Melissa Murray

Sponsored a bill capping what insured patients pay for diabetes supplies such as glucose monitors at $25 for a 30-day supply. It passed the Senate on April 28, 2026; she had filed it every year since 2022.

April 28, 2026Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 2, 2025, that bars insurers from requiring prior approval for services ordered by an in-network primary care provider.

July 2, 2025Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill capping what insured patients pay for inhalers and related devices at $25 for a 30-day supply. It passed the Senate on June 3, 2025, but did not become law.

June 3, 2025Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Announced a nine-bill Senate health care package with Senate leaders on February 5, 2025, including her own bill to end prior approval rules for care ordered by primary care doctors.

February 5, 2025Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: rhodeislandcurrent.com

Sponsored a law, signed on June 24, 2024, that bars hospitals and other medical providers from reporting medical debt to credit reporting agencies.

June 24, 2024Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 17, 2024, that bans prior approval rules, step therapy, copays and deductibles for HIV prevention drugs.

June 17, 2024Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 22, 2023, that requires health insurers to cover medicines that prevent HIV (PrEP) and treat exposure to it (PEP), starting in 2024.

June 22, 2023Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 19, 2023, that bars insurers from denying health, disability or long-term care insurance to someone because they are a living organ donor.

June 19, 2023Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to guarantee individual health coverage without exclusions for preexisting conditions and to require 10 essential health benefits. It passed the Senate 27-10.

May 9, 2023Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 2, 2021, that caps what insured patients pay for insulin at $40 for a 30-day supply.

July 2, 2021Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 18, 2026, that creates pilot programs for cities and towns to control rats with integrated pest management, reporting results to the state environment department.

June 18, 2026Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 10, 2026, that requires labs testing children under 6 for lead to be state certified and to test at no cost, whatever the family's ability to pay.

June 10, 2026Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill setting up the 988 suicide and crisis hotline and mobile mental health crisis teams in state law. It passed the Senate on May 26, 2026.

May 26, 2026Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 27, 2025, that lets property owners with solar or other net-metered power systems share extra credits with any meter on the same property.

June 27, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 26, 2025, that requires colleges to train residence hall staff, including resident assistants, to give overdose-reversal medicine, with legal protection.

June 26, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

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 Senate 23-10.

June 21, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to replace the 10-member coastal council with a 7-member board whose members must have environmental expertise. It passed the Senate 25-10.

June 20, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to require that cosmetic procedures at medical spas be done by a doctor or by staff a doctor supervises on site. It passed the Senate 28-9.

June 17, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: legiscan.com

Sponsored a law, signed on June 13, 2025, that requires midwives, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to take a blood sample from pregnant patients within 30 days of the first visit.

June 13, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 6, 2025, that lets the state's harm reduction centers, where people can use drugs under medical watch to prevent overdose deaths, stay open until March 2028.

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 Senate 27-7.

May 13, 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 Senate 34-4.

May 31, 2022Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 14, 2021, that lets Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and similar recovery meetings keep meeting during a declared disaster emergency.

July 14, 2021Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted for the 2021 Act on Climate, which set binding state targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions. It passed the Senate 33-4.

March 16, 2021Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 23, 2026, adding a 3 percent income tax on income over $640,000. A Senate committee held it; she had filed similar bills every year since 2021.

January 23, 2026Supports Reduce Wealth Gap

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 2, 2025, that created the Rhode Island baby bond trust, a state-funded savings account for babies born into families in the Rhode Island Works program, for later use on school, a home or a business.

July 2, 2025Supports Reduce Wealth Gap

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 10, 2026, that counts people who do domestic work in private homes as employees under state job discrimination law.

June 10, 2026Supports Labor Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to widen who counts as an employee under the state labor relations law. It passed the Senate 29-5.

June 4, 2025Supports Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to treat a police officer's heart disease, stroke or high blood pressure as a job-related disability, as firefighters are already treated. It passed the Senate 29-8.

May 15, 2025Supports Labor Rights

Source: legiscan.com

Sponsored a law, which took effect on June 20, 2024, that gives injured-on-duty benefits to police officers and firefighters diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

June 20, 2024Supports Labor Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to raise job-protected parental and family leave from 13 weeks to 24 weeks over two years. It passed the Senate 31-5.

June 1, 2023Supports Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to extend whistleblower protections to job applicants and to bar employers from threatening to report a worker's immigration status for blowing the whistle. It passed the Senate 33-4.

July 1, 2021Supports Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to raise the state minimum wage from $11.50 to $15 an hour over four years. It passed the Senate 30-6.

February 10, 2021Supports Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to raise the state minimum wage to $11.50 an hour in 2020. It passed the Senate 32-6.

June 18, 2019Supports Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to lower the campaign donation amount that must be reported to the state from over $100 to $25. It passed the Senate 27-11.

June 27, 2019Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to require presidential and vice presidential candidates to file five years of federal tax returns with the state Board of Elections for public posting. It passed the Senate 28-10.

April 10, 2019Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 24, 2025, that updated how state and local agencies keep and dispose of public records, including naming records officers and yearly reports.

June 24, 2025Supports Government Efficiency

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 24, 2024, that requires cities and towns to accept zoning and land development applications through online permitting.

June 24, 2024Supports Government Efficiency

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 22, 2023, that raised the limit for small state purchases to $25,000 for construction and $10,000 for other purchases.

June 22, 2023Supports Government Efficiency

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 30, 2022, that requires the state planning office to track applications to build low and moderate income housing and publish a yearly status report.

June 30, 2022Supports Government Efficiency

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

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 Senate 28-7.

June 20, 2025Opposes Cost of Living Reduction

Source: legiscan.com

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 Senate 28-9.

June 18, 2025Opposes Cost of Living Reduction

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to keep federal immigration agents at least 200 feet from any polling place while voting is going on. It passed the Senate 29-8.

June 9, 2026Supports Immigration

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to bar state and local agencies from voluntarily helping with federal civil immigration enforcement, except under a court warrant or order. It passed the Senate 30-8.

June 3, 2026Supports Immigration

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill raising the monthly Rhode Island Works cash benefit for poor families to 100 percent of the federal poverty level. It passed the Senate on June 11, 2026, after changes on the floor.

June 11, 2026Opposes Government Spending Reduction

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 27, 2026, to create a state-funded rent subsidy program. A Senate committee held it.

February 27, 2026Opposes Government Spending Reduction

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 2, 2025, that created the Rhode Island baby bond trust, a state-funded savings account for babies born into families in the Rhode Island Works program, for later use on school, a home or a business.

July 2, 2025Opposes Government Spending Reduction

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to create the Hope scholarship pilot, which pays two years of tuition and fees at Rhode Island College for eligible juniors and seniors. It passed the Senate 29-5.

June 15, 2023Opposes Government Spending Reduction

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

As a Woonsocket City Council member, voted with the minority against the council majority's plan to cut nearly $900,000 from the mayor's budget, including new City Hall jobs. She argued that paying into retiree benefits had helped the city win bond rating upgrades.

June 21, 2017Opposes Government Spending Reduction

Source: valleybreeze.com

Voted to make it a crime for a prisoner to use force or a weapon to resist a lawful order from a corrections officer. It passed the Senate 25-13.

June 11, 2026Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: legiscan.com

Sponsored a law, signed on June 17, 2024, that removes filing fees and service costs for crime victims who go to court to collect restitution still owed to them.

June 17, 2024Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 26, 2023, that orders the state crime lab to audit its DNA databank to see how often required DNA samples are actually being collected.

June 26, 2023Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 2, 2025, that shields people from arrest or prosecution for prostitution when they report a related crime they saw or suffered, or help investigate it.

July 2, 2025Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 24, 2025, that ended charging women in the state's community corrections program for the costs of their supervision.

June 24, 2025Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 18, 2026, that lets tenants who are victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking end a lease early without penalty.

June 18, 2026Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 27, 2026, to create a state-funded rent subsidy program. A Senate committee held it.

February 27, 2026Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to make towns answer a written zoning question within 20 days instead of 15, and to let the applicant appeal that answer. It passed the Senate 28-7.

June 21, 2025Supports Housing Affordability

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to define co-living housing, where residents rent a private room and share a kitchen or bath, and let towns allow it. It passed the Senate 25-10.

June 20, 2025Supports Housing Affordability

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to require town zoning rules to allow homes in commercial districts, including apartments above shops. It passed the Senate 25-10.

June 20, 2025Supports Housing Affordability

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to require town zoning rules to allow housing other than detached single-family homes in sewered areas inside the urban services boundary. It passed the Senate 23-12.

June 20, 2025Supports Housing Affordability

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to set statewide zoning rules for accessory dwelling units, the small extra homes built on a lot. It passed the Senate 22-15.

June 13, 2024Supports Housing Affordability

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 24, 2023, that bans charging a fee to apply to rent a home or apartment.

June 24, 2023Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 30, 2022, that requires the state planning office to track applications to build low and moderate income housing and publish a yearly status report.

June 30, 2022Supports Housing Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to let more kinds of rental and deed-restricted apartments count toward each town's 10 percent goal for low and moderate income housing. It passed the Senate 31-6.

June 24, 2022Supports Housing Affordability

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill raising the monthly Rhode Island Works cash benefit for poor families to 100 percent of the federal poverty level. It passed the Senate on June 11, 2026, after changes on the floor.

June 11, 2026Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 1, 2025, that gives temporary caregiver insurance benefits to bone marrow donors and living organ donors.

July 1, 2025Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 26, 2024, that changed Rhode Island Works cash assistance rules and ended the cutoff of a family's benefits when one member does not follow an employment plan.

June 26, 2024Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 25, 2024, that put in state law the winter ban on gas and electric shutoffs and extends it from April 15 to May 1 each year.

June 25, 2024Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 12, 2024, that requires school districts to give parents of students in special education information about ABLE savings accounts for people with disabilities.

June 12, 2024Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 23, 2025, that requires every public school to adopt a policy on students' use of cell phones and other personal devices at school.

June 23, 2025Supports Public Education Quality

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill creating a state special education ombud to make sure school districts follow students' special education plans. It passed the Senate 31-5 on May 16, 2024, but did not become law; she filed it in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as well.

May 16, 2024Supports Public Education Quality

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to limit kindergarten through second grade classes in public schools to 20 students. It passed the Senate 32-4.

May 16, 2024Supports Public Education Quality

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to create the Hope scholarship pilot, which pays two years of tuition and fees at Rhode Island College for eligible juniors and seniors. It passed the Senate 29-5.

June 15, 2023Supports Public Education Quality

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to let students who cannot legally file the federal student aid form use a state form to get Rhode Island Promise free college tuition. It passed the Senate 28-9.

July 1, 2021Supports Public Education Quality

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to ban the sale, manufacture and purchase of assault-style firearms in Rhode Island starting July 2026. It passed the Senate 25-11.

June 20, 2025Supports Gun Control

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to require gun owners to store firearms safely, with civil and criminal penalties. It passed the Senate 30-7.

June 6, 2024Supports Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to ban carrying loaded rifles and shotguns in public, with exceptions for police and hunting. It passed the Senate 32-5.

June 14, 2022Supports Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to raise the minimum age to buy guns or ammunition from 18 to 21. It passed the Senate 32-5.

June 14, 2022Supports Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to ban straw purchases of guns for people barred from owning them and to raise penalties for lying on gun purchase forms. It passed the Senate 26-12.

June 30, 2021Supports Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted for the Julie Lynn Cardinal Act, which sends gun purchase applications to the buyer's hometown police as well as the State Police. It passed the Senate 33-4.

July 13, 2020Supports Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to ban ghost guns and 3D-printed guns that metal detectors cannot find. It passed the Senate 34-4.

June 17, 2020Supports Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill requiring emergency rooms to offer emergency contraception to sexual assault victims. It passed the Senate on May 28, 2026.

May 28, 2026Supports Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to cover abortion in Medicaid and state employee health plans. It passed the Senate 24-13.

May 18, 2023Supports Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted for the Reproductive Privacy Act, which wrote the abortion rights of Roe v. Wade into state law. It passed the Senate 21-17.

June 19, 2019Supports Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted to keep federal immigration agents at least 200 feet from any polling place while voting is going on. It passed the Senate 29-8.

June 9, 2026Supports Election Integrity

Source: legiscan.com

Introduced a bill on January 23, 2026, adding a 3 percent income tax on income over $640,000. A Senate committee held it; she had filed similar bills every year since 2021.

January 23, 2026Opposes Personal Income Tax Reduction

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a bill to exempt pension income from other states from Rhode Island income tax. It passed the Senate on June 22, 2022, but did not become law.

June 22, 2022Supports Personal Income Tax Reduction

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 18, 2026, that lets tenants who are victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking end a lease early without penalty.

June 18, 2026Supports Civil Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, which took effect on June 26, 2025, that ended required HIV testing for people convicted of certain sex-work offenses and made testing optional.

June 26, 2025Supports Civil Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on March 14, 2025, adding rules on homeless encampments to the Homeless Bill of Rights, including a right to clean conditions and $500 fines for violations. A Senate committee held it.

March 14, 2025Supports Civil Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 19, 2023, that bars denying people health care because of age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, disability, religion, national origin, source of income or similar traits.

June 19, 2023Supports Civil Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to let voters with disabilities and military voters use ballots sent electronically. It passed the Senate 25-13.

June 14, 2022Supports Civil Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored the Gender Inclusive Restroom Act, signed on July 2, 2021, which makes single-user restrooms in public buildings and businesses open to people of any gender.

July 2, 2021Supports Civil Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted to let students who cannot legally file the federal student aid form use a state form to get Rhode Island Promise free college tuition. It passed the Senate 28-9.

July 1, 2021Supports Civil Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 18, 2026, that voids land deals barring a grocery store from reopening on a site, with narrow exceptions when the store moves nearby.

June 18, 2026Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on March 4, 2026, to bar car insurers from using a driver's credit history to set rates. A Senate committee held it.

March 4, 2026Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 24, 2024, that bars hospitals and other medical providers from reporting medical debt to credit reporting agencies.

June 24, 2024Supports 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 Senate 28-9.

June 18, 2025Supports Public Infrastructure

Source: legiscan.com

Voted to let Rhode Island's electric utility buy nuclear power and sign long-term contracts for it. It passed the Senate 23-14.

June 18, 2025Supports Public Infrastructure

Source: legiscan.com

Received Clean Water Action's endorsement for her 2026 Senate race.

August 10, 2026

Source: cleanwater.org

Sponsored a law, signed on June 23, 2026, that updated the state's controlled substances law to drop fixed opioid dose limits in favor of current medical practice standards.

June 23, 2026

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 18, 2026, that pauses approval of new or expanded charter schools for the 2026-2027 through 2028-2029 school years.

June 18, 2026

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against banning plants that burn or chemically break down waste and plastics into fuel at the Quonset industrial park. It passed the Senate 29-9.

June 10, 2026

Source: legiscan.com

Voted for the state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2026. It passed the Senate 32-6.

June 9, 2026

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Received the Rhode Island AFL-CIO's endorsement for her 2026 Senate District 24 race.

May 5, 2026

Source: rhodeislandaflcio.org

Voted for a Senate resolution condemning unauthorized U.S. military actions and violations of other nations' sovereignty in Latin America. It passed the Senate 28-9.

January 13, 2026

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, which took effect on June 26, 2025, that bans declawing cats except when a veterinarian finds it medically needed.

June 26, 2025

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 26, 2025, that let Woonsocket raise its property tax levy by 5.5 percent for the 2026 budget year, above the usual state cap.

June 26, 2025

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against requiring town zoning rules to allow attached single-family homes, such as townhouses, in designated districts. It passed the Senate 23-12.

June 20, 2025

Source: legiscan.com

Voted for a 2025 plan letting state education leaders step in to support and turn around one struggling school district at a time. It passed the Senate 27-10.

June 18, 2025

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Became chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on January 7, 2025, the first day of the new session.

January 7, 2025

Source: rhodeislandcurrent.com

Sponsored a law, signed on June 24, 2023, that exempts the first $50,000 of business equipment and other tangible property from local property tax, starting with the December 31, 2023 assessment.

June 24, 2023

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 20, 2023, that lets cities and towns offer their employees the state's deferred compensation retirement savings plans.

June 20, 2023

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on April 7, 2023, that lets Woonsocket extend tax breaks for property in designated development districts from 10 years to 20 years.

April 7, 2023

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted for the Rhode Island Cannabis Act, which made it legal for adults 21 and older to have and buy marijuana, with a new state commission to regulate sales. It passed the Senate 30-5.

May 24, 2022

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on July 15, 2019, that requires pet trainers to be licensed, with an exception for dog training programs run by government agencies.

July 15, 2019

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

As a Woonsocket City Council member, proposed changes to an ordinance calling a June 2018 special election on returning to an elected school board, then voted for it on April 16, 2018. It passed 5-1; she had voted against it two weeks earlier.

April 16, 2018

Source: valleybreeze.com