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SR 1075

SENATE RESOLUTION WELCOMING ELIZA REID, RENOWNED WRITER AND FORMER FIRST LADY OF ICELAND, TO THE RHODE ISLAND STATE HOUSE

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Pete Appollonio and 9 co-sponsors

Rhode Island Senate passes a ceremonial resolution welcoming Eliza Reid, former First Lady of Iceland, recognizing her literary advocacy and promoting RI-Iceland goodwill.

05/15/2025 Senate read and passed
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Bill Summary · SR 1075

Summary: Senate Resolution SR 1075 — Welcoming Eliza Reid

Overview

SR 1075 is a Rhode Island Senate resolution recognizing and warmly welcoming Eliza Reid, a renowned writer and the former First Lady of Iceland, to the Rhode Island State House. The measure is ceremonial in nature and accompanies best wishes for Reid’s health, fulfillment, and future endeavors. It authorizes the Secretary of State to transmit a certified copy of the resolution to Reid.

Purpose and Intent

  • To honor Eliza Reid for her contributions as a writer, advocate for gender equality, entrepreneurship, tourism, and sustainability, and for her promotion of Iceland’s literary and cultural heritage.
  • To acknowledge her role in public life as the spouse of Iceland’s President since 2016 and her work on international literacy and development initiatives.
  • To symbolize Rhode Island–Iceland cultural and intellectual exchange and goodwill.

Key Provisions

  • Prestipated text: The Senate “welcomes” Eliza Reid to the Rhode Island State House.
  • Expressions of congratulations: The resolution offers congratulations and extends wishes for good health, fulfillment, and success.
  • Certification and transmission: The Secretary of State is authorized to send a duly certified copy of the resolution to Eliza Reid.
  • No fiscal or policy changes: As a ceremonial resolution, there are no appropriations or substantive policy changes associated with SR 1075.

Background on Eliza Reid (as cited in the resolution)

  • Early life: Grew up on a farm near Ottawa, Canada; studied at Trinity College, University of Toronto (Bachelor’s in International Relations) and St. Antony’s College, Oxford (Master’s in Modern History).
  • Career in Iceland: Since 2003, a freelance writer for Icelandic publications; roles with The Reykjavík Grapevine, Iceland Review, and Icelandair Stopover; co-founded the Iceland Writers Retreat (2014).
  • First Lady of Iceland: Married Guðni Th. Jóhannesson in 2004; served as First Lady beginning in 2016; focused on gender equality, entrepreneurship, innovation, tourism, sustainability, and support for writers.
  • Publications: Bestselling author of Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World (2022) and Death on the Island (Death of a Diplomat) (2025).
  • Public service and recognition: Patron or ambassador for several organizations, including the United Nations Association Iceland, SOS Children’s Villages Iceland, and UN Special Ambassador for Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals; multiple nominations for “Person of the Year” and international honors.

Procedural and Timeline Details

  • Introduced: May 15, 2025.
  • Action: Recommended for Immediate Consideration; Senate read and passed on May 15, 2025.
  • Next steps: The resolution has been adopted by the Senate; any further action would depend on concurrent actions by the Rhode Island House of Representatives (not specified in the provided text). The primary ceremonial effect is the acknowledgment and transmission to Reid via the Secretary of State.

Impact

  • Primarily symbolic and diplomatic: fosters goodwill between Rhode Island and Iceland and highlights Reid’s contributions to literature, gender equality, and cultural diplomacy.
  • No policy changes or fiscal implications are attached to this resolution.

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

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