Representative Scott A. Slater
Deputy Majority Leader
First Vice Chair, House Finance Committee
Member, House Oversight Committee
Member, House Rules Committee
Member, House Small Business Committee
Scott A. Slater (D) has served the people of Providence in District 10
since winning a special election in November 2009 to fill the seat held after
the passing of his father, Thomas Slater. He is a Deputy Majority Leader and
the first vice chair of the House Finance Committee. He also serves as a member
of the House Oversight Committee, the House Rules Committee and the House Small
Business Committee. Representative Slater is also a member of the Permanent
Joint Committee on State Lottery.
During the 2021 session, Representative Slater sponsored
a new law, the Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act, which sets minimum
staffing levels for Rhode Island nursing homes.
He also sponsored two other new laws which
reclassifies simple possession of 10 grams or less of certain controlled
substances as a misdemeanor charge, punishable up to two years, rather than a
felony and that upon its own motion or upon request of a parolee, enables
the Parole Board to terminate a parolee's supervision and legal
custody order in accordance with certain guidelines.
In the 2020 legislative session, Representative Slater successfully
sponsored a law which creates a new process with standards to be utilized when
deciding whether an applicant's past conviction of a crime should disqualify
the applicant from receiving an occupational license, permit, certificate, or
registration issued by the state. He also sponsored a bill which mandates
minimum staffing levels and standards for quality care for nursing homes with
penalties for violations, grants for enhanced training, and wages adjusted for
inflation.
Representative Slater also sponsored a bill that amends the state's medical marijuana program by creating a hardship designation for patients on SSDI and Medicaid, establishes a discount medicine program, eliminates plant tagging, allows unlimited compassion center licenses, redefines debilitating condition, and reduces the compassion center license fee to $5,000.
In 2018, Representative Slater sponsored a successful bill which allows
criminal conviction records to be expunged if the offense has been
decriminalized since the conviction. He also sponsored legislation that would
raise the earned income tax credit to 20 percent and a bill to increase the
hourly rate for direct care staff.
Representative Slater has also been an advocate for legislation that
would legalize recreational marijuana for Rhode Island adults 21 and older.
Aside from his legislative duties, he works as a budget analyst for the
City of Providence. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Bryant University. Born on
May 28, 1975, he is married to Bianca Rodriguez and they have two daughters,
Mia and Madeline.