Honoree Spotlight: K. Joseph Shekarchi

K. Joseph Shekarchi

Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives

K. Joseph Shekarchi is serving in his third term as Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, first being elected by his colleagues in January 2021. Before that, he served two terms as the House Majority Leader and he previously was the Chairman of the House Labor Committee. Speaker Shekarchi has served the residents of District 23 in Warwick since first being elected in November 2012.

Speaker Shekarchi pledged to make housing issues the cornerstone of his legislative initiatives and he has shepherded almost 60 bills into law in the past five years. The bills, coupled with historic budget investments, are designed to tackle the state's housing crisis from multiple angles. Under his leadership, Rhode Island created its first-ever dedicated funding stream for affordable housing; banned housing discrimination against individuals who receive government assistance to pay their rent; created the first Department of Housing headed by a cabinet level secretary; and invested historic amounts of state funding to address housing and homelessness. in the past two budgets. During the 2024 session, the General Assembly authorized a $120 million bond referendum, approved by voters, to support more affordable housing creation.

In the 2025 session, health care was a major focus of his agenda. The state budget enacted into law on July 1 included more than $40 million toward Medicaid rate increases for primary care providers, $38 million in additional funding for hospital reimbursement rates and direct support payments, and $12 million to increase reimbursement rates at nursing homes as part of the revision to safe staffing laws.

He has also been a champion for the development of the life science sector. Speaker Shekarchi also led the passage of landmark pay equity legislation, strong environmental protection laws, and has ensured that state aid for public education has been significantly increased every year.

He is a graduate of Mount St. Charles Academy, Class of 1980, and graduated from Suffolk University in 1984. He returned to Suffolk to earn his law degree in 1990. In addition to his duties as a legislator, Speaker Shekarchi is a successful attorney in private practice and is a lifelong Warwick resident.