Representative Handy was the primary sponsor of the House same-sex marriage bill that became law in 2013, after he'd introduced it every year of his legislative career. A former chairman of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, he has championed greater environmental protections throughout his legislative career, and has also been a strong advocate for low-income Rhode Islanders, minorities, and the disabled. He was a force behind long-overdue rate increases and adjustments in the 2022 and 2023 state budgets for R.I. Wor​ks, the state's cash-assistance and work-readiness program for low-income families, and has successfully continued to push to make the program relevant to today's needs. In 2024, a law he sponsored prohibited insurers from charging higher rates to those who have been widowed.

Representative Handy was the architect of the ResilientRI act, which created the Climate Change Council, a panel charged with creating a plan for the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and in 2022 he sponsored a law boldly expanding Rhode Island's offshore wind capacity. In 2024, his legislation establishing benchmarks for energy storage capacity for Rhode Island's power grid became law. He was honored as Legislator of the Year in 2021 by the Rhode Island Clean Water Association and by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island in 2017.

Representative Handy, who is employed by Family Services Rhode Island, graduated from the University of Miami (Fla.) in 1990 with his Bachelor of Arts degree. Born on February 15, 1967, he is the husband of the late Patricia DiPrete and the father of their son, Alexander.​