Marvin Abney

Rhode Island House of Representatives

State Representative Marvin L. Abney has served the residents of Newport and Middletown since first being elected in November 2012. In May 2016, he was appointed chairman of the House Finance Committee, which is responsible for adopting the annual state budget.

In 2025, Chairman Abney sponsored the state budget that bolstered Medicaid despite threats at the federal level, increased reimbursements for primary care providers, nursing homes, and hospitals, and provided additional resources to address the housing crisis. Each year since 2016, he has sponsored responsible state budgets that prioritize the care of the state’s most vulnerable populations, with a particular focus on children, families, and public education.

Chairman Abney is a retired Major with a 20-year career in the United States Army, including a tour of duty as a detachment commander at NATO Headquarters. In 2025, he was inducted into the Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at Fort Moore in Georgia. 

He also retired from the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, where he served as executive assistant to the commissioner. He earned his bachelor's degree in public administration at Stephen F. Austin State University, a master's of management degree from Webster University in 1982, a master's of business administration from the University of Rhode Island in 2000, and a certificate of advanced graduate study in educational leadership from Johnson & Wales University in 2005.

Chairman Abney has a long history of involvement in community organizations and boards, such as the Newport Health Care Corporation, the Redwood Library, the Newport Zoning Board of Review, the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport, and the Newport County YWCA. A native of Texarkana, Texas, he lives in Newport with his wife, Cheryl Lynn (Amado). He is the father of Marvin L. Abney II, U.S. Army Major Christian Abney, and Tess A. Abney. He is the grandfather of six.