Deborah A. Fellela

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

Sponsored a law, signed on July 14, 2021, that raised the top fine the state medical board can impose for unprofessional conduct from $10,000 to $30,000.

July 14, 2021Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to replace the 10-member coastal council with a 7-member board whose members must have environmental expertise. It passed the House 52-19.

June 20, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: legiscan.com

Sponsored a law, signed on June 6, 2025, requiring public and private golf courses to keep a heart defibrillator on site.

June 6, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

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 to require that all of Rhode Island's electricity come from renewable sources by 2033. It passed the House 56-13.

June 14, 2022Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted for the 2021 Act on Climate, which made the state's greenhouse gas reduction targets mandatory. It passed the House 53-22.

March 23, 2021Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 28, 2016, that strengthened the state's prescription drug monitoring database with weekly updates, data analysis and data from other states.

June 28, 2016Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against the Climate Risk Reduction Act of 2010, which set up a state response to the effects of climate change. It passed the House 45-20.

June 2, 2010Opposes Environment and Public Health

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, which took effect on November 13, 2009, that raised the maximum fine for dumping out-of-state trash at the state's central landfill in Johnston from $5,000 to $50,000.

November 13, 2009Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill requiring trash haulers to certify every 30 days that waste they bring to the central landfill came from Rhode Island. It passed the General Assembly and was vetoed on July 2, 2008.

July 2, 2008Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to raise Rhode Island's minimum wage from $11.50 to $15 an hour over four years. It passed the House 58-16.

May 6, 2021Supports Reduce Wealth Gap

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to raise the state minimum wage to $9.00 an hour on January 1, 2015. It passed the House 63-10.

June 18, 2014Supports Reduce Wealth Gap

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill to keep federal workplace safety protections in state law if federal OSHA rules or enforcement are cut back. A House committee held it on March 30, 2026.

March 30, 2026Supports Labor Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill to cut the standard work week to 32 hours with no cut in weekly pay, then withdrew it on May 22, 2023.

May 22, 2023Supports Labor Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to cover domestic workers in private homes under the state minimum wage law. It passed the House 56-12.

May 4, 2023Supports Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to raise Rhode Island's minimum wage from $11.50 to $15 an hour over four years. It passed the House 58-16.

May 6, 2021Supports Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill letting teachers and state and town workers retire at age 60 with 30 years of service. A House committee held it on March 23, 2021.

March 23, 2021Supports Labor Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to require employers with 18 or more workers to give paid sick days, rising to five days a year. It passed the House 56-14.

June 29, 2017Supports Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to raise the state minimum wage to $9.00 an hour on January 1, 2015. It passed the House 63-10.

June 18, 2014Supports Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against the 2011 overhaul of state and municipal worker pensions, which changed both benefits and worker contributions. It passed the House 57-15.

November 17, 2011Supports Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to bury part of a high-voltage power line in Providence and East Providence. Electric customers in those two cities pay the extra cost through their bills. It passed the House 52-18.

June 10, 2025Opposes Cost of Living Reduction

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to let 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, 2025Opposes Cost of Living Reduction

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to bar civil arrests at Rhode Island courthouses without a judge's warrant, which protects people going to court from immigration arrest. It passed the House 56-16.

June 10, 2026Supports Immigration

Source: legiscan.com

Introduced a bill letting teachers and state and town workers retire at age 60 with 30 years of service. A House committee held it on March 23, 2021.

March 23, 2021Opposes Government Spending Reduction

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against the 2011 overhaul of state and municipal worker pensions, which changed both benefits and worker contributions. It passed the House 57-15.

November 17, 2011Opposes Government Spending Reduction

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to require police to send guns used in crimes for ballistic testing and enter the results in the national tracing database. It passed the House 49-21.

June 10, 2025Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: legiscan.com

Sponsored Ryan's Law, signed on June 25, 2024, which requires a three-year license suspension for prescribers whose overprescribing results in a death.

June 25, 2024Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to create a new crime for selling drugs that cause a death. It passed the House 54-15.

June 20, 2018Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 28, 2016, that strengthened the state's prescription drug monitoring database with weekly updates, data analysis and data from other states.

June 28, 2016Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to let the state and towns use cameras to ticket speeding drivers in school zones. It passed the House 54-16.

June 14, 2016Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to bar civil arrests at Rhode Island courthouses without a judge's warrant, which protects people going to court from immigration arrest. It passed the House 56-16.

June 10, 2026Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to let 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, 2026Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to let 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, 2024Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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 letting Johnston pause new affordable housing permits when 250 or more units are proposed. A House committee held it on April 15, 2026.

April 15, 2026Opposes Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill requiring some landlords to carry insurance to pay for temporary housing when tenants are displaced by fire or disaster. A House committee held it on April 24, 2025.

April 24, 2025Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill to require more local review and a full-board majority vote for affordable housing projects over 60 units in towns under 35,000 people. A House committee held it on April 2, 2025.

April 2, 2025Opposes Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to bar town zoning rules from capping unrelated people sharing a home at fewer than one per bedroom. It passed the House 49-22.

June 15, 2023Supports Housing Affordability

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 20, 2023, that gave Gold Star families free admission to state-owned parks and recreation sites.

June 20, 2023Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 15, 2013, that called for a pocket guide and a website listing the benefits available to veterans, if funding allowed.

July 15, 2013Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 11, 2013, that created a state advisory committee to plan services for Rhode Island veterans.

July 11, 2013Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to keep Rhode Island out of the new federal private-school voucher tax credit unless the legislature and governor both approve joining. It passed the House 55-14.

June 10, 2026Supports Public Education Quality

Source: legiscan.com

Introduced a bill making unsafe gun storage that leads to serious injury or death a felony, under the name Dillon's Law. A House committee held it on April 17, 2023.

April 17, 2023Supports Gun Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against making it a felony to own gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. It passed the House 43-27.

June 10, 2022Opposes Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to raise the minimum age to buy guns or ammunition from 18 to 21. It passed the House 53-15.

June 10, 2022Supports Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to ban buying a gun for someone who is not allowed to have one and to raise penalties for lying on gun purchase forms. It passed the House 46-27.

June 30, 2021Supports Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to take guns away from people under certain domestic violence restraining orders. It passed the House 56-13.

June 26, 2017Supports Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill for automatic renewal of gun permits and licenses. A House committee held it on April 27, 2011.

April 27, 2011Opposes Gun Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

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

April 27, 2023Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against final passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act, which wrote abortion rights under Roe v. Wade into state law. It passed the House 45-29.

June 19, 2019Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on April 12, 2018 making it a felony for a doctor to knowingly perform a partial-birth abortion. It never got a committee vote.

April 12, 2018Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill to ban abortions performed solely to choose a baby's sex. A House committee held it on April 26, 2011.

April 26, 2011Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to require voters to show proof of identity at the polls, with a provisional ballot for those without it. It passed the House 54-21.

June 30, 2011Supports Election Integrity

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 for the Let RI Vote Act, which allowed mail voting without an excuse and dropped the witness or notary rule for mail ballots. It passed the House 53-13.

May 17, 2022Supports Civil Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to let voters with disabilities and military voters use ballots sent to them electronically. It passed the House 48-17.

June 16, 2021Supports Civil Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted for the final bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island. It passed the House 56-15.

May 2, 2013Supports Civil Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted for civil unions for same-sex couples. It passed the House 62-11.

May 19, 2011Supports Civil Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill barring banks from charging fees or requiring fingerprints to cash checks drawn on their own customers' accounts. It passed the House on June 15, 2011.

June 15, 2011Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill to stop auto insurers from using a person's credit history to set rates. A House committee held it on April 14, 2010.

April 14, 2010Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, which took effect on July 7, 2007, that set rules for selling dogs, including warranties and remedies for buyers.

July 7, 2007Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to bury part of a high-voltage power line in Providence and East Providence. Electric customers in those two cities pay the extra cost through their bills. It passed the House 52-18.

June 10, 2025Supports Public Infrastructure

Source: legiscan.com

Voted for tolls on large commercial trucks, with passenger cars barred from tolls, to pay for bridge repairs. It passed the House 52-21.

February 10, 2016Supports Public Infrastructure

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a joint resolution, signed on June 10, 2026, creating a 15-member legislative commission to study safe staffing ratios in hospitals.

June 10, 2026

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, which took effect on June 26, 2025, that doubled the per-vehicle fee the state landfill pays Johnston, from $3 to $6.

June 26, 2025

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against banning the sale, manufacture and purchase of assault-style firearms in Rhode Island. It passed the House 44-28.

June 20, 2025

Source: legiscan.com

Sponsored a law, which took effect on May 10, 2024, that let Johnston give a property tax credit to residents over age 65.

May 10, 2024

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

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

May 9, 2024

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, which took effect on June 24, 2023, that let some divorced spouses of deceased teachers receive survivor retirement benefits.

June 24, 2023

Source: webserver.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 to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older and set up a state commission to regulate sales. It passed the House 55-16.

May 24, 2022

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 14, 2021, requiring the health department to post information about the state's adoption reunion registry.

July 14, 2021

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 8, 2021, that set minimum qualifications for court constables, including experience and drug and psychological screening.

July 8, 2021

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Was named Senior Deputy Majority Leader of the House by Speaker Joe Shekarchi on January 30, 2021, and put in charge of a mentoring program for new legislators.

January 30, 2021

Source: whatsupnewp.com

Voted for the state budget for the 2015 fiscal year. It passed the House 63-12.

June 13, 2014

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 12, 2011, that let Johnston offer a 45-day tax amnesty waiving interest and penalties on overdue car and business property taxes.

July 12, 2011

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill to raise the legal gambling age in Rhode Island from 18 to 21. A House committee heard it on February 14, 2007 and took no final action.

February 14, 2007

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov