Representative Christopher R. Blazejewski
House Speaker
Christopher R. Blazejewski (D) was first elected by his colleagues to serve as House Speaker in May 2026. From November 2020 until May 2026, he served as House Majority Leader. He has represented District 2 in Providence since November 2010.
As a legislator, Speaker Blazejewski has championed healthcare, public education, environmental protection, affordable housing, and economic opportunity for working families.
He led passage of this year's state budget, which included funding to help Rhode Islanders who lost federal support or became ineligible for Medicaid because of federal cuts, as well as Medicaid rate increases to help expand access to care. The budget also increased state education aid, directing more school funding to students in struggling communities, and adding support for local school transportation, special needs students, and multilingual education.
He sponsored and led passage of legislation creating an independent Office of Inspector General, with authority to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse across state agencies, quasi-public entities, and municipal use of state funds. He also led passage of legislation preventing ICE agents from making civil arrests at courthouses without a warrant signed by a judge, keeping ICE agents at least 200 feet from every polling place, and empowering residents with the right to sue when federal officials violate their constitutional rights.
Speaker Blazejewski led passage of legislation aimed at improving housing affordability for Rhode Islanders of all income levels, including historic levels of funding to build more affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents and support for people experiencing homelessness. He also cosponsored and led passage of laws banning housing rental application fees as well as housing discrimination on the basis of source of income, including housing vouchers, veterans' benefits, and Social Security income.
He cosponsored and led passage of the Act on Climate, requiring the state to reach net zero emissions based on current climate science and providing for an equitable and just transition and inclusion of environmental justice communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
He led passage of legislation to rebuild and repair our public school buildings and school infrastructure so students can learn in schools that are warm, safe, dry, and equipped for 21st century learning.
He cosponsored and led passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act, which protects reproductive rights in Rhode Island by codifying in state law the privacy rights and reproductive freedoms in Roe v. Wade. He cosponsored and led passage of the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, which provides access to reproductive health care for all Rhode Islanders regardless of where they get their health insurance.
He also cosponsored and led passage of laws prohibiting high capacity firearms magazines, banning firearms from school grounds, and banning untraceable firearms - “ghost guns" and 3D-printed guns - in Rhode Island. He also led passage of legislation prohibiting the sale or transfer of assault weapons in Rhode Island.
Speaker Blazejewski cosponsored and led passage of legislation ensuring pay equity for Rhode Island workers regardless of sex, race, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, or country of ancestral origin. He sponsored a law making noncompetition agreements unenforceable against hourly and low-wage employees, children, and college students.
He sponsored the Wavemaker Fellowship program, which aims at attracting and retaining graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, design, education, and medicine through tax credits for student loan payments. He also cosponsored the fair chance licensing law protecting Rhode Islanders from being denied occupational licenses because of unrelated criminal convictions.
Speaker Blazejewski led passage of legislation aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs and treatments, including codifying the federal Affordable Care Act into Rhode Island law, limiting out-of-pocket costs for specialty drugs and insulin, and making HIV-prevention medications free and accessible to qualifying patients. He also sponsored laws creating the Deborah DeBare Domestic Violence Prevention Fund and expanding the crime victims' compensation fund to assist domestic violence survivors and their children and families.
Speaker Blazejewski graduated from Harvard University in 2002 and received his law degree from Harvard Law in 2005. An attorney, he works for Sherin and Lodgen LLP. He is licensed to practice law in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and is a member of the Rhode Island Bar Association.
A lifelong Rhode Islander, he resides in Providence with his wife, Ami Gada, their daughter, Aria, and their son, Liam.