Senate President Dominick Ruggerio’s much-anticipated return to the Rhode Island State House after a bout of pneumonia has been short-lived. The North Providence Democrat reappeared for a single day of session on March 25, but has not been back since.
He now plans to return to the rostrum the week of April 21, following the legislature’s scheduled break next week, Greg Paré, a Senate spokesperson, confirmed in an email.
Paré said the upper chamber’s 76-year-old leader is “doing well,” and remains in “constant contact by phone” with his leadership team and colleagues in the House of Representatives.
Ruggerio declined Rhode Island Current’s request to discuss his health by phone this week, Paré said in an email on Ruggerio’s behalf. However, Paré said Ruggerio was willing to discuss topics other than his health.
“He has been very public and transparent about his health situation,” Paré said.
Ruggerio discussed his treatment for and recovery from cancer and shingles as part of a Dec. 17 interview with Rhode Island Current about his 2025 legislative priorities. He first revealed his most recent cancer diagnosis — his third bout — in an April 2024 interview with the Providence Journal.
“For the time being, he is going to focus on rebuilding his strength so that he can be here in person when sessions get busy,” Paré said.
The Rhode Island General Assembly’s return to Smith Hill following the April break typically marks an inflection point in the six-month-long session, when lawmakers transition from reviewing legislation in public hearings to passing and negotiation in earnest on key bills.
Ruggerio’s multiple absences from the session this year — missing 13 of 17 regularly scheduled floor sessions including on Thursday — have not gone unnoticed, reminiscent of similar bouts of absence due to illness during the 2024 session. Doubts about Ruggerio’s ability to lead led to a power struggle in which his former Senate majority leader, Ryan Pearson, challenged him for the president role. Ruggerio fended off the attempted coup, though nearly one-third of Senate Democrats backed Pearson in their November caucus.
Ruggerio pledged he was committed and healthy enough to lead the 38-member chamber through its 2025 session. But a “touch of pneumonia” — in Paré’s words — landed him in Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in mid-February. Ruggerio was subsequently treated at the hospital’s rehabilitation center, and released on March 12.
Senate President Pro Tempore Hanna Gallo, a Cranston Democrat and Deputy Senate President Pro Tempore Matt LaMountain, a Warwick Democrat, have filled in presiding over the Senate in Ruggerio’s absence.
Ruggerio in an emailed statement Wednesday credited Majority Leader Valarie Lawson, Majority Whip David Tikoian, and other senators for “ensuring that the Senate has never skipped a beat” in his absence.
“We are fortunate to have an incredible team of dedicated and talented public servants in the Senate, and our important work continues to move the state forward,” Ruggerio said.
After this week, the Rhode Island General Assembly will reconvene on April 22.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
