Government must be transparent and accountable to the people it serves in order to be
effective. The federal, state, and local levels of government have important decision-making power over
many issues important to you. As a constituent, you have a voice in the decision-making process. The
information below will help you to identify which level of government has the most oversight over issues
you care about and how to best make your voice heard.
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
US SENATORS
US REPRESENTATIVES
Funding for K-12 schools
School vouchers
Expansion of charter schools
Free community college
Debt reduction for student loans
Reduce carbon emissions
Expand recycling efforts
Ban smoking on beaches
Allow off-shore drilling
Clean air and water regulations
Reduce employer taxes
Review regulatory climate
Funding for job training programs
Housing affordability
Public incentives for small businesses
Funding for roads and highways
Prohibit cell phone use while driving
More bike paths and pedestrian friendly walkways
More efficient public transportation
Ensure ride sharing services are safe
Legalize marijuana
Town Intersection needs traffic signal
Install better lighting in neighborhood park
Use of police uniform cameras
Mandatory vaccinations
Universal health care
Prescription drug costs
Opioid addiction services
Taxes on cigarettes and alcohol
Make Your Voice Heard
The following resources are designed to: connect you directly with your government; provide information about
voting and how laws are made, and; show you how you can engage with the different levels of Rhode Island government.
Voter Information Center
The Voter Information Center provides information about elected officials, upcoming elections, and sample ballots before election day based on a street address. It also has data about past elections and information about the elections process in Rhode Island.
The online Government Directory gives you 24/7 access to up‑to‑date contact information for federal, state, and
local government officials in Rhode Island. You can also search the contact information for many local and state
agencies.
Meetings of all public bodies are open to the public in accordance to Rhode Island General Law Chapter 42-46.
All meeting notices and agendas of upcoming meetings are filed online with the Secretary of State’s office. You
can search these filings to find and attend those public meetings where issues you care about are being
discussed.
In Rhode Island, your state legislators in the general assembly introduce bills that may eventually become laws
affecting you. The general assembly holds committee meetings and hearings to hear opinions about the bills.
These legislative committee meetings and hearings are open to the public and often allow time for public
comment and testimony. To participate, you can add your name to the sign-up sheets posted outside the meeting
room on the day of the meeting. Anyone can indicate support or disapproval by adding your name to the sheet, or
you can sign up to speak at the meeting.
Lobby Tracker is a searchable database of individual lobbyists, lobbying firms, and organizations that are
registered to lobby in the state. It includes the issues they are lobbying on as well how much they are being
paid to do so.
A regulation is a document issued by a State agency, board or commission which interprets or implements a law.
A regulation has the full force and effect of law, but an agency must have statutory authority to publish and enforce a regulation.
The rulemaking process is open to the
public and is another way you can make your voice heard.
