Senator Samuel W. Bell
Member, Senate Committee on Commerce
Samuel W. Bell is a Democrat representing District 5 (Providence) in the Rhode Island Senate. District Five contains the neighborhoods of Mount Pleasant, Elmhurst, Federal Hill, Valley, and the northern portion of the West End.
Sen. Bell grew his roots as an activist after the horrific shooting in Newtown, CT, advocating for sensible gun legislation. Because of his investigation, the NRA was forced to pay the second largest campaign fine in state history due to their illegal actions. Sen. Bell was elected to the Senate in 2018.
During his time in the General Assembly, Sen. Bell has been an active voice on a wide range of issues. He has vigorously opposed Medicaid cuts and championed their repeal. He championed the successful initiative to repeal the authorization for Medicaid to charge co-pays. He has sponsored legislation seeking to create a Medicare for All system for Rhode Island, providing high-quality healthcare for free to all Rhode Islanders. Along with other members of the Providence delegation, he successfully advocated for the repeal of the 2021 cuts to Providence's state aid, cuts he vocally opposed at the time. Sen. Bell has also worked on improving, professionalizing, and streamlining government processes. For instance, his successful legislation to eliminate the need for a special bill to update corporate charter paperwork that has lapsed for less than 20 years.
In his other professional life, Sen. Bell is a geologist. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Astronomy and Geology from Amherst College; a Master's Degree in Geosciences from Brown University; and a Ph.D. in Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science from Brown University. He works as a geologist with the Planetary Science Institute.
Sen. Bell is married to Samantha Weiser, and they have a son, Jacob. Born with interstitial lung disease and requiring oxygen since birth, Jacob grows bigger and stronger every day. His parents love him very much. Sen. Bell and his family live in Mount Pleasant, Providence.
Sen. Bell can be reached at his personal email, swbell11@gmail.com, as well as his personal phone, (401) 680-0725. You can also email his legislative address, sen-bell@rilegislature.gov.