May 14, 2025 - WJAR: "Rhode Island lawmakers heard testimony on several gun bills on Wednesday," one being the RI Assault Weapons Ban Act (2025.) A 2nd Amendment rally took place at the RI Statehouse. Rhode Island Current: "Todd Patalano, and Sen. Leonidas Raptakis, a Coventry Democrat, voiced their opposition to the bill." For more information by WJAR click/tap here or, here from the RI Current.

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI): "Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights - clears the Senate. LEOBOR sets the rules for police officers who are investigated for misconduct, including what information is and isn’t shareable during the disciplinary process. This bill also heads to McKee for a signature.

These are the proposed reforms:

• Expand the panel for a hearing to five members comprised of three randomly selected officers, an attorney who’s in good standing, and a retired judge who is appointed by the Rhode Island Supreme Court’s chief justice.
• Let police chiefs publicly comment on officers looking at disciplinary action, as well as release video evidence.
• Extend the length of an officer’s suspension.

Automatic Disaffiliation for Unaffiliated Primary Voters
...The third and final bill, which also passed the Senate, would allow unaffiliated voters who vote in a primary election to stay that way. If an unaffiliated voter casts a ballot in a primary, they automatically become affiliated with that party. They can disaffiliate by either updating their information online or filling out a form. This bill, introduced by state Rep. Patricia Serpa and state Sen. Leonidas Raptakis, would remove that hurdle." For the complete story by WPRI click/tap here.

"PROVIDENCE — Kristine Bouthillier of West Warwick does not want to be in the spotlight. She just wants her son’s life to return to the way it used to be.

She knows that is impossible. So instead, Bouthillier was standing at a podium in Senate Judiciary room 313 at the Rhode Island State House on May 25. She told her listeners about the night in the winter of 2022 when her then 17-year-old son, Kevin MacDonald, and his best friend Matt Dennison, also 17, were hit by an alleged drunken driver on Route 102 in Exeter while returning from a hockey game and going to another one...

...One Bill, sponsored by Sen. Leonidas Raptakis, a Coventry Democrat, would extend the limit on prior offenses that police take into consideration when charging an impaired driver with a more serious repeat offense from five to 10 years. Companion legislation is sponsored in the House by Rep. Patricia Serpa, a West Warwick Democrat." Read the full story by Christopher Shea at Rhode Island Current

“Drunk drivers, especially repeat offenders and especially those whose irresponsible actions cause harm to others, should not be on the road, period,” said Senator Raptakis. “I don’t care how remorseful they seem when they appear before a judge. The punishment for this type of reckless disregard for the welfare of others needs to be much tougher. Until it is, drunks are going to keep getting behind the wheel and causing mayhem on our roads will continue.” To read the complete article click/tap here. The original press release was by Andrew Caruolo, Publicist

Getting Out the Vote for Election 2020