# 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
* Valarie Lawson (D) – Majority Leader

### 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) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| Affiliation | Democratic | Republican | Ind | Total | 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 | Lori Urso | Dem | Pawtucket | 2024 |
| 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 | Brian Thompson | Dem | Woonsocket, Cumberland | 2024 |
| 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 | Andrew Dimitri | Dem | Johnston | 2024 |
| 26 | Todd Patalano | Dem | Cranston | 2024 |
| 27 | Hanna Gallo | Dem | Cranston | 1998 |
| 28 | Lammis Vargas | Dem | Cranston | 2024 |
| 29 | Pete Appollonio | Dem | Warwick | 2024 |
| 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 |
    *Senator was elected in a special election