STATE HOUSE — Newly elected Sen. Jessica de la Cruz, a Republican from North Smithfield who now represents District 23 in Burrillville, Glocester and North Smithfield, will serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee as well as the Labor Committee for the next two years.
de la Cruz was appointed to the assignments by Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, a Democrat from District 4 serving North Providence and Providence.
The Senate Judiciary Committee handles all legislation and matters which affect the penal code, judicial system, ethics, open meetings, access to public records and election laws. It was there that in 2018, a law that would have updated the 30-year-old legislation governing how the state grants approval to large-scale energy projects like the one Invenergy has proposed for Wallum Lake Road, was held for further study.
The Labor Committee deliberates legislation relating to workers’ compensation and labor laws.
Senator de la Cruz was elected to the chamber in November and was sworn in on Jan. 1. She replaces Sen. Paul Fogarty, who retired in 2018 after two decades as a legislator.
