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The Rhode Island Senate confirmed four appointments to the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA) Board: Maggie Anderson of Johnston, André Herrera of Providence, Kara Kunst of Warwick, and Michael Rose of Providence. Governor McKee nominated the appointees. Long-time board members Dominique Alfandre and Jennifer Fonseca, along with Marisa Angell Brown, stepped down from the Council.
Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi resigned from the speakership (but remains in the House) to apply for a vacancy on the Rhode Island Supreme Court, created by Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg's retirement. Shekarchi's move raises legal questions about the state's "revolving door" statute barring legislators from judicial appointments while in office and for one year thereafter. House Majority Leader Christopher Blazejewski has secured support to succeed Shekarchi as speaker.
Law professor Michael Yelnosky filed an ethics complaint challenging Speaker Shekarchi's application to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, alleging violation of the state's revolving door law, which requires legislators to wait one year before seeking another state position. The complaint argues Shekarchi may be using his speakership to gain unfair advantage over other judicial candidates. An adjudication is pending.
The Rhode Island House of Representatives elected Christopher Blazejewski as speaker on a 65–10 party-line vote after K. Joseph Shekarchi stepped down to apply for a state Supreme Court vacancy. Katherine Kazarian was elected majority leader, becoming the first woman in that role. The transition is rare mid-session and comes as the General Assembly enters the final stretch before the June budget deadline.
Rhode Island's congressional delegation secured an $11.25 million federal grant to modernize the Port of Davisville at Quonset Business Park. The funding, from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Port Infrastructure Development Program, will upgrade facilities, enhance safety and efficiency, and promote job growth. Sen. Jack Reed said the grant comes after Trump administration delays.
Rhode Island's Revenue Estimating Conference on May 9, 2026, projected state tax revenue will exceed forecasts by $155 million in fiscal year 2025-26 and by $79 million in 2026-27, giving budget-writers $233 million more to work with. The revised forecast shows state revenue rising 6% in the current fiscal year, from $5.6 billion in 2024-25. The announcement sets the stage for final budget negotiations as the General Assembly's session nears its close.
Newly elected Speaker Christopher Blazejewski will not retain former Speaker Joe Shekarchi's chief of staff Ray Simone, according to sources. Danica Dayian Iacoi, chief legal counsel to the majority leader and a veteran House staffer since 2004, will serve as Blazejewski's chief of staff. Simone, who ran Senator Jack Reed's Rhode Island office for decades and earned $234,000 as Shekarchi's chief of staff, is leaving the State House.
Rhode Island's regulator approved a 2.5% average reduction in workers' compensation loss costs, effective August 1, 2026. The decrease marks the 11th consecutive annual reduction, totaling a 75.8% net decrease since 2015. More than 200 insurers write workers' comp coverage in the state, and officials credit workplace safety improvements by RI employers.
Christopher Blazejewski, a 46-year-old Providence Democrat, was elected Rhode Island House speaker on May 7 by a 65-10 party-line vote. He replaces K. Joseph Shekarchi, who resigned the speakership to seek a state Supreme Court seat. Katherine Kazarian of East Providence became the first female House majority leader. Blazejewski, a self-described progressive first elected in 2010, pledged to focus on helping working families, improving healthcare and education, and protecting Rhode Islanders from federal overreach.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi resigned from his leadership post on May 7 to seek appointment to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, ending months of speculation. Shekarchi, 63, submitted his application for the vacancy created by Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg's retirement. He pledged to suspend political activity and fundraising while his application is reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission. Shekarchi will remain a House member but faces questions about state ethics code provisions barring lawmakers from seeking judicial appointments.
US District Judge Melissa R. DuBose ordered Bryan Rafael Gómez, a 27-year-old undocumented immigrant, be re-detained by ICE after the US Attorney's Office failed to disclose at ICE's direction that he was wanted on a homicide warrant in the Dominican Republic. DuBose initiated a disciplinary referral over the omission, calling it an 'egregious' breach of candor. The federal government later apologized, but DHS had publicly criticized DuBose as an 'activist judge' for releasing Gómez—a characterization the court called 'demonstratively false.'
