Senator Dawn Euer
Member, Senate Committee on Judiciary
Member, Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics & Oversight
Member, Senate Committee on Special Legislation & Veterans' Affairs
Dawn Euer is a Democrat representing District 13 (Newport, Jamestown) in the Rhode Island Senate.
As an activist and organizer, Sen. Euer helped lead the fight for marriage equality in Rhode Island before winning election to the Senate in a 2017 special election.
During her time in the legislature, she has advocated on issues related to the environment, economic justice, women's rights and more.
She was the lead sponsor of 2021's historic Act on Climate, which is the most comprehensive climate legislation in Rhode Island history. As the representative of a district on the front lines of climate change, she continues to advocate for substantial investments in renewable energy and resiliency.
She was part of the successful 2019 effort to codify safe and legal abortion access into state law through the Reproductive Privacy Act. She was the Senate sponsor of the Student Loan Bill of Rights, which was enacted in 2019; the Let RI Vote Act, enacted in 2022; and the Energy Storage Systems Act and Health Care Provider Shield Act, both enacted in 2024. She has also sponsored legislation, now law, that protects domestic violence victims from abusive litigation filed by abusers; protects survivors of domestic violence by keeping their addresses confidential; combats childhood lead poisoning through a statewide rental registry; helps struggling homeowners to avoid foreclosure; requires workers in domestic service to be paid Rhode Island's minimum wage; allows nursing home residents to choose to have cameras installed in their rooms; and expands the use of e-bikes in Rhode Island.
Sen. Euer has additionally introduced legislation to bar high-capacity magazines for firearms; remove the spousal exemption from the state's rape law; establish environmental justice zones throughout the state; safeguard women's access to contraception through insurance; require registration of short-term rentals listed on third-party platforms; seek the creation of an independent redistricting commission; prohibit evictions during a state of emergency; increase the financial transparency of nursing homes and their business partners; help Rhode Islanders pass on their homes without probate; and prohibit unfair sales practices in automatic subscription renewals.
Sen. Euer previously served as chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, and as co-chair of the General Assembly's 2024 bipartisan preparatory constitutional convention commission.
In 2024, Sen. Euer received the Civic Leadership award from the Rhode Island Medical Society in recognition of her advocacy for patients and medical professionals in Rhode Island, particularly her work to sponsor and successfully pass the Health Care Provider Shield Act.
In 2023, Sen. Euer was honored by Common Cause RI with the organization's Excellence in Public Service Award, recognizing her sponsorship of the Let RI Vote Act. That legislation, now law, expands voter access and helps protect the integrity of Rhode Island's elections.
In 2022, Sen. Euer was named USA TODAY's Women of the Year honoree for Rhode Island. The awards recognize women across the country who have made a significant impact.
In recognition of her work on the Act on Climate, Sen. Euer was honored as one of the Clean Water Association's Legislators of the Year in 2022 and as an Environmental Champion by Clean Water Action in 2021. She also attended COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, taking part in numerous panels about state leadership on climate action.
Also in 2021, Sen. Euer was honored with a Humane State Legislator Award from the Humane Society of the United States. The award recognized her work on Rhode Island's 2019 puppy mill law and her support of legislation seeking to phase-out fur sales.
Additionally, Sen. Euer was named Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly Attorney of the Year in 2021, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island's Legislator of the Year in 2019, and the 2021 recipient of U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's Service Recognition Award, which included a congressional statement for the record.
Born on June 14, 1979, Sen. Euer is a 2007 graduate of the University of Minnesota. She went on to earn a J.D. from Roger Williams University of Law in 2010. She was recently accepted into the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in State & Local Government Program. She works as an attorney in private practice.
She was previously a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association Board of Delegates and Supervising Attorney of the Roger Williams University School of Law Pro Bono Collaborative. She currently serves as General Counsel for a CDFI nonprofit organization.
She has also previously served on the boards of Higher Ground International, the Environmental Justice League of RI and Bike Newport, and on Newport's Energy & Environment Commission, advising the City Council on renewables, sustainable planning and other environmental matters.