Defending Ed Files Ethics Complaint Against Rhode Island Senate President

Valerie Lawson is the sitting Senate President in Rhode Island while also serving as the President of the National Education Association of Rhode Island (NEARI). This ethics complaint against her concerns two recent votes:

(1) Lawson’s vote on June 4, 2026, in favor of Senate Bill S2787A, which imposes a moratorium on charter public schools, permanently reduces the number of charters allowed in the state, and overrides the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education’s approval of a new charter public school in the pre-opening preparation stage.

(2) Her vote on May 28, 2026, in favor of Senate Bill S2924, legislation that would substantially expand public sector union membership in Rhode Island through card-check certification and mandatory employer neutrality.

Senate President Lawson’s serves as the President of the National Education Association
of Rhode Island (NEARI), from which she receives a salary and whose published legislative agenda calls
for the enactment of legislation that directly mirrors both S2787A and S2924. The Complaint further
addresses Senate President Lawson’s use of her public position to consistently advance NEARI’s published institutional priorities — priorities that she sets as NEARI’s President.

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