The Rhode Island Senate is the

upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

of the

Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...

, the

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United ...

of the U.S. state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...

, the lower house 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 wh ...

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 ...

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 r ...

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 The current lieutenant governor of Rhode Island is Sabina Matos, who was sworn in on April 14, 2021, after Daniel McKee succeeded to the office of governor. The first lieutenant governor was George Brown. In Rhode Island, the lieutenant gove ...

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 A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being" ...

presides. The current President of the Senate is Democrat 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.

Michael McCaffrey Michael J. McCaffrey (born December 18, 1963) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate representing District 29 since January 2003. He has been the Rhode Island Senate Majority Leader since March 23, 2017. McCa ...

of District 4 (

). The Senate Minority Leader is Jessica de la Cruz of District 23 (

Burrillville Burrillville is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 16,158 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated as an independent municipality on November 17, 1806 when the Rhode Island General Assembly authorize ...

Glocester Glocester is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 9,974 as of the 2020 census. The villages of Chepachet and Harmony are in Glocester. Putnam Pike (U.S. Route 44) runs west through the town center of Glo ...

Democratic Leadership

* Dominick J. Ruggerio (D) - President of the Senate *

(D) – Majority Leader *

Maryellen Goodwin Maryellen Goodwin (born September 27, 1964 in Providence, Rhode Island) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate representing District 24 since January 2005. Goodwin served consecutively from January 1987 un ...

(D) – Majority Whip *

Hanna Gallo Hanna M. Gallo (born November 21, 1956 in Colorado Springs, Colorado) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Rhode Island Senate representing District 27 since January 2003. Gallo served consecutively from January 1999 until Ja ...

(D) – President Pro Tempore

Republican Leadership

* Jessica de la Cruz (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