New Year’s Day ushered in not only a new calendar year 2013 but also a new legislative year in the Rhode Island state government. The legislative year 2013-2014 inaugurated with a ceremonial opening yesterday afternoon attended by the members of the General Assembly.
Rhode Island’s legislature consists of 113 members. According to Katherine Gregg of The Providence Journal, the Democrats once again hold the majority in both houses. She wrote that “There will be 69 Democrats and 6 Republicans in the House, and 32 Democrats, 5 Republicans and 1 independent in the Senate.” The Secretary of State Ralph Mollis had the responsibility of swearing in all the members, which included 24 freshmen members.
Leadership re-elected to office
Members of both the Rhode Island House of Representatives and Rhode Island Senate re-elected their respective leadership yesterday. Speaker of the House Gordon D. Fox (D-Dist.14 Providence) was re-elected by 66 members of the house, after he was nominated by his peer Representative Joy Hearn (D Dist.-66 Barrington, East Providence).
Senate President M.Teresa Paiva Weed (D-Dist.-13 Jamestown, Newport) was re-elected president of the Rhode Island Senate with a 37-1 majority. It is her third term as president of the Rhode Island Senate. Pavia Weed is the only woman to hold the position in Rhode Island history.
2013 brings with it a lot of promise. It is up to the General Assembly to act in the best interest of the citizens who elected the lawmakers last November.
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