Rhode Island Senate

Rhode Island Senate
Rhode Island Senate
	Seal of the Rhode Island Senate
Type
Type	Upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 3, 2023
Leadership
President	Dominick J. Ruggerio (D) ; since March 23, 2017
President pro tempore	Hanna M. Gallo (D) ; since January 5, 2021
Majority Leader	Ryan W. Pearson (D) ; since January 3, 2023
Minority Leader	Jessica de la Cruz (R) ; since August 2, 2022
Structure
Seats	38
Political groups	Majority (33) Democratic (33); Minority (5) Republican (5);
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article VI, Constitution of Rhode Island
Salary	$19,036/year
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post
Last election	November 8, 2022; (38 seats)
Next election	November 5, 2024; (38 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
	Senate Chamber; Rhode Island State Capitol; Providence, Rhode Island
Website
	Rhode Island Senate

The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of whom is elected to a two-year term. Rhode Island is one of the 14 states where its upper house serves at a two-year cycle, rather than the normal four-year term as in most states. There is no limit to the number of terms that a Senator may serve. The Rhode Island Senate meets at the Rhode Island State Capitol in Providence.

Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to executive departments, commissions and boards and Justices to the Rhode Island Judiciary.

Senate leadership

The President of the Senate presides over the body, appointing members to all of the Senate's committees and joint committees, and may create other committees and subcommittees if desired. Unlike most other states, the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island does not preside over the Senate, and is instead active in other areas such as state commissions on health and businesses. In the Senate President's absence, the President Pro Tempore presides.

Democratic Leadership

Dominick J. Ruggerio (D) - President of the Senate
Ryan W. Pearson (D) – Majority Leader
Valarie Lawson (D) – Majority Whip
Hanna Gallo (D) – President Pro Tempore

Republican Leadership

Jessica de la Cruz (R) – Minority Leader
Gordon Rogers (R) – Minority Whip

Committee leadership

Committee	Chair	Vice Chair	Secretary
Commerce	V. Susan Sosnowski (D)	Roger Picard (D)	Tiara Mack (D)
Education	Sandra Cano (D)	Hanna Gallo (D)	Ana Quezada (D)
Environment and Agriculture	Alana DiMario (D)	Matthew LaMountain (D)	David Tikoian (D)
Finance	Louis DiPalma (D)	Melissa Murray (D)	Walter Felag (D)
Health and Human Services	Joshua Miller (D)	Bridget Valverde (D)	Pamela J. Lauria (D)
Housing and Municipal Government	Roger Picard (D)	Meghan Kallman (D)	Gordon Rogers (R)
Judiciary	Dawn Euer (D)	Frank Lombardi (D)	Leonidas Raptakis (D)
Labor	Frank Ciccone (D)	Frank Lombardi (D)	John Burke (D)
Rules, Government Ethics and Oversight	Mark McKenney (D)	Valarie Lawson (D)	Sam Zurier (D)
Special Legislation and Veterans' Affairs	Walter Felag (D)	Leonidas Raptakis (D)	Valarie Lawson (D)

Make-up of the Senate

2019-2021 Legislative Session

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Democratic	Republican	Ind		Vacant
2011-2012	29	8	1	38	0

2013-2014	32	5	1	38	0

Begin 2015	32	5	1	38	0
2015-2016	33	5	0	38	0

Begin 2017	33	5	0	38	0
2017-2019	32	5	0	38	1

Begin 2019	33	5	0	38	0

Begin 2023	33	5	0	38	0
Latest voting share	86.8%	13.2%

Members of the Rhode Island Senate

District	Senator	Party	Representing	First elected
1	Jake Bissaillon	Dem	Providence	2023*
2	Ana Quezada	Dem	Providence	2016
3	Sam Zurier	Dem	Providence	2021*
4	Dominick J. Ruggerio	Dem	Providence	1984
5	Sam Bell	Dem	Providence	2018
6	Tiara Mack	Dem	Providence	2020
7	Frank Ciccone	Dem	Providence, North Providence	2002
8	Sandra Cano	Dem	Pawtucket	2018*
9	John Burke	Dem	West Warwick	2020
10	Walter Felag	Dem	Tiverton, Warren	1998
11	Linda Ujifusa	Dem	Bristol, Portsmouth	2022
12	Louis DiPalma	Dem	Little Compton, Middletown	2008
13	Dawn Euer	Dem	Newport, Jamestown	2017*
14	Valarie Lawson	Dem	East Providence	2018
15	Meghan Kallman	Dem	Pawtucket	2020
16	Jonathon Acosta	Dem	Central Falls, Pawtucket	2020
17	Thomas Paolino	Rep	Lincoln	2016
18	Robert Britto	Dem	East Providence, Pawtucket	2022
19	Ryan W. Pearson	Dem	Cumberland	2012
20	Roger Picard	Dem	Woonsocket, Cumberland	2008*
21	Gordon Rogers	Rep	Coventry, Foster, Scituate, West Greenwich	2018
22	David Tikoian	Dem	Smithfield, Lincoln, North Providence	2022
23	Jessica de la Cruz	Rep	Burrillville, Glocester	2018
24	Melissa Murray	Dem	North Smithfield, Woonsocket	2018
25	Vacant^[1]		Johnston
26	Frank Lombardi	Dem	Cranston	2012
27	Hanna Gallo	Dem	Cranston	1998
28	Joshua Miller	Dem	Cranston	2006
29	Anthony DeLuca II	Rep	Warwick	2022
30	Mark McKenney	Dem	Warwick	2018
31	Matthew LaMountain	Dem	Warwick	2022
32	Pamela J. Lauria	Dem	Barrington, Bristol, East Providence	2022
33	Leonidas Raptakis	Dem	Coventry, East Greenwich, West Greenwich	2012 (1996-2010)
34	Elaine J. Morgan	Rep	Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond, West Greenwich	2014
35	Bridget Valverde	Dem	East Greenwich, North Kingstown, Narragansett, South Kingstown	2018
36	Alana DiMario	Dem	Narragansett	2020
37	V. Susan Sosnowski	Dem	New Shoreham, South Kingstown	1996
38	Victoria Gu	Dem	Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown	2022