Representative Patricia A. Serpa
Chair, House Oversight Committee
Member, House Conduct Committee
Member, House Corporations Committee
Member, House Rules Committee
Patricia
A. Serpa (D) has represented District 27 in West Warwick, Coventry and Warwick
since first being elected in 2006. She is the chair of the House Oversight
Committee and serves as a member of the House Conduct Committee, the House
Corporations Committee and the House Rules Committee.
As
chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight since May 2016, Representative Serpa
has continuously investigated several prominent failures within multiple state
agencies, including the botched rollout of the Unified Health Infrastructure
(UHIP) project. Under Representative Serpa’s leadership, the committee has
heard testimony on the UHIP computer system failures from public officials,
nursing home and child care administrators, and citizens affected by the
rollout.
Most
recently, in 2022, she led several meetings investigating the current state of Rhode
Island’s behavioral health system. She has also led the charge for answers on
topics of public importance such as the deaths and near-deaths of several
children under the care of the Department of Children, Youth and Families in
the wake of a report by the child advocate.
Representative
Serpa’s probe of the Division of Taxation, which revealed rampant delays in tax
refunds in 2016, led to sweeping changes in the Department of Revenue to
rectify the problem the following year.
The
committee’s investigation of the Blackstone Valley Youth and Family
Collaborative led to DCYF cutting off ties with the organization. The report
uncovered drug and alcohol abuse and violence by residents, the use of banned
aversion therapy, and that the cooperative neglected to monitor residents and
provided false documents.
During
the most recent session, she sponsored a new law that overhauls and reforms the
state’s purchasing
policies and processes. In 2021, she sponsored a law to
give compensation to innocent people who have spent time behind bars but
were later released when new evidence shows they were not guilty. She also
sponsored a new law that prohibits
the use of a school district's listserv to distribute any political advertisement,
invitation, and/or propaganda.
In
2020, she sponsored a law that prohibits
the manufacturing, transfer, purchase or possessing of any plastic,
fiberglass or 3-D printed gun, as well as “ghost guns,” untraceable guns and
undetectable guns.
In
2017, Representative Serpa successfully sponsored legislation that mandates
insurance coverage for medically necessary fertility services when a
medical treatment may cause iatrogenic infertility.
Representative
Serpa spent six years on the West Warwick School Committee from 2000 to 2006.
She is an associate member of the West Warwick Democratic Town Committee and is
involved with the Sons of Italy, Vince Lombardi Lodge, Defenders of Animals and
the West Warwick Lions Club.
A
retired public school educator and admissions officer, she holds a master’s
degree in education from Providence College after earning her bachelor’s degree
in the same study at Mount St. Joseph College. She lives in West Warwick.