Representative Nathan W. Biah
Member, House Finance Committee
Member, House Education Committee
Member, House Innovation and Technology Committee
Representative Nathan W. Biah (D-Dist. 3, Providence) was elected to the
House of Representatives in November 2020. He serves as a member of the
House Finance Committee, the House Education Committee, and the House Innovation and Technology Committee.
In 2024, Representative Biah was a strong advocate for
the inclusion of significant education aid within the state budget. He
also sponsored legislation that would support graduate medical education
programs and research, as well as legislation to update and support Providence public
schools.
During the 2023 legislative session, Representative Biah introduced a new
law which would
tax property owned by nonprofit institutions
that is leased or occupied by for-profit persons and entities. He was also a
cosponsor of a new law that establishes the Rhode Island Hope Scholarship
pilot program to provide two-year scholarships to juniors and seniors at
Rhode Island college.
In the 2022 session, Representative Biah sponsored a new law which requires
guidance departments to ensure that notices are provided to students and
their parents or guardians regarding the FAFSA (Free
Application for Federal Student Aid) form and the Rhode Island
alternative financial aid application form. He was also the sponsor of
legislation which would add
direct state support for costs associated with employing school resource
officers and
a bill which promotes
the use of state surplus property by
permitting the Department of Administration to obtain an appraisal and
sell property to be used for housing development purposes.
Representative Biah was named as a fellow in the National Conference of
State Legislators Early Childhood Program and appointed as a member of the
Office of Postsecondary Commissioner Advisory Committee.
Born on December 4, 1971, he grew up in Monrovia, Liberia. At age 20, he
escaped the violence of a civil war by walking nearly 90 miles to
freedom. After arriving in Providence, he passed the GED and worked in a
factory. He studied criminal justice and earned a degree at Rhode Island
College in 1999 and then a Master’s degree in Education Administration
from the University of Rhode Island in 2007.
After teaching math in Providence middle schools and high schools,
Representative Biah is now the principal at Dr. Jorge Alvarez High
School in Providence. His wife, Thumbelina, is a teacher at Esek Hopkins
Middle School in Providence. They are the parents of three children:
Nathan Jr., Natalie and Natasha.