Rhode Island Senate

Rhode Island Senate
Rhode Island General Assembly

Type
Type	Upper House
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 6, 2015
Leadership
President of the Senate	M. Teresa Paiva-Weed(D) Since January 6, 2009
President pro Tempore	William Walaska(D) Since January 1, 2013
Majority Leader	Dominick J. Ruggerio(D) Since January 6, 2009
Minority Leader	Dennis Algiere(R) Since January 7, 1997
Majority Whip	Maryellen Goodwin(D) Since January 6, 2009
Structure
Seats	38

Political groups	Governing party Democratic (32) Opposition party Republican (5) Independent (1)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article VI, Rhode Island Constitution
Salary	Senate Member: $15,079/year Senate President: $30,158/year
Elections
Last election	November 4, 2014 (38 seats)
Next election	November 1, 2016 (38 seats)
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 US state of Rhode Island. 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 the majority of 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, boards, or justices to the Rhode Island Supreme Court.

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.

The current President of the Senate is Democrat M. Teresa Paiva Weed of District 13 (Newport, Jamestown,). The current Senate Majority Leader is Dominick J. Ruggerio of District 4 (Providence). The Senate Minority Leader is Dennis Algiere of District 38 (Westerly, Charlestown).

Leadership positions

M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (D)- President of the Senate
William Walaska (D) – President Pro Tempore
Dominick J. Ruggerio (D) – Senate Majority Leader
Dennis Algiere (R) – Senate Minority Leader
Maryellen Goodwin (D) – Majority Whip
Nicholas D. Kettle (R) – Minority Whip

Committee leadership

Daniel Da Ponte (D) – Committee on Finance
Paul Fogarty (D) – Committee on Labor
Erin Lynch (D) – Committee on Rules
Walter Felag (D) – Committee on Special Legislation & Veterans' Affairs
Hanna Gallo (D) – Committee on Education
James Sheehan (D) – Committee on Government Oversight
Michael McCaffrey (D) – Committee on the Judiciary
Joshua Miller (D) – Committee on Health & Human Services
V. Susan Sosnowski (D) – Committee on the Environment & Agriculture
Juan Pichardo (D) – Committee on Housing & Municipal Government
Roger Picard (D) – Committee on Commerce

Make-up of the Senate

2015-2016 Legislative Session

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Democratic	Republican	Independent		Vacant
End of previous legislature	29	8	1	38	0

End of previous legislature	32	5	1	38	0

Begin	32	5	1	38	0
Latest voting share	7001842000000000000♠84.2%	7001132000000000000♠13.2%	7000260000000000000♠2.6%

Members of the Rhode Island Senate

Composition by municipality.
Legend:

Democrat

Republican

Independent

District	Senator	Party	Representing
1	Maryellen Goodwin	Dem	Providence
2	Juan Pichardo	Dem	Providence
3	Gayle Goldin	Dem	Providence
4	Dominick J. Ruggerio	Dem	Providence
5	Paul Jabour	Dem	Providence
6	Harold Metts	Dem	Providence
7	Frank Ciccone	Dem	North Providence
8	James Doyle II	Dem	Pawtucket
9	Adam Satchell	Dem	West Warwick
10	Walter Felag	Dem	Tiverton & Warren
11	Christopher Ottiano	Rep	Bristol & Portsmouth
12	Louis DiPalma	Dem	Little Compton & Middletown
13	M. Teresa Paiva-Weed	Dem	Newport & Jamestown
14	Daniel Da Ponte	Dem	East Providence
15	Donna Nesselbush	Dem	Pawtucket
16	Elizabeth Crowley	Dem	Central Falls
17	Edward J. O'Neill	Ind	Lincoln
18	William Conley, Jr.	Dem	East Providence
19	Ryan W. Pearson	Dem	Cumberland
20	Roger Picard	Dem	Woonsocket
21	Nicholas Kettle	Rep	Coventry, Foster, Scituate&West Greenwich
22	Stephen Archambault	Dem	Smithfield
23	Paul Fogarty	Dem	Burrillville & Glocester
24	Marc Cote	Dem	North Smithfield
25	Frank Lombardo	Dem	Johnston
26	Frank Lombardi	Dem	Cranston
27	Hanna Gallo	Dem	Cranston
28	Joshua Miller	Dem	Cranston
29	Michael McCaffrey	Dem	Warwick
30	William Walaska	Dem	Warwick
31	Erin Lynch	Dem	Warwick
32	Cynthia Armour Coyne	Dem	Barrington
33	Leonidas Raptakis	Dem	East Greenwich
34	Elaine J. Morgan	Rep	Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond, & West Greenwich
35	Mark W. Gee	Rep	North Kingstown, & Narragansett
36	James Sheehan	Dem	Narragansett
37	V. Susan Sosnowski	Dem	Block Island & South Kingstown
38	Dennis Algiere	Rep	Westerly & Charlestown

Key Senate Staff

Thomas Papa - Chief of Staff to the President
Kristen M. Silvia – Deputy Chief of Staff / Director of Legislation
Marie L. Ganim – Deputy Chief of Staff / Director of Policy
Edward M. Fogarty, Esq. – Chief Legal Counsel
Stephen S. Iannazzi – Special Assistant to the Majority Leader
Patricia McNeilly – Chief of Staff to the Minority Leader
Joseph R. Brady – Secretary of the Senate
John M. Roney – Parliamentarian of the Senate
Eugene I. Gessow – Senate Fiscal Advisor
Greg Pare – Director of Communications
John S. Baxter, Jr. – Director of Constituent Services
Edward Catone – Director of Senate Services

^[1]

References

↑ RI Government Owners Manual

External links

Map of Rhode Island Senate Districts

Members of the Rhode Island State Senate

President of Senate: M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (D) President pro Tempore: William Walaska (D) Majority Leader: Dominick Ruggerio (D) Minority Leader: Dennis L. Algiere (R)

Maryellen Goodwin (D) Juan Pichardo (D) Gayle Goldin (D) Dominick Ruggerio (D) Paul Jabour (D) Harold Metts (D) Frank Ciccone (D) James Doyle II (D) Adam Satchell (D) Walter Felag (D) Christopher Ottiano (R) Louis DiPalma (D) M. Teresa Paiva-Weed (D) Daniel Da Ponte (D) Donna Nesselbush (D) Elizabeth Crowley (D) Edward J. O'Neill (I) William Conley, Jr. (D) Ryan W. Pearson (D) Roger Picard (D) Nicholas Kettle (R) Stephen Archambault (D) Paul Fogarty (D) Marc Cote (D) Frank Lombardo (D) Frank Lombardi (D) Hanna Gallo (D) Joshua Miller (D) Michael McCaffrey (D) William Walaska (D) Erin Lynch (D) David Bates (R) Leonidas Raptakis (D) Catherine Cool Rumsey (D) Dawson Hodgson (R) James Sheehan (D) V. Susan Sosnowski (D) Dennis Algiere (R)

Democratic (32) Republican (5) Independent (1)

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State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Providence (capital)

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Regions	Counties Bristol Kent Newport Providence Washington Geographic Blackstone Valley Block Island Historic Regions Rhode Island Providence Plantations

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Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 140790493 LCCN: n85230580 GND: 4514976-8

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