The Rhode Island Senate is the

upper house An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...

of the

Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower house, lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 re ...

, the state legislature of the U.S. state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

being the

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 ...

. 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 The Rhode Island State House, the capitol of the state of Rhode Island, is located at 900 Smith Street just below the crest of Smith Hill, on the border of downtown in Providence. It is a neoclassical building designed by McKim, Mead & White ...

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

. Like other

s of

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and territorial legislatures and the federal

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, the Senate can confirm or reject

gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

appointments to executive departments, commissions and boards and Justices to the

Rhode Island Judiciary Rhode may refer to: *In Greek mythology: :*Rhodos, goddess and personification of the island of Rhodes :*Rhode, one of the fifty daughters of Danaus * ''Rhode'' (spider), a genus of spiders *Rhode (surname) *Rhode, County Offaly, an Irish town *Rh ...

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 Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Dominick J. Ruggerio of District 4 (

). The current Senate

Majority Leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

is Michael McCaffrey of District 4 (

). The Senate Minority Leader is

Jessica de la Cruz Jessica de la Cruz (born July 20, 1981) is an American politician serving as a member of the Rhode Island Senate from the 23rd district, which includes the communities of Burrillville, Pascoag, Mapleville, and Chepachet.https://ballotpedia.or ...

of District 23 ( Burrillville, Glocester).

Democratic Leadership

* Dominick J. Ruggerio (D) - President of the Senate * Michael McCaffrey (D) – Majority Leader * Maryellen Goodwin (D) – Majority Whip * Hanna Gallo (D) – President Pro Tempore

Republican Leadership

(R) – Minority Leader * Gordon Rogers (R) - Minority Whip

Committee leadership

Make-up of the Senate

:''2019-2021 Legislative Session''

Members of the Rhode Island Senate

Key Senate Staff

* Jacob Bissaillon - Chief of Staff * Greg Pare – Director of Communications * Kristen M. Silvia – Director of Legislation and Deputy Chief of Staff *John Fleming- Secretary of the Senate * John S. Baxter, Jr. – Director of Constituent Services * Stephen Whitney – Senate Fiscal Advisor * Nora Crowley – Director of Policy * Charlotte Desautels – Deputy Chief of Staff * Tracey McConnell - Executive Assistant to the Majority Leader * Brandon Bell – Minority Chief of Staff and Legal Counsel * Katie Haughey-Cardoza - Minority Director of Communications RI Government Owners Manual
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Past composition of the Senate

References

External links

Downloadable Rhode Island District Maps
{{Authority control Rhode Island General Assembly State upper houses in the United States