In 2020, as a member of the Transportation Committee, Ryan voted in favor of moving The Family Mobility Act out of committee. This is the first time in the bill’s fifteen-year history that the legislation has been released from committee.

Voted for and supported The Transgender Public Accommodations Act.

In the comprehensive 2018 Opioid Prevention Bill, Ryan was one of the lead legislators in dialogue with colleagues, police chiefs and advocacy groups to expand Crisis Intervention Response training. This is a proven national model of police training that has proven to de-escalate precarious situations to which police officers are often called.

In 2018, Ryan voted in favor of the passage of the Transgender Accommodations Act. He is an original co-sponsor of the Chelsea Pride Flag Raising event at City Hall each June. He also co-sponsored a similar event in Charlestown last year, initiated by City Councilor Lydia Edwards and Attorney General Maura Healey.

Ryan served as Vice-Chair of the Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Recovery when the Criminal Justice Reform Bill of 2018 was past. Eliminating mandatory minimums, expanding drug courts and introducing substance abuse recovery programs in our county jails has led to some of the lowest incarcerations rates in state history.