| Meghan E. Kallman is a Democrat representing District 15 (Pawtucket, Providence) in the Rhode Island Senate.
She served two terms on the Pawtucket City Council prior to being elected to the Senate in November 2020. During her time in the General Assembly, Sen. Kallman has advanced legislation related to housing, climate action, transportation and other issues.
In 2023, she sponsored two major new laws to address the state's housing crisis. One will facilitate the conversion of empty buildings like mills and schools into housing. Another provides funding to support transit-oriented development, the creation of mixed-use, mixed-income housing around transit hubs. Given the number of old mill buildings in Pawtucket and Providence and the communities proximity to transit stations, both cities are well positioned to take advantage of these laws to provide more housing.
Sen. Kallman also sponsored laws in 2023 to make birth control more available by allowing trained pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptives and support workers by toughening penalties on wage theft and helped secure funding to keep the R-Line (RIPTA's busiest bus route) free for all riders. She cosponsored the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act and a bill to expand solar development while protecting forests and rate payers. She was also honored as a 2023 Environmental Champion by Clean Water Action for her work protecting the environment.
She was the Senate sponsor of the Fair Housing Practices Act, which bars housing discrimination against renters based on their source of income, as well as a provision in the state budget creating Rhode Island's first-ever permanent revenue stream to support affordable housing. She also sponsored legislation barring housing discrimination based on gender identity or expression.
She sponsored an amendment to the Rhode Island Whistle Blowers Protection Act to prohibit employers from reporting or threatening to report an employee's immigration status for whistle-blowing. She introduced a successful resolution creating a study of how to reduce the number of women incarcerated in Rhode Island and proposed a bill that would make transportation on RIPTA buses free for all Rhode Islanders.
Sen. Kallman received the 2021 Pacesetter Award from the Women Legislators' Lobby, or WILL, a program of Women's Action for New Directions (WAND). She was among seven Pacesetters, women state legislators nationwide who are leading the way in redirecting much-needed federal funds back to their constituents.
Sen. Kallman was born on Nov. 18, 1983. She earned a Bachelor's Degree from Smith College and went on to earn a Master's Degree from the University of Chicago and a Doctorate from Brown University. She is a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
She previously served on the State Housing Appeals Board, the Pawtucket Juvenile Hearing Board and as a fellow with the Women's Police Institute. She is a community organizer and founder of Crash Pawtucket, a local business showcase. She is also a founding member of the Climate Jobs RI coalition. |