Representative Robert E. Craven Sr.
Chair, House Judiciary Committee
Member, House Innovation and Technology Committee
Member, House Small Business Committee
Robert E. Craven (D) has served the residents of North Kingstown in
District 32 since first being elected in November 2012. He is the
chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and is a member of both the
House Innovation and Technology Committee and the House Small Business
Committee.
In 2024, Chairman Craven sponsored two new
laws that will help spur
more
crucial home production in Rhode Island. He
also introduced another new law that will
help make the process of changing an individual’s name in municipal probate
court more straightforward,
while also updating the statute to make the language gender neutral and more
inclusive.
During the 2023 legislative session, Chairman Craven introduced a new law
which
toughens the penalties for wage theft, the most prevalent and
costly form of theft in the United States. He also introduced new laws that
relate to
subdivision and land developments and
zoning standards in order to create more housing development in
the state.
In 2022, in response to small businesses devastated by the pandemic,
Chairman Craven introduced a new
law which creates a temporary non-liquidating receivership program for
businesses that have had a substantial decline in revenue after an
emergency declaration by the government.
Born on November 19, 1955, Chairman Craven is a graduate of La Salle Academy
in Providence in 1974 and the University of Rhode Island in 1978. He earned
his law degree from New England Law Boston in 1983.
In addition to his duties as a legislator, Chairman Craven is an
attorney at Robert E. Craven & Associates in North Kingstown. He is the
Assistant Solicitor in Charlestown, Probate Judge for the Town of
Charlestown, Solicitor for the Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School
District, Solicitor in New Shoreham, and Assistant Solicitor in
Westerly.
His past public service includes his time as Solicitor for the Town of
Foster, 1998 to 2004; Assistant Solicitor for the City of East
Providence, 2008 to 2019; Legal Counsel to the Rhode Island Board of
Elections, 1995 to 2001; Assistant Attorney General, 1983 to 1992, which
included serving as Chief of the Rhode Island Public Corruption Unit;
and Town Councilor in North Kingstown.
He also served as an adjunct professor at the Community College of Rhode
Island from 1983 to 2002.
Chairman Craven resides in Saunderstown with his wife, Susan, and they
are the parents of two sons, Robert and Joseph.