Rep. Brandon Voas (D-Dist. 57, Cumberland, Central Falls) was elected to the
Rhode Island House of Representatives in November 2022. He is the second
vice chair of the House Small Business Committee and is a member of the
House Corporations Committee and the House Education Committee.
In
2024, Representative Voas sponsored several bills that were enacted into
law, one of which makes it illegal to charge fees to senior citizens for
paper invoices. He passed another new law that allows the Division of
Taxation to send business owners' tax compliance information to the
Department of State in order to keep them apprised of their tax liability.
He also passed legislation that would increase the minimum veterans'
exemption on municipal taxes.
During his first legislative session in
2023, Representative Voas saw five pieces of legislation he sponsored become
law, most notably a bill that provides significant relief for Rhode Island's
small businesses by creating a $50,000 exemption for all businesses subject
to the tangible tax. The exemption eliminates the tangible tax -- viewed as
an administrative burden for small businesses and for the municipalities
that collect it -- for 75 percent of Rhode Island businesses.
Another
bill he sponsored requires lead hazard mitigation for pre-1978 rental
dwelling units by removing the exemption from owner occupied two- or
three-unit homes, allowing the state to enforce the Lead Hazard Mitigation
Act.
A lifelong resident of Cumberland, he is a graduate of Cumberland
High School. He also received a degree in liberal arts from the Community
College of Rhode Island.
He currently works as the Parts Director for
Ballard Mack Truck Center in Johnston. He was born on October 4, 1993.