Press Release: Sen. Vargas sworn in as General Assembly convenes

STATE HOUSE — Sen. Lammis J. Vargas (D-Dist. 28, Cranston, Providence) was formally sworn into office today as the 2025-2026 term of the Rhode Island General Assembly convened.

Senator Vargas will serve as a member of the Senate Finance Committee and as secretary of the Environment and Agriculture Committee. She is also expected to be named as a member of a new Senate Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies.

The Finance Committee handles all matters relating to revenue, appropriations and taxes. The Environment and Agriculture Committee considers issues relating to the conservation of air, land, water, plants, animals, minerals and other natural resources of the state. The Senate Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies is expected to be formed in the coming weeks to consider legislation and matters relating to emerging artificial intelligence technologies and their societal, ethical and policy implications.

Senator Vargas was one of six new members of the Senate who took the oath of office, which was administered to all 38 Senate members by Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore.

The Senate began its legislative year with a program of activities that included the reelection of Dominick J. Ruggerio as president of the Senate.

In 2018, Senator Vargas became the first woman of color elected to the Cranston City Council, where she represented Ward 1 and served as vice president prior to her election to the Senate in November. She works as the chief administrative officer for the city of Somerville, Mass., and has previously served as a senior policy advisor to General Treasurer James Diossa, as deputy secretary of state and director of administration for former Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, and as deputy state treasurer and director of unclaimed property under former Treasurer Seth Magaziner.

A cancer survivor and daughter of immigrants from Colombia, Senator Vargas is a lifelong Rhode Islander who grew up in Central Falls. She holds a bachelor’s degree in justice studies from Rhode Island College. Senator Vargas lives in Cranston with her husband, who is an Army Reserve veteran, and their two children.