2018 -- H 8359

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LC005973

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

HONORING REPRESENTATIVE THOMAS WINFIELD FOR HIS SERVICE TO THE

PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Representatives Mattiello, Shekarchi, McNamara, Ucci, and Corvese

     Date Introduced: June 23, 2018

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that this House bids farewell to our good friend and

colleague, the Honorable Thomas Winfield, who is retiring from the Rhode Island House of

Representatives, District 53, after twenty-six years of devoted public service to his constituents

and the citizens of the State of Rhode Island; and

     WHEREAS, Upon graduation from Smithfield High School, Representative Winfield

attended the Community College of Rhode Island and Providence College and earned his degree

from the New England Institute at Mount Ida College. He is the President of Anderson-Winfield

Funeral Home, and he and his wife, Rebecca, make their home in Smithfield; and

     WHEREAS, Representative Winfield was first elected to the House on November 3rd of

1992. His District encompasses neighborhoods in the Towns of Glocester and Smithfield where

he has earned the trust and respect of his constituency, and has been re-elected thirteen times; and

     WHEREAS, Throughout his tenure in the House, Representative Winfield has served on

myriad committees, most recently as a member of the House Oversight Committee and the House

Small Business Committee. He has advocated for and sponsored legislation on a panoply of

issues over the years, including, requiring tax-exempt Bryant University to make financial

payments to Smithfield in order to offset the town's expenses for providing services, and

cosponsored legislation making Rhode Island's seat belt requirement permanent. He also

sponsored expansion of the law permitting "in-law" apartments to cover any family member 62 or

older, regardless of whether they have a disability, and most recently, he cosponsored measures to

eliminate unfair taxes on cars and trucks; and

     WHEREAS, Representative Winfield's unwavering commitment and advocacy for people

with intellectual disabilities earned him the Special Olympics Rhode Island "Inspire Greatness"

award in 2017. In addition, he is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association,

A.M.A., the Democratic Representative District Committee, and the Smithfield Lions; and

     WHEREAS, Representative Winfield's political career may be coming to an end, but his

legacy of true dedication as a public servant will continuously live on through the legislation he

has helped to enact and the lines of friendship that will endure forevermore; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby honors Thomas Winfield as he concludes his service in the Rhode

Island House. We will miss him and the ever-faithful Buddy, and thank him for a job well done;

and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Thomas Winfield.

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