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.
A
strong advocate for the elderly, Representative Solomon sponsored a new law
during the 2021 legislative session 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.
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.