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HR 6412

HOUSE RESOLUTION CELEBRATING THE NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE MUSEUM’S RECOGNITION OF THE HEROIC EFFORTS OF IDA LEWIS WITH THE "PAST LIGHT KEEPER AWARD"

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Marvin Abney and 9 co-sponsors

Rhode Island House passes a ceremonial resolution recognizing Ida Lewis and the National Lighthouse Museum’s Past Light Keeper Award, celebrating RI maritime heritage; non-binding.

06/12/2025 House read and passed
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Bill Summary · HR 6412

Summary of Rhode Island House Resolution HR 6412

Overview

House Resolution 6412 (HR 6412) is a Rhode Island House resolution introduced on June 12, 2025, and subsequently read and passed by the House on the same day. The resolution honors the National Lighthouse Museum’s recognition of Ida Lewis with the "Past Light Keeper Award" and publicly commemorates Rhode Island’s maritime heritage associated with Ida Lewis and Lime Rock Light (now Ida Lewis Rock Lighthouse).

Purpose and Intent

  • To celebrate the National Lighthouse Museum’s decision to award Ida Lewis posthumously with the "Past Light Keeper Award" during the museum’s Lightkeeper’s Gala (Lighthouse Recognition Week).
  • To recognize Ida Lewis’s heroic service as the Light Keeper at Lime Rock Light (Lime Rock Light House) and her enduring legacy within Rhode Island’s nautical history.
  • To highlight Rhode Island’s coastal heritage and the historical significance of the Lime Rock / Ida Lewis Rock Lighthouse.

Key Provisions

  • The House resolutions expresses celebration and support for the National Lighthouse Museum’s recognition of Ida Lewis.
  • Directs the Secretary of State to transmit a duly certified copy of the resolution to Commodore Christopher W. Arner of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club.
  • As a ceremonial measure, the resolution does not enact policy changes or authorize new funding; it is a symbolic recognition.

Background and Context

  • Ida Lewis: Born in Newport, Rhode Island. At a young age she became renowned for swimming and later served as a one-woman life-saving station, performing numerous rescues in Newport Harbor.
  • Achievements: Credited with saving eighteen lives; earned the Gold Lifesaving Medal (the first woman to receive it); widely regarded as a pioneering sea rescuer.
  • Local legacy: In 1924, the Rhode Island General Assembly renamed Lime Rock to Ida Lewis Rock, and the accompanying lighthouse was renamed the Ida Lewis Rock Lighthouse. The site now houses the Ida Lewis Yacht Club and remains a prominent historical landmark.

Procedural and Timeline Details

  • Introduced: June 12, 2025 (by Representatives Carson, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Abney, Shallcross Smith, Tanzi, Ajello, Fellela, and Felix).
  • Status: House read and passed on June 12, 2025.
  • Effective impact: Non-binding ceremonial resolution; no fiscal or regulatory changes.

Potential Impact

  • Raises public awareness of Rhode Island’s maritime history and Ida Lewis’s accomplishments.
  • Strengthens cultural and historical tourism narrative around Newport’s lighthouse heritage.
  • Conveys legislative recognition and goodwill to the Ida Lewis Yacht Club and related maritime institutions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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