Joseph J. Solomon Jr.
Chair, House Corporations Committee
Member, House Oversight Committee
Member, House Veterans' Affairs Committee
Joseph J. Solomon Jr. (D) was first elected in November
2014 as the State Representative from District 22, Warwick. Representative
Solomon is the chair of the House Corporations Committee and is a member of
the House Oversight Committee and the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.
During the 2024 session, he sponsored a new law to make
Rhode Island's banking tax structure more competitive with other states.
It allows financial institutions such as Citizens Bank and others to elect a
single sales factor apportionment methodology for calculating corporate
income tax, creating parity between Rhode Island and other states. An
advocate for affordable housing, he sponsored a law to
ease the financial challenges of development projects by making
inclusionary zoning more achievable at the municipal level.
In 2023,
he sponsored legislation that allows nursing home residents more
money to pay for their monthly personal needs. That bill became part of
the adopted state budget. He also sponsored a law that increased the amount
of costs for
repairs that a tenant may deduct from their rent.
He was sponsored
legislation that created a special commission to study the reasons for the
state's
diminishing quahog catch. He currently serves as co-chairman of that
commission.
In 2022, he introduced a law designed to help curb the
theft of catalytic converters. He also introduced legislation to
construct safety barriers on Rhode Island bay bridges to deter suicide
attempts. That proposal made its way into the
2022-23 state budget, which includes funding to study the feasibility of
the project.
A strong advocate for the elderly, Representative
Solomon sponsored a new law in 2021 that
requires financial institutions to report suspected financial
exploitation of seniors to the Office of Healthy Aging.
In 2019, he
sponsored a law to create the
Rhode Island Small Business Development Fund, which is designed to
encourage the formation of private capital investment in small business by
federally licensed investment companies
During the 2018 session, he
sponsored a law to allow existing sexual education curriculum to incorporate
age-appropriate elements of effective and evidence-based programs on the law
and
meaning of consent in the context of existing family life courses.
In 2017, Representative Solomon introduced an
animal-protection law that requires that the sheltering and nourishment
of dogs conform to the industry standards established by the Tufts Animal
Care and Conditions Scale. He also successfully introduced a Justice
Reinvestment reform bill that allows those individuals with prior
convictions for possession with intent to deliver or crimes of violence, to
be eligible for the drug court program in Superior Court.
Representative Solomon has received the Golden Paw Award from Animal Rescue
Rhode Island for his advocacy for animals. He was also presented with the
Humane Heroes Award by Defenders of Animals. He was recognized by the
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine for his efforts in sponsoring
legislation to ban the ongoing, lethal animal use in medical training.
An attorney and business owner, he is licensed to practice law in Rhode
Island, Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, as well as the U.S.
District Courts in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He is a member of the
Rhode Island Bar Association.
Born September 4, 1983, Representative Solomon graduated in 2001 from Bishop
Hendricken High School, received his Bachelor's degree in accounting from
Providence College in 2005, and obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from New
England Law Boston in 2008. He resides in Warwick with his wife Sarah and rescue
dog Gigi.