Senator Thomas J. Paolino

​Senate Deputy Minority Leader

Member, Senate Committee on Finance

Member, Senate Committee on Education​

Senator Thomas J. Paolino (R-Dist. 17, Lincoln, North Providence, North Smithfield) was first elected to the Senate in November of 2016. He has served as the Senate Deputy Minority Leader since 2021.

Sen. Paolino is a current member of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Education. Previously, he served on the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government. Sen. Paolino served on the Permanent Joint Committee on State Lottery from 2019 through 2023 and as Secretary for the Finance Committee for the 2021-2022 legislative session.

Accountability to Rhode Island taxpayers continues to be a main focus for Senator Paolino. He has advocated for fiscal responsibility, streamlining business regulations, and lowering the tax burden for all Rhode Islanders. Legislation Senator Paolino has introduced or supported includes a line-item veto, an Office of Inspector General, eliminating the car tax, lowering state sales tax, implementing zero-based budgeting, increasing thresholds on estate taxes, eliminating state income tax on social security income, and campaign finance reform.

Ensuring Rhode Island’s students have access to a quality education is a priority for Sen. Paolino. He helped secure $25 million for schools in his district, including funding for the construction of the new Lincoln High School. Sen. Paolino led efforts to pass mandatory Financial Literacy courses in all RI high schools into state law and has introduced legislation to increase the aggregate amount of tax credits for contributions to scholarship organizations to $5,000,000 for 2024.  

Sen. Paolino works tirelessly for his community, aiding in the procurement of $160 million in federal funds to redesign and improve public safety on Route 146. He utilizes his professional experience in the healthcare industry to advocate for our most vulnerable and elderly population, supporting the expansion of home care services to enable seniors to age in place.

A lifelong resident of Rhode Island, Sen. Paolino is a graduate of Mt. St. Charles Academy and has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Dean College. He is currently a professional licensed chauffeur, and formerly worked as a home care liaison and recruitment director for Lifetime Medical Support Services and as a fitness instructor at MacColl YMCA.  

Senator Paolino can be reached at sen-paolino@rilegislature.gov or 401-222-2708.