the House Finance Committee.

February 11, 2026Opposes Government Spending Reduction

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 25, 2024, that set up a state training program to teach building officials and inspectors the state building code.

June 25, 2024Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against making threats against school superintendents, principals and other school staff a crime under the law on threats to public officials. It passed the House 50-17.

May 29, 2024Opposes Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 27, 2026 to let people clear several non-violent felony convictions from their record 10 years after conviction. A House committee held it.

February 27, 2026Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 27, 2026 to bar police from using threats, deception or psychological pressure when questioning children in custody. A House committee held it.

February 27, 2026Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 11, 2026 to require judges to consider whether a defendant cares for a child or a sick or disabled person before sentencing. A House committee held it.

February 11, 2026Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 11, 2026 to count people in prison at their home address, not the prison, when drawing election districts. A House committee held it.

February 11, 2026Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill cutting the wait to clear a criminal record to three years for one misdemeanor and five years for felonies or several misdemeanors. It passed the House 69-3 on June 16, 2025.

June 16, 2025Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 28, 2025 to make voting easier for eligible people held at the state prison and create a prison voting coordinator job. A House committee held it.

February 28, 2025Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 24, 2025 to require that one parole board member be someone who went through the criminal justice system and finished parole. A House committee held it.

January 24, 2025Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 4, 2024, that stops courts from treating a parent's time in prison as voluntary unemployment when setting or changing child support.

June 4, 2024Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Co-founded the Formerly Incarcerated Union of Rhode Island, a group that helps people move past their criminal records, before her 2022 election (reported December 1, 2022).

December 1, 2022Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: boltsmag.org

Voted to stop towns from using zoning to treat certified addiction recovery homes worse than other houses on the street. It passed the House 53-15.

June 11, 2026Supports Housing Affordability

Source: legiscan.com

Introduced a bill on April 1, 2026 to stop towns from requiring more than 5,000 square feet of land for homes of one to four units on lots with public water and sewer. A House committee held it.

April 1, 2026Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 27, 2026 to create a state program giving free lawyers to eligible tenants facing eviction. A House committee held it.

February 27, 2026Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 27, 2026 to require landlords to pay tenants interest on security deposits. A House committee held it.

February 27, 2026Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill letting zoning officers waive lot-size and similar rules for homes with public water and sewer when the change fits the neighborhood. It passed the House 56-13 on May 15, 2025.

May 15, 2025Supports Housing Affordability

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 28, 2025 to let tenants pay rent into an escrow account instead of to the landlord after a second housing code violation notice. A House committee held it.

February 28, 2025Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 13, 2025 to let landlords evict tenants only for a listed just cause. A House committee held it.

February 13, 2025Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on March 5, 2024 to give people who plan to live in a home the first chance to buy foreclosed properties and to ban bundled foreclosure sales. A House committee held it.

March 5, 2024Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 24, 2023, that bars landlords, brokers and property managers from charging people a fee to apply to rent a home, starting in 2024.

June 24, 2023Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to let courts seal eviction case files after a case ends, such as when back rent was paid. It passed the House 51-19.

June 15, 2023Supports Housing Affordability

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on March 3, 2023 to require cities and towns that get extra state school aid to run year-round homeless shelters with at least 10 beds. A House committee held it.

March 3, 2023Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced the Rhode Island Child Care for All Act on February 11, 2026 to provide affordable, high-quality child care to families across the state. It went to the House Finance Committee.

February 11, 2026Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 11, 2026 to extend protections against utility shutoffs for customers who are seriously ill or disabled. A House committee held it.

February 11, 2026Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 4, 2024, that stops courts from treating a parent's time in prison as voluntary unemployment when setting or changing child support.

June 4, 2024Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on March 3, 2023 to require cities and towns that get extra state school aid to run year-round homeless shelters with at least 10 beds. A House committee held it.

March 3, 2023Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 17, 2023 to bar utilities from shutting off service from November to mid-April at buildings used as warming centers or shelters. A House committee held it.

February 17, 2023Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to ban the sale, manufacture and purchase of assault-style firearms in Rhode Island starting July 2026. It passed the House 44-28.

June 20, 2025Supports Gun Control

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to require gun owners to store firearms safely, with penalties for violations. It passed the House 46-24.

May 28, 2024Supports Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against letting family court share juvenile criminal records with the federal background check system used for gun purchases. It passed the House 46-20.

May 28, 2024Opposes Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to shield Rhode Island health care providers from lawsuits and prosecution by other states over reproductive and gender-affirming care. It passed the House 50-15.

June 11, 2024Supports Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to cover abortion in Medicaid and state employee health plans. It passed the House 49-24.

April 27, 2023Supports Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to require doctors and hospitals to tell patients when artificial intelligence is used to write up their visit. It passed the House 51-14.

June 11, 2026Supports Data Privacy

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to stop towns from using zoning to treat certified addiction recovery homes worse than other houses on the street. It passed the House 53-15.

June 11, 2026Supports Civil Rights

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to shield Rhode Island health care providers from lawsuits and prosecution by other states over reproductive and gender-affirming care. It passed the House 50-15.

June 11, 2024Supports Civil Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against giving the attorney general power to investigate and sue over repeated illegal conduct by businesses or government bodies. It passed the House 51-20.

June 13, 2024Opposes Corporate Accountability

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Received the endorsement of Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island PAC for her 2026 House District 58 race.

July 23, 2026

Source: plannedparenthoodaction.org

Voted against letting people with more than one non-violent felony clear their records after 15 years without a new arrest. It passed the House 56-14.

June 9, 2026

Source: legiscan.com

Received Clean Water Action Rhode Island's endorsement for her 2024 House District 58 race.

August 9, 2024

Source: cleanwater.org

Sponsored a law, signed on June 24, 2024, that lets the state's chief purchasing officer waive contractor bond rules for certified minority- and women-owned businesses on public works jobs.

June 24, 2024

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against a bill letting people with one felony and one misdemeanor clear the felony from their record after a waiting period, excluding violent crimes. It passed the House 54-19.

June 13, 2024

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against delaying cage-free housing rules for commercial egg-laying hens until 2030. The delay passed the House 42-15.

June 13, 2024

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against the House overhaul of the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights, which set a new hearing panel for police discipline. It passed the House 58-14.

May 9, 2024

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to legalize online casino gambling (iGaming) in Rhode Island. It passed the House 59-11.

June 15, 2023

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against changing how towns may cap unrelated people sharing a home: the cap could be no lower than one person per bedroom and no higher than five. It passed the House 49-22.

June 15, 2023

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov