2026 -- H 8636

========

LC006126

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

____________

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

HONORING REPRESENTATIVE JASON KNIGHT FOR HIS SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE

OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Representatives Blazejewski, Kazarian, Speakman, Chippendale,
Caldwell, Boylan, McEntee, Dawson, Spears, and Donovan

     Date Introduced: June 11, 2026

     Referred To: House read and passed

     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.

========

LC006126

========

LC006126 - Page 2 of 2