Senator Lammis Vargas

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Secretary, Senate Committee on Environment & Agriculture
Member, Senate Committee on Finance

Member, Senate Committee on Labor​ & Gaming
Member, Senate Committee on Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies​

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Lammis J. Vargas is a Democrat representing District 28 (Cranston, Providence) in the Rhode Island Senate. She was first elected to the Senate in November 2024.

During her time in the General Assembly, Sen. Vargas has been an advocate for Rhode Island's children and working families. She helped lead successful efforts to establish a refundable child tax credit to provide relief for families and help reduce child poverty, and she has also sponsored the Child Care is Essential Act and the Healthy School Meals for All Act. Additionally, she sponsored a resolution adopted by the Senate to create a special legislative commission to study and evaluate municipal and state juvenile hearing boards.

Sen. Vargas has also sponsored legislation to protect tax filers from fraudulent or illegal tax preparation services, eliminate a costly administrative burden on Rhode Island's smaller nonprofit agencies, support the work of minority- and women-owned businesses on state-funded public construction projects, and protect consumers from unfair ATM charges. She serves on the Special Legislative Commission to Study the Successful Implementation of the Act on Climate.

Sen. Vargas has extensive experience in local and state government. In 2018, she became the first woman of color elected to the Cranston City Council. She served on the council for three terms, representing Ward 1, and most recently served as the council's Vice President. During her tenure, she started the city's first Pride Flag raising; championed accessible playgrounds and safe streets; worked to increase diversity and representation within the city's boards, commissions and Municipal Court; supported the public schools; advocated for environmentally friendly ordinances; and tightened the requirements for perpetual care of privately owned cemeteries.

Sen. Vargas currently works as Chief Administrative Officer for the city of Somerville, Massachusetts. She previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Rhode Island General Treasurer James Diossa, Deputy Secretary of State and Director of Administration for former Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, and Deputy State Treasurer and Director of Unclaimed Property under former General Treasurer Seth Magaziner.

A cancer survivor and daughter of immigrants from Colombia, Sen. Vargas is a lifelong Rhode Islander who grew up in Central Falls. She holds a bachelor's degree in justice studies from Rhode Island College.

Sen. Vargas lives in Cranston, with her husband, an Army Reserve veteran, and their two kids.