Jessica de la Cruz

Sponsored a law, enacted on June 28, 2024, requiring hospitals and other health facilities to keep a public list of their standard charges for every item and service.

June 28, 2024Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a resolution to spend $5 million rebuilding a fire station at the Zambarano unit of Eleanor Slater Hospital in Burrillville. It passed the Senate 36-0 on June 15, 2023.

June 15, 2023Supports Healthcare Affordability

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a resolution urging the state environmental agency to study how wake boats affect Rhode Island lakes and ponds. It passed the Senate 37-0 on June 4, 2026.

June 4, 2026Supports Environment and Public Health

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on March 4, 2026, pausing net metering contracts, heat pump subsidies and long-term solar and wind power contracts. It was held in committee.

March 4, 2026Opposes Environment and Public Health

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 13, 2026, repealing the energy efficiency charge on electric and gas bills. It was held in committee.

February 13, 2026Opposes 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

Voted against requiring that all of Rhode Island's electricity come from renewable sources by 2033. It passed the Senate 34-4.

May 31, 2022Opposes Environment and Public Health

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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

March 16, 2021Opposes Environment and Public Health

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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

February 10, 2021Opposes Reduce Wealth Gap

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against raising the state minimum wage to $11.50 an hour. It passed the Senate 30-6.

February 5, 2020Opposes Reduce Wealth Gap

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against covering domestic workers in private homes under the state minimum wage law. It passed the Senate 32-5.

June 13, 2024Opposes Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against raising job-protected parental and family medical leave from 13 to 24 weeks. It passed the Senate 30-6.

March 21, 2024Opposes Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against extending a local police union contract until a new contract or arbitration award is reached. It passed the Senate 28-8.

May 11, 2023Opposes Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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

February 10, 2021Opposes Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against raising the state minimum wage to $11.50 an hour. It passed the Senate 30-6.

February 5, 2020Opposes Labor Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 9, 2026, creating an independent state inspector general to look for fraud, waste and abuse of public money. It was held in committee.

January 9, 2026Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on March 1, 2024, making public records requests free and digital, handled by one state office with an online tracking database. It was held in committee.

March 1, 2024Supports Anti-Corruption

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

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

June 27, 2019Opposes Anti-Corruption

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 16, 2026, requiring the governor to submit a zero-based budget, phased in over five years starting in 2027. It was held in committee.

January 16, 2026Supports Government Efficiency

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 9, 2026, creating an independent state inspector general to look for fraud, waste and abuse of public money. It was held in committee.

January 9, 2026Supports 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

Sponsored a resolution to spend $5 million rebuilding a fire station at the Zambarano unit of Eleanor Slater Hospital in Burrillville. It passed the Senate 36-0 on June 15, 2023.

June 15, 2023Opposes Government Spending Reduction

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against requiring one full-time school social worker for every 250 students, with $2 million in state aid. It passed the Senate 31-5.

June 14, 2023Supports Government Spending Reduction

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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

Introduced a bill on February 13, 2026, raising the minimum sentence for first-degree sexual assault and barring suspension of the first 10 years. It was held in committee.

February 13, 2026Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, enacted on June 27, 2022, making sexual contact by a person in a position of authority with a 14- to 17-year-old a third-degree sexual assault.

June 27, 2022Supports Public Safety and Crime Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on March 4, 2026, requiring state agencies named in child fatality reviews to answer the reports' recommendations in writing within 180 days. It was held in committee.

March 4, 2026Supports Social Programs and Welfare

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against requiring one full-time school social worker for every 250 students, with $2 million in state aid. It passed the Senate 31-5.

June 14, 2023Opposes Public Education Quality

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 25, 2021, requiring public school students to show civics proficiency to graduate, starting with the class of 2025. It was held in committee.

February 25, 2021Supports Public Education Quality

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 23, 2026, letting licensed gun carriers sue businesses that ban guns on their property if they are hurt there. It was held in committee.

January 23, 2026Opposes Gun Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 16, 2026, giving people denied a concealed carry permit a meeting to reconsider and a right to appeal in court. It was held in committee.

January 16, 2026Opposes Gun Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against requiring gun owners to store firearms safely, with penalties for violations. It passed the Senate 30-7.

June 6, 2024Opposes Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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

June 14, 2022Opposes Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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

June 14, 2022Opposes Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, enacted on July 14, 2021, requiring the attorney general to report each year on all court cases with gun charges, including the type of gun and whether it was stolen.

July 14, 2021Supports Gun Control

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

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

June 30, 2021Opposes Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against 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, 2020Opposes Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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

June 17, 2020Opposes Gun Control

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 23, 2026, requiring clinics that perform abortions to meet the license rules of similar health facilities, with surprise inspections. It was held in committee.

January 23, 2026Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 23, 2025, banning abortion once a fetus is considered able to feel pain, unless the mother faces a serious health risk. It was held in committee; she filed it every year from 2020 to 2025.

January 23, 2025Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against shielding Rhode Island health care providers from lawsuits and prosecution by other states over reproductive and gender-affirming care. It passed the Senate 31-6.

June 13, 2024Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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

May 18, 2023Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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

June 19, 2019Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 27, 2026, phasing in lower personal income tax rates. It was held in committee.

February 27, 2026Supports Personal Income Tax Reduction

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 16, 2026, requiring police to get a search warrant for people's phone location and other electronic data, with some exceptions. It was held in committee.

January 16, 2026Supports Data Privacy

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, signed on June 20, 2024, adding supported decision-making to the less restrictive options courts must consider before putting an adult under guardianship.

June 20, 2024Supports Civil Rights

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against shielding Rhode Island health care providers from lawsuits and prosecution by other states over reproductive and gender-affirming care. It passed the Senate 31-6.

June 13, 2024Opposes Civil Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against the Freedom to Read Act, which bars public libraries from removing books over partisan or doctrinal objections. It passed the Senate 31-6.

May 30, 2024Opposes Civil Rights

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, enacted on June 28, 2024, requiring hospitals and other health facilities to keep a public list of their standard charges for every item and service.

June 28, 2024Supports Corporate Accountability

Source: webserver.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 Senate 30-7.

June 13, 2024Opposes Corporate Accountability

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

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

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

June 9, 2026

Source: legiscan.com

Sponsored a Senate resolution, passed on April 30, 2026, condemning political violence and denouncing the latest attempted attack on President Donald Trump.

April 30, 2026

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on March 4, 2026, repealing the state's certificate of need review for new health care equipment and services. It was held in committee.

March 4, 2026

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 27, 2026, protecting owners from losing their home equity when property is seized for a government debt. It was held in committee.

February 27, 2026

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on February 13, 2026, letting parents move children to any public school district or use public money for a scholarship to another school. It was held in committee.

February 13, 2026

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 23, 2026, opening to the public the meetings on teacher union contracts. It was held in committee.

January 23, 2026

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Sponsored a law, enacted on July 1, 2025, letting Glocester voters approve a 3 percent tax increase above the state cap for 2026 to fund schools and town services.

July 1, 2025

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against changing the deadline for a town's written zoning answer to 20 days and letting the applicant appeal it. It passed the Senate 28-7.

June 21, 2025

Source: legiscan.com

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 against defining co-living housing, where residents rent a private room and share a kitchen or bath, and letting towns allow it. It passed the Senate 25-10.

June 20, 2025

Source: legiscan.com

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

June 20, 2025

Source: legiscan.com

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

June 20, 2025

Source: legiscan.com

Voted against banning the sale, manufacture and purchase of assault-style firearms in Rhode Island. It passed the Senate 25-11.

June 20, 2025

Source: legiscan.com

Voted against burying part of a high-voltage power line and charging the extra cost to electric customers in Providence and East Providence. It passed the Senate 28-9.

June 18, 2025

Source: legiscan.com

Voted against treating a police officer's heart disease, stroke or high blood pressure as a job-related disability. It passed the Senate 29-8.

May 15, 2025

Source: legiscan.com

Voted against keeping Rhode Island's supervised drug-use centers open two more years, to March 2028. It passed the Senate 27-7.

May 13, 2025

Source: legiscan.com

Received 4 votes, all from Senate Republicans, in the April 29, 2025 Senate president election; she voted for herself. Valarie Lawson won with 24 votes.

April 29, 2025

Source: rilegislature.gov

Was re-elected Senate minority leader by the Senate Republican caucus on November 6, 2024, for the 2025-2026 session.

November 13, 2024

Source: nrinow.news

Voted for delaying cage-free housing rules for commercial egg-laying hens until 2030. The delay passed the Senate 29-7.

June 13, 2024

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against requiring mail ballot drop boxes to open 35 days before an election. It passed the Senate 32-5.

June 11, 2024

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted for the overhaul of the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights, which changed how police discipline hearings work. It passed the Senate 33-4.

June 6, 2024

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against letting unaffiliated voters vote in a party primary without joining the party. It passed the Senate 32-5.

June 6, 2024

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on January 12, 2024, cutting the state sales tax rate to 5 percent. It was held in committee.

January 12, 2024

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted for raising campaign contribution limits for people and political action committees to $2,000 a year. It passed the Senate 22-15.

June 15, 2023

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Delivered the Republican response to Gov. Dan McKee's State of the State address on January 17, 2023, urging that surplus and federal relief money go to housing, the economy and schools.

January 17, 2023

Source: nrinow.news

Was elected Senate minority leader by the Senate Republican caucus on August 2, 2022, replacing Dennis Algiere.

August 2, 2022

Source: turnto10.com

Voted against the Rhode Island Cannabis Act, which legalized marijuana for adults 21 and older and set up a commission to regulate sales. It passed the Senate 32-6.

May 24, 2022

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against the Let RI Vote Act, which allowed mail voting without an excuse and dropped the witness rule for mail ballots. It passed the Senate 31-6.

April 26, 2022

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Introduced a bill on March 1, 2022, creating a redistricting commission to draw legislative and congressional districts every 10 years. It was held in committee.

March 1, 2022

Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov

Voted against a two-year pilot program for supervised drug-use centers. It passed the Senate 30-7.

July 1, 2021

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov

Voted against a 2021 bill legalizing and taxing marijuana sales to adults. It passed the Senate 29-9.

June 22, 2021

Source: votes.rilegislature.gov