Thomas J. Paolino
Republican · RI · Rhode Island State Senator, District 17
Thomas Paolino has represented Rhode Island Senate District 17 since 2016 and has served as deputy minority leader since 2021. He is a licensed chauffeur and previously worked in home-care recruiting and liaison roles.
Where Thomas J. Paolino stands, based on their records
Supports
Environment and Public Health (2 records), Cost of Living Reduction (1 record), Public Safety and Crime Control (1 record),
Campaign finance information not available
Track record
Track record — Environment and Public Health
Environment and Public Health · 2 support
Voted to make kratom legal to sell to adults 21 and over, with labeling rules and a ban on mixing it with harmful substances. It passed the Senate 23-10.
June 21, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted to replace the 10-member coastal council with a 7-member board whose members must have environmental expertise. It passed the Senate 25-10.
June 20, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Track record — Cost of Living Reduction
Cost of Living Reduction · 1 support
Voted against letting Providence raise its property tax levy by up to 8 percent in one year, above the usual state cap. It passed the Senate 28-7.
June 20, 2025Supports Cost of Living Reduction
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Track record — Public Safety and Crime Control
Public Safety and Crime Control · 1 support
Voted to make it a crime for a prisoner to use force or a weapon to resist a lawful order from a corrections officer. It passed the Senate 25-13.
June 11, 2026Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Track record — Public Infrastructure
Public Infrastructure · 1 support
Voted to let Rhode Island's electric utility buy nuclear power and sign long-term contracts for it. It passed the Senate 23-14.
June 18, 2025Supports Public Infrastructure
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Track record — General
General · 12 records
Voted against banning plants that burn or chemically break down waste and plastics into fuel at the Quonset industrial park. It passed the Senate 29-9.
June 10, 2026
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against keeping federal immigration agents at least 200 feet from any polling place while voting is going on. It passed the Senate 29-8.
June 9, 2026
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against changing the deadline for a town's written zoning answer to 20 days and letting the applicant appeal it. It passed the Senate 28-7.
June 21, 2025
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against requiring town zoning rules to allow attached single-family homes, such as townhouses, in designated districts. It passed the Senate 23-12.
June 20, 2025
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against defining co-living housing, where residents rent a private room and share a kitchen or bath, and letting towns allow it. It passed the Senate 25-10.
June 20, 2025
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against requiring town zoning rules to allow homes in commercial districts, including apartments above shops. It passed the Senate 25-10.
June 20, 2025
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against requiring town zoning rules to allow housing other than detached single-family homes in sewered urban areas. It passed the Senate 23-12.
June 20, 2025
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against banning the sale, manufacture and purchase of assault-style firearms in Rhode Island. It passed the Senate 25-11.
June 20, 2025
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against burying part of a high-voltage power line and charging the extra cost to electric customers in Providence and East Providence. It passed the Senate 28-9.
June 18, 2025
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against requiring that cosmetic procedures at medical spas be done by a doctor or by supervised staff. It passed the Senate 28-9.
June 17, 2025
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against treating a police officer's heart disease, stroke or high blood pressure as a job-related disability. It passed the Senate 29-8.
May 15, 2025
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Voted against keeping Rhode Island's supervised drug-use centers open two more years, to March 2028. It passed the Senate 27-7.
May 13, 2025
Source: legiscan.com · researched September 21, 2026
Race Thomas J. Paolino is in:
- SENATOR IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY · November 3, 2026 · State Senate District 17; Rhode Island · incumbent
Profile last researched September 20, 2026.