Senator Jessica de la Cruz
Senate Minority Leader
Ex-Officio Member of all Senate Committees
Member, Senate Committee on Labor
Member, Senate Committee on Rules, Government Ethics & Oversight
Jessica de la Cruz is the Minority Leader of the Rhode Island
Senate. A Republican representing District 23 (Burrillville, Glocester,
North Smithfield), she was first elected to the Senate in November 2018 and
was elected Senate Minority Leader in July 2022. She previously served as
Senate Minority Whip from 2020-2022.
As Minority Leader, Senator de la
Cruz serves as an ex-officio member of all standing Senate committees and is
a member of the Senate Committee on Labor and the Senate Committee on Rules,
Government Ethics & Oversight. She previously served as a member of the
Senate Judiciary Committee.
During her time in the legislature,
Senator de la Cruz has been a leading voice on issues surrounding Eleanor
Slater Hospital, specifically the Zambarano Unit in Burrillville, and
secured over $100 million in funding to rebuild and revitalize Zambarano
Hospital. She has been an advocate for the hospital's patients, who are
among the state's most vulnerable residents and have nowhere else to turn.
Senator de la Cruz sponsored and passed into law Senate Bill S-2219, which
closed a major loophole in RI state law that allowed those in positions of
authority to engage in sexual relations with children as young as
14-years-old.
Senator de la Cruz has also been an advocate for
constitutional rights and criminal justice reform. She was the lead sponsor
of a law requiring the state's Attorney General to report the total number
of cases in Rhode Island's courts that involve firearms-related charges.
Senator de la Cruz has been a leading voice among those advocating to end
the Disaster Declaration (State of Emergency) that extended executive powers
over the last two years. She persistently urged the General Assembly to
fully resume its lawmaking powers and its constitutional function as a check
on the Executive Branch.
In 2021, Senator de la Cruz was chosen to
deliver the Republican response to the Governor's State of the State
address. In it, she advocated for school choice, returning Rhode Island to
constitutional norms, providing aid to small businesses, and prioritizing
Rhode Island's infrastructure needs.
Through a bipartisan effort, she
advocated with federal and state leaders for the overdue Route 146
infrastructure projects. She also worked to move up Route 94 in priority,
with work now beginning this year.
The National Foundation for Women
Legislators selected Senator de la Cruz in 2021 to receive an Elected
Women of Excellence Award, which was created to identify elected women
who have worked tirelessly, often breaking down barriers and overcoming
obstacles that once seemed insurmountable, to serve their communities. These
pacesetters have engendered an environment where women can now serve in
public office and fight for the issues they are passionate about.
In
2022, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik’s super PAC
named Senator de la Cruz to its “Women to Watch” list.
In 2023,
Leader de la Cruz was again chosen to deliver the Republican response to the
Governor's State of the State address. She called for bold action on
housing, the economy, and our failing education system. She also called for
lowering the state sales tax from 7% to 5%, kickstarting the conversation to
bring real relief to Rhode Island taxpayers.
Leader de la Cruz has
worked tirelessly against wasteful spending and regressive policies and to
ensure that our state government is more accountable, more accessible, and
more responsive to the taxpayers and residents of our state.