Representative Grace Diaz
Democratic Caucus Chair
First Vice Chair, House Committee on Special Legislation
Member, House Conduct Committee
Member, House Finance Committee
Member, House Rules Committee
Member, House Small Business Committee
Grace Diaz (D) has represented the people of District 11 in Providence
since first being elected in November 2004. She was named the Democratic
Caucus Chair in January 2015, which makes her a member of the House
Leadership Team. She is the first vice chair of the House Special
Legislation Committee and is a member of the House Finance Committee,
the House Conduct Committee, the House Rules Committee, and the House
Small Business Committee. She is the chairwoman of the Legislative
Commission on Child Care in Rhode Island.
During the most recent session, she sponsored a new law to reduce the Rhode Island residency requirement for higher education students to be eligible for in-state tuition. She also sponsored a law to better assist victims with relocation expenses if it is necessary for them to move as a result of a crime. She also introduced a law that creates a special commemorative license plate honoring Dominican heritage, culture, and identity.
In the 2025 session, Representative Diaz sponsored a law that protects people's right to repair their own wheelchairs and other mobility aids. It provides that original power wheelchair equipment manufacturers are required to provide repair information and tools to independent service providers to maintain and repair complex power wheelchairs.
In 2024, Representative Diaz advocated strongly for an $813,000 proposal to provide free breakfast and lunch to the 6,500 students statewide who currently receive reduced-price school meals, as well as to provide them a monthly $40 benefit for three months in the summer. The program is fully funded in the budget.
She also cosponsored the Rhode Island Early Care and Education Workforce Data Act, which codifies an early care and education workforce registry data system in general law, requires that the data system meets national standards, and provides a deadline for implementation.
Representative Diaz cosponsored a law that prohibits debt collectors from reporting all medical debt to credit bureaus. It also sets rules for communication with consumers, false and misleading representation by debt collectors, and a prohibition against collections during insurance appeals.
In 2023, Representative Diaz fought for additional funding for early childhood programs, which led to a budget amendment that added $7 million for those programs from unspent federal funds. This included $3 million to preserve Head Start and Early Head Start seats and $4 million for a pilot program to expand eligibility for child care, at no cost, to certain child care workers.
Continuing her work in child advocacy, Representative Diaz sponsored a law that transfers jurisdiction of child endangerment offenses from the Family Court to the Superior Court. She also sponsored a law that ensures that communications between court appointed interpreters and limited-English-proficient individuals involved in legal proceedings in the courts are confidential in nature and only disclosable by consent of the person making the communication or by court order.
Concerned about the rights of renters, Representative Diaz sponsored a law that directs the Secretary of Housing to create a consumer guide that outlines the rights and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords as they are enumerated in the law. The guide, which will be updated biennially, will be published in English and Spanish, both in print and on the Department of Housing website.
For several years, every Nov. 14, Representative Diaz has hosted the World Diabetes Day celebration at the Rhode Island State House to spread the word about how to take control of the disease. She has also hosted the State House's Child Care Awareness Day annually for the past several years.
Representative Diaz holds both bachelor and master's degrees from Springfield College, which she earned in 2008 and 2010, respectively. A native of the Dominican Republic, she graduated from Los Angeles Custodios High School in 1977.
Representative Diaz is the MBE/WBE Outreach Director for the Office of Economic Opportunity at the City of Providence.
Representative Diaz is also a member of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), Women in Government, National Hispanic State Legislators, and the Rhode Island Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander (RIBLIA) Caucus.
Rep. Diaz has five children: Maria, Gisselle, Ruben, Felix, and Cristian, and six grandchildren: Nehemiah, Kariana, Xavier, Anelle, Zoe, and Amaih Gracemarie.