Rhode Island House of Representatives
The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected to two year terms from 75 districts of equal population. The Rhode Island General Assembly does not have term limits. The House meets at the Rhode Island State Capitol in Providence. House leadership. The Speaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker is elected by the majority party caucus followed  by confirmation of the full House through the passage of a House Resolution. As well as presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leadership position, and controls the flow of legislation. Other House leaders, such as the majority and minority leaders, are elected by their respective party caucuses relative to their party's strength in the chamber. The current Speaker of the House is K. Joseph Shekarchi (D), who was elected Speaker of the House by his House colleagues on January 5, 2021. From November 2016 through 2020, he served as House Majority Leader, and he was  previously Chairman of the House Labor Committee. He has served the residents of District 23 in Warwick since first being elected in November 2012. The current Majority Leader is Christopher Blazejewski, who was elected by his Democratic colleagues to serve as the House Majority Leader in November 2020 after having served as Deputy Majority Whip since May 2015. The position of Majority Leader is the second ranking position in the House Leadership after the Speaker. Representative Charlene Lima (D-Dist. 14, Cranston, Providence) serves as Deputy Speaker. The Speaker pro Tempore is Rep. Brian Patrick Kennedy (D-Dist. 38, Westerly , Hopkinton). The Republican Minority Leader is Blake A. Filippi of District 36 which includes all of Block Island and Charlestown, and portions of Westerly and South Kingstown. He was elected House Minority Leader, the highest ranking Republican in the House, in November 2018. Committee leadership. All chairs and vice chairs are members of the Democratic Party. Composition. Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives. This list is of members elected in November 2020, to serve in the 2021–22 biennium.