Legislative Council is the principal research and legal arm of the General Assembly. Established under R.I.G.L. § 22-8-1, the Council’s staff of attorneys, researchers, secretaries and clerical aides provide legislators with information on matters pending or to come before the legislature. Legislative Council’s principal activity is the drafting of legislation for individual members.

Staffed by a number of attorneys, the council will take bill-drafting requests and prepare the legislation. Staff members also handle the typing, proofing and duplicating of the bill and its delivery to legislators in the House and Senate chambers.

Contact Information:

John O’Connor
Director

Phone: (401) 222-2653

Functioning as a unit of Legislative Council, the Legislative Research staff gathers information on Rhode Island statutes, laws from other states and public policy issues. Legislative Research also provides assistance in dealing with state departments and agencies, and conducts research for Legislative Council legal staff.

Legislative Research also processes a number of standard requests such as the reinstatement of forfeited corporate charters, citations of congratulations or condolences, resolutions to state departments and agencies or to the federal government, minor claims against the State of Rhode Island, and solemnization of marriages.

Contact Information:

Paula Dominguez
Director

Phone: (401) 222-3757

Another unit of Legislative Council is the Legislative Proofing Office. It is responsible for reading and proofing of all bills prepared by Legislative Council before they are duplicated and delivered to individual legislators. The office staff reads material to ensure that the finished product is accurate as to the intent of the legislator, as well as typographically and grammatically correct.

Contact Information:

Chris O’Brien
Chief Proofer

Phone: (401) 222-2834