2023 -- H 6280

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF THE HONORABLE

MARYELLEN GOODWIN

     Introduced By: Representatives Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Slater, Place, Ackerman,
Kennedy, Diaz, Ajello, McNamara, and J. Lombardi

     Date Introduced: April 18, 2023

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with sincere sadness and regret that this House has learned of the

passing of the Honorable Maryellen Goodwin, the Rhode Island Senate Majority Whip, and our

venerated colleague and friend; and

     WHEREAS, Maryellen Goodwin grew up with her two sisters, Sheila and Maureen, in

the Smith Hill neighborhood of the City of Providence. She was the daughter of the late Patricia

and the former Senator Thomas Goodwin; and

     WHEREAS, In addition to her sisters, Senator Goodwin is survived by her companion,

former Lieutenant Governor Charles Fogarty, brothers-in-law Paul Connelly and Jeffrey

LaRocque, her beloved nieces and nephews, Marygrace Heywood, Teresa Rose, John Paul

LaRocque and Liam Thomas Connelly, her aunts Ellen Myers, Catherine Murphy, and Elizabeth

Hynes, her dear friend Kristen Silvia, and countless family, friends, and loved ones; and

     WHEREAS, Upon graduation from St. Patrick High School, Senator Goodwin attained

her Bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College. She had been employed by the City of

Providence in the Planning & Development Department for the past 16 years; and

     WHEREAS, Beginning in 1984, Senator Goodwin served as a member and later as Chair

of the Providence Democratic City Committee. One year later, while in her early 20s, she was

elected to the 1986 Rhode Island Constitutional Convention, and in November of 1986, following

in her father’s footsteps, she ran and was elected to what is now Rhode Island’s 1st Senatorial

District, a position she would hold for eighteen terms, until her passing; and

     WHEREAS, Earning the respect and trust of her Senators, the Honorable Maryellen

Goodwin was named Senate Majority Whip in 2011. She had also served as the Chair of the

Senate Committee on Special Legislation and the Chair of the Joint Committee on the State

Lottery; and

     WHEREAS, Senator Goodwin’s tenure in the Senate earned her the distinction of being

the second-longest-serving member of the chamber and the ability and drive to champion myriad

significant and worthwhile changes in our State and in the lives of its citizenry. She championed

laws improving lead poisoning prevention, the child care industry, domestic violence prevention,

public safety, worker protections, access to health care, and home care and nursing home safety;

and

     WHEREAS, Senator Goodwin is credited with being "the driving force" in the Senate for

Rhode Island's Paid Sick Leave law, independent options for senior home care, stronger reporting

requirements for abuse in schools, the 2021 minimum staffing law for nursing homes, the State’s

Red Flag law to remove firearms from individuals who pose a clear threat to themselves or

others, as well as the Homicide Prevention Act, and legislation requiring individuals convicted of

felony domestic assault to surrender their firearms; and

     WHEREAS, Perhaps one of the most personal accomplishments was the passage of the

"Maryellen Goodwin Colorectal Cancer Screening Act" requiring insurers to fully cover

preventive screenings and colonoscopies, and which she had initially introduced before her own

diagnosis, but upon final passage, was named in her honor; and

     WHEREAS, Senator Goodwin was also always active within her community in addition

to her work at the State House. She was a faithful and life-long communicant of St. Patrick

Church, a member of the Water Resources Board, the Internship Commission, the Permanent

Advisory Commission on Women, the R.I. Veterans Home Commission, on the Board of

Directors for the Smith Hill Center, the Providence 12th Ward Democratic Committee and a

member of the Smith Hill Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission; and

     WHEREAS, For a lifetime dedicated to the people of Rhode Island, Senator Goodwin

has been honored and recognized by numerous organizations including, the AARP’s national

Capital Caregivers Award, MADD, the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the

American Cancer Society, the Rhode Island National Guard and the Cesar Chavez Committee of

Rhode Island; and

     WHEREAS, The Honorable Maryellen Goodwin’s wit was legendary, her smile

infectious, her intellect was intimidating, her accomplishments were vast, and her love and

compassion were limitless. She was a woman who tore down barriers for all women and

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fearlessly fought for what was right and just, and for those among us who were most in need of a

voice; now, therefore be it

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

extends deepest condolences on the passing of the Honorable Maryellen Goodwin; and be it

further

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

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Sheila Connelly and Family, Maureen

LaRocque and Family, and Kristen Silvia.

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