Woonsocket Radio News Room

Senate Democrats elect Valarie Lawson Majority Leader, Endorse Dominick Ruggerio for Senate President

 

 

 

STATE HOUSE, Providence – The members of the 2025-2026 Senate Democratic Caucus met tonight and elected Senator Valarie J. Lawson as their Majority Leader.

 

Speaking to her colleagues at the Caucus, Senator Lawson (D – Dist. 14, East Providence) said, “I am deeply humbled by your support, and I will work each day to the best of my ability to live up to the responsibility.”

 

She continued, “The Senate has long provided strong leadership to address the serious challenges facing our state. I look forward to working with everyone in this room to deliver the results our constituents expect and deserve as we move forward. You each bring different areas of expertise, varied insights, and important perspectives. Tonight, I ask all of you to join us in working together, coming together as a unified Chamber, to address the challenges facing our state and to build upon the progress we have made.”

 

The Caucus also voted to endorse Senator Dominick J. Ruggerio to another term as President of the Senate. The Senate President is elected by all members of the Senate, including Republicans, on the first day of the new legislative session in January.

 

Addressing the Caucus, Senator Ruggerio said, “It is truly humbling to receive the endorsement of this Caucus to serve another term as your Senate President. I have tremendous respect and admiration for everyone in this room. The members of this Chamber are leaders of excellence and dedication, each of you committed to making our state an even greater place to live and work. I am honored to serve alongside all of you.”

 

Senator Ruggerio (D – Dist. 4, North Providence, Providence) also extended his heartfelt congratulations to Senator Lawson. “You are a dedicated and principled leader who will help advance the priorities of all the members of this Chamber. I look forward to working alongside you, in partnership with all the members of our Chamber, as a strong and unified Senate, in the upcoming session.”

 

Senators Lawson and Ruggerio also each outlined some legislative priorities as they look ahead to the 2025 session. Their full remarks are attached.

Federal employees are returning to work despite some uncertainty over paychecks following the government shutdown. The White House reportedly has urged federal agencies to send paychecks as fast as possible to employees who have been without pay. Some are expected to get paychecks as soon as this weekend.        The House will vote on a measure that forces the Justice Department to release all of its Jeffrey Epstein case files. House Speaker Mike Johnson is required to put the bill on the floor after a discharge petition related to the matter reached the 218 signatures needed. This follows the release of emails from Epstein to his associate Ghislaine Maxwell as well as a journalist that referenced Trump, claiming in one that President Trump "knew about the girls."        A new study suggests a link between the use of GLP-1 medications and lower death rates in colon cancer patients. The University of California, San Diego study examined data from more than six-thousand-800 colon cancer patients. The preliminary results found the five-year mortality rate of patients using GLP-1 medications was less than half that of those who were not using the drugs.        There's been an arrest in connection with the shooting of an athletic director of a California community college featured in the Netflix docuseries "Last Chance U." John Beam was shot on the Laney College campus in Oakland, California on Thursday and remains critical. Police are not giving details on today's arrest. Beam was the school's longtime football coach when he appeared on the streaming show.        PepsiCo is launching its "colorless" alternatives for its Cheetos and Doritos brands. The company is introducing its "Simply NKD" offerings which will feature the new snack products made without artificial flavors or dyes. The product launch comes as federal regulators are planning to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the nation's food supply products by the end of next year. According to PepsiCo, the Simply NKD products will be in stores on December 1st.        Two new movies are off to good starts at the box office. "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" made two-point-one-million-dollars from Thursday previews, while "The Running Man" brought in one-point-nine-million. The two films are set to battle it out for first place as both are projected to make between 20 to 25-million over the weekend.       

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