| Mary Duffy Messier (D), a lifelong resident of Pawtucket, was first elected to the House in December 2009. She represents District 62 in Pawtucket. Representative Messier was named a Deputy Majority Leader in January 2021. She is the first vice chair of both the House Labor Committee and the House State Government and Elections Committee, and she is a member of the House Innovation, Internet and Technology Committee and the House Oversight Committee.
During the most recent legislative session, she co-sponsored a new law that requires Medicare supplement policies in the state to be offered to all patients who are eligible for Medicare by reason of disability, including end-stage renal disease (ESRD), regardless of age. She also co-sponsored the repealing of a law that allows employers to pay workers with disabilities below the minimum wage.
In 2017, she introduced an education-quality law that requires accreditation by a Regional Accrediting Agency recognized by the United States Department of Education for distance learning institutions to transact business or grant degrees in Rhode Island.
In 2016, Representative Messier sponsored legislation that requires a public hearing for all insurers or health maintenance organizations who propose rate increases for health or dental insurance coverage in the individual market. The law created a uniform rate review procedure for proposed rate changes.In 2014, enacted legislation she cosponsored provides courses of study regarding child abduction, sexual exploitation and abuse for young. She has also been a strong proponent of several laws which work to protect and support the rights of veterans, including a bill to establish veteran-friendly educational programs in order to allow service personnel returning from a combat tour to achieve educational attainment in an accelerated manner.
Her legislation obtained tax-exempt status to assist both the Pawtucket Youth Soccer Association and the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket. She also sponsored a bill creating an annual Ben Mondor Day, honoring the late Pawtucket Red Sox owner and the team.
Representative Messier serves Ward 3 on the Pawtucket City Committee. She also serves on the board for the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket. She has been involved with the Pawtucket St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee for more than three decades, and served as a past Grand Marshal of the parade. She is a board member of the Jeanne Jugan Residence-Little Sisters of the Poor in Pawtucket.
A retired elementary school teacher in Cumberland, Representative Messier holds a master's degree in education from Rhode Island College. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Roger Williams University and is a graduate of Tolman High School in Pawtucket.
Born on June 27, 1952, the representative has two sons, Ryan and Seth, and one grandchild, Kiley Messier. |