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President of the Rhode Island Senate
Position in the Rhode Island Senate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The President of the Rhode Island Senate is the presiding officer of the Rhode Island Senate. Unlike most other states, the lieutenant governor of Rhode Island does not preside over the state senate. Instead, the lieutenant governor has roles in "emergency preparedness and homeland security".[1]
StyleThe Honorable
Term lengthTwo years, renewable
Inaugural holderJoseph A. Montalbano, 2003
FormationConstitution of Rhode Island
| President of the Senate of Rhode Island | |
|---|---|
| |
since April 29, 2025 | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Term length | Two years, renewable |
| Inaugural holder | Joseph A. Montalbano, 2003 |
| Formation | Constitution of Rhode Island |
The role of president was established in 2003. Rhode Island Constitution provides that the lieutenant governor would no longer preside over the Senate in 2003, and power would be transferred to a president elected by senators.[2] The first elected president was Joseph A. Montalbano, a Democrat from North Providence.
List
| # | Name | Party | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph A. Montalbano | Democratic | 2003 – January 5, 2009 |
| 2 | M. Teresa Paiva-Weed | Democratic | January 6, 2009 – March 24, 2017 |
| 3 | Dominick J. Ruggerio | Democratic | March 24, 2017 – April 21, 2025 |
| 4 | Valarie Lawson | Democratic | April 29, 2025 – present |