Ackerman announces re-election bid
CUMBERLAND — Rep. Mia Ackerman has announced her intention to run for re-election to the District 45 seat in the House of Representatives.
“I look forward to building upon what we have accomplished for the state of Rhode Island in the General Assembly,” said Representative Ackerman, who has served in the House since 2012. “We have developed strong policies for our business communities, our youth, and consumers. I’m particularly proud of supporting legislation that reduced the minimum corporate tax and phases out the car tax.”
Representative Ackerman has built a reputation as a pro-business legislator, sponsoring a law that simplifies the application process of an out-of-state corporation to obtain a certificate of authority, making it easier to do business in Rhode Island. In 2015, she sponsored a law that effectively nullifies mortgages after 35 years, helping buyers and sellers of real estate to avoid complicated legal entanglements involving ancient mortgages. She also sponsored legislation that was combined into the budget that reduced state corporate income taxes.
A strong advocate of youth issues, Ackerman introduced a bill this session that bans the use of tanning beds for minors. The measure, which garnered strong support from the medical community, was enacted by the Gen- eral Assembly. She also successfully sponsored legislation that changes the jurisdiction of child abuse crimes from family court to Rhode Island Superior Court, which is much better equipped to adjudicate those types of crimes.
In the 2016 session, she chaired a commission to study the increasing problem of sexual assault on college campuses. Those meetings led to legislation introduced by Representative Ackerman that requires institutions of higher learning to adopt a policy which grants amnesty for violations of drug/ alcohol policies for those who report incidents of violence, including domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault.
Since being elected to the House of Representatives, Ackerman has convened a Youth Advisory Board, comprising students from Cumberland and Lincoln high schools. She created the board to give students the chance to gain knowledge about the inner workings of state government and contribute input on pending legislation.
Ackerman has also effectively championed consumer protection issues. In the last session, she sponsored successful legislation that prohibits consumer reporting agencies from charging consumers a fee for a credit freeze. Also known as a security freeze, it also prevents a reporting agency from giving a consumer’s personal data such as credit information to any third-party creditor.
Ackerman has been the force behind many health-related bills, including legislation that makes the electronic transmission of pharmaceuticals the standard in Rhode Island. This bill addresses the state’s opioid crisis by creating a secure paper trail to keep track of how many total doses of opioids have been prescribed to a given patient. Another successful bill ensures seniors in the state admitted to a hospital are offered free influenza vaccinations.
Before her service in the House of Representative, Ackerman spent six years on the Cumberland Town Council from 2006 to 2012, as well as serving on the Cumberland Juvenile Hearing Board from 2003 to 2006.
She also is involved with several community organizations, serving with the Northern Rhode Island Food Pantry and the Cumberland School Volunteers, as well as the Board of Directors for the historic Franklin Farm in Cumberland. She was a Liaison to the Cumberland Youth Commission and was a former member of the J.J. McLaughlin Elementary School Executive PTO Board.
Representative Ackerman resides in Cumberland with her husband, Barry. They have two children, Samuel, a Columbia University graduate, and Ellie, a student at the University of Rhode Island.