Senate President Has Missed Nearly 2/3 of Legislative Sessions Since May of 2024
GoLocalProv News Team
Senate President Has Missed Nearly 2/3 of Legislative Sessions Since May of 2024
Presently, Rhode Island is facing a deficit, an infrastructure crisis, and an uncertain future relating to federal funding. Ruggerio’s ongoing absence could not be worse timed.
Ruggerio, who ascended to the presidency in 2017, is an accomplished legislative leader. While he came from a union background, having been a long-time employee of the Laborers' International Union, he surprised many by being a fair broker at the State House, balancing labor and business issues.
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Always the Legislative Craftsman
In recent years, Ruggerio has pushed legislation focused on replacing lead pipes across Rhode Island, broadening healthcare accessibility, requiring that electricity in Rhode Island be produced or offset by renewables, and expanding sports betting, to name a few of his priorities.
Multiple sources with firsthand knowledge say the Senate is now run by Ruggerio's top staffer John Fleming, a long-time Democratic operative. Fleming has worked in Rhode Island politics for decades — first for then-North Providence Mayor Ralph Mollis, before he went to the State House when Mollis was elected Rhode Island Secretary of State in 2006.
Fleming has served as Ruggerio’s chief of staff since January 2021. According to multiple State House insiders, everything goes through Fleming, but no one is sure how decisions are being made.
In a statement from Ruggerio to GoLocal for this story, he said, “I have been very open with the public and my colleagues about the health challenges I have gone through. The cancer has subsided, as my excellent team of doctors and nurses have always assured me it would, and I am in the process of recovery. Unfortunately, I contracted pneumonia in February, which caused a setback. But it is a temporary setback. I am recuperating at home and feeling much better. I look forward to returning to the Senate, and to the rostrum, in the near future.”
“Throughout this process, I have remained in constant contact with my leadership team and my colleagues in the Chamber as well as Speaker Joseph Shekarchi, meeting by the phone and voting by proxy on occasions when I was unable to attend in person. I am grateful to Majority Leader Valarie Lawson, Majority Whip David Tikoian, the committee chairs, and all of my colleagues for ensuring that the Senate never skipped a beat in our important work. We are fortunate to have an incredible team of dedicated and talented public servants in the Senate, and our work continues to move the state forward,” Ruggerio added.
Ruggerio has served in the Rhode Island General Assembly since 1981, first in the House of Representatives for two terms, and then as a member of the Senate since 1985.
In total, Ruggerio, who turned 76 in December, has served as the legislator for nearly 45 years, longer than any other member of the legislature.
This past November, Ruggerio defeated a challenge for the Senate Presidency from his own Senate Majority Leader, Ryan Pearson. Ruggerio won the vote 23-9, with two legislators not voting. It was a clear expression of loyalty, but worries about his health proved to be founded.
Missed Sessions
Ruggerio, who has been battling a range of health issues for the past two years, has missed the entire legislative sessions in March thru March 18th.
In the 12 legislative sessions in 2025, Ruggerio has missed seven of them since the legislature convened on January 2, 2025, according to the official Senate Journal records.
Dating back to the 2024 session, since May 1, Ruggerio missed all of the busy month of May and only returned for the last five days of the session in June.
Recently, more and more attention has been focused on top elected officials who have been unable to perform their duties or have been impacted by age and health issues.
Last summer, weeks after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance on June 27, he withdrew from the campaign.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had a series of health issues including on two occasions freezing before reporters. The second occurrence in August of 2023 lasted 30 seconds. In February 2025, he announced he would not be seeking reelection.
A recent expose by Politico, "A Congresswoman with Dementia Stopped Coming to Work. The DC Press Corps Never Noticed," detailed how Texas Rep. Kay Granger, one of the most powerful GOP members of Congress, was struggling with health issues, and for the most part, except for one Texas publication, no one in the Texas or DC media covered her absence.