Carol Hagan McEntee
Chair, House Small Business Committee
First Vice Chair, House Judiciary Committee
Member, House Environment and Natural Resources Committee
Member, House Labor Committee
Representative Carol Hagan McEntee (D-Dist. 33, South Kingstown and
Narragansett) was first elected in June 2015 after winning a special
election to fill the vacant District 33 seat. She is the chair of the House
Small Business Committee and is the first vice chair of the House Judiciary
Committee. Representative McEntee is also a member of the House Labor
Committee and the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
In 2024, Representative McEntee saw several bills she introduced become
law. She introduced a new law that will
help sexual assault victims access the state fund that assists victims of
violent crime with the costs they've faced as a result. Another new law
she introduced
increases the maximum post-retirement employment earnings cap for retired
educators. She also introduced new laws that
allow municipalities to count mobile home units as affordable housing
and that
make outdoor dining permanent in Rhode Island.
During the 2023 legislative session, Representative McEntee was the main
sponsor of a new
law that extends the “Take it Outside" outdoor dining initative in the
state. She also sponsored legislation which would eliminate
the statute of limitations for second degree sexual assault in criminal
proceedings.
Also in 2023, Representative McEntee was named the co-chair of the Special
Joint Legislative Commission to Study and Provide Recommendations to Protect
Our Environment and Natural Resources from Plastic Bottle Waste. She was honored
by Clean Water Action as an “Environmental Champion" for her work
promoting environmental protection and sustainability.
Representative McEntee was also honored by the Rhode Island Hospitality
Association as the organization's 2022 Hospitality Ambassador of the Year
for her advocacy in the “Take it Outside" initiative, as well as legislation
she sponsored which reduced unemployment taxes for Rhode Island's small
businesses.
In 2019, Representative McEntee championed the enactment of a bill she
sponsored that extends
the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse. She was
honored by Day One with the advocacy organization's Spotlight Award due to
her sponsorship of the new law.
Representative McEntee served as a member of the South Kingstown Town
Council from 2008 until June 2015. She is an attorney at law licensed in
both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She is a former Special Assistant
Attorney General in Rhode Island and a former assistant city solicitor and
prosecutor for the City of Warwick.
A graduate of the University of Rhode Island, Representative McEntee has
lived in Wakefield and Bonnet Shores for more than 30 years. She is married
to Mike McEntee, a former State Representative, and they have three
children: Meg, Mickey, and Rory, who is a member of the South Kingstown Town
Council.