Christopher G. Paplauskas
Republican · RI · Rhode Island State Representative, District 15
Christopher Paplauskas is a Cranston state representative and the city's deputy chief of staff, and he served more than a decade on the Cranston City Council, including as council president. He focuses on helping small businesses and on transparent, responsive government.
Where Christopher G. Paplauskas stands, based on their records
Supports
Labor Rights (1 record), Government Efficiency (1 record), Cost of Living Reduction (1 record),
Opposes
Environment and Public Health (2 records), Government Spending Reduction (2 records)
Track record
Track record — Environment and Public Health
Environment and Public Health · 2 oppose
Introduced a bill to repeal the energy efficiency charge on Rhode Island utility bills, which pays for efficiency programs. He filed the same bill in 2025. A House committee held it for further study both times.
January 21, 2026Opposes Environment and Public Health
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
Introduced a bill barring cities and towns from limiting landscaping equipment, such as leaf blowers, based on whether it runs on gas or electricity. A House committee held it for further study.
January 16, 2026Opposes Environment and Public Health
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
Track record — Labor Rights
Labor Rights · 1 support
Introduced a bill to let public school teachers retire earlier, lowering the combined age-and-service mark from 95 to 93. It was sent to the House Finance Committee and did not advance.
January 30, 2026Supports Labor Rights
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
Track record — Government Efficiency
Government Efficiency · 1 support
Introduced a bill requiring state agencies to show that new rules do not load small businesses with fixed costs that big companies absorb more easily. A House committee held it for further study.
January 30, 2026Supports Government Efficiency
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
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 House 56-17.
May 27, 2025Supports Cost of Living Reduction
Source: legiscan.com
Track record — Government Spending Reduction
Government Spending Reduction · 2 oppose
Sponsored six laws letting Cranston ask voters to approve up to $51 million in city bonds, including $25 million for schools and $8 million each for roads and fire and public safety equipment. They passed both chambers on June 11, 2026, and took effect without the governor's signature on June 26, 2026.
June 26, 2026Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
Introduced a resolution asking the state to spend $3.5 million on a paved walking path around Meshanticut Lake in Cranston. He had sought $1 million for the path in 2025. It went to the House Finance Committee.
February 12, 2026Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
Track record — Public Safety and Crime Control
Public Safety and Crime Control · 1 support
Introduced the Linda DaLomba Purple Alert Act to send public emergency alerts when an adult with an intellectual disability goes missing and is in danger. A House committee held it for further study.
April 4, 2025Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
Track record — Public Education Quality
Public Education Quality · 1 support
Sponsored six laws letting Cranston ask voters to approve up to $51 million in city bonds, including $25 million for schools and $8 million each for roads and fire and public safety equipment. They passed both chambers on June 11, 2026, and took effect without the governor's signature on June 26, 2026.
June 26, 2026Supports Public Education Quality
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
Track record — Public Infrastructure
Public Infrastructure · 2 support
Sponsored six laws letting Cranston ask voters to approve up to $51 million in city bonds, including $25 million for schools and $8 million each for roads and fire and public safety equipment. They passed both chambers on June 11, 2026, and took effect without the governor's signature on June 26, 2026.
June 26, 2026Supports Public Infrastructure
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
Introduced a resolution asking the state to spend $3.5 million on a paved walking path around Meshanticut Lake in Cranston. He had sought $1 million for the path in 2025. It went to the House Finance Committee.
February 12, 2026Supports Public Infrastructure
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
Track record — General
General · 15 records
Voted against requiring doctors and hospitals to tell patients when artificial intelligence is used to write up their visit. It passed the House 51-14.
June 11, 2026
Source: legiscan.com
Voted against stopping towns from using zoning to treat certified addiction recovery homes worse than other houses. It passed the House 53-15.
June 11, 2026
Source: legiscan.com
Voted against barring civil arrests at Rhode Island courthouses without a judge's warrant. It passed the House 56-16.
June 10, 2026
Source: legiscan.com
Voted against requiring legislative and gubernatorial approval before Rhode Island joins the federal private-school voucher tax credit. It passed the House 55-14.
June 10, 2026
Source: legiscan.com
Voted against letting people with more than one non-violent felony clear their records after 15 years without a new arrest. It passed the House 56-14.
June 9, 2026
Source: legiscan.com
Voted against replacing the 10-member coastal council with a 7-member board of environmental experts. It passed the House 52-19.
June 20, 2025
Source: legiscan.com
Voted against banning the sale, manufacture and purchase of assault-style firearms in Rhode Island. It passed the House 44-28.
June 20, 2025
Source: legiscan.com
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 House 52-18.
June 10, 2025
Source: legiscan.com
Voted against requiring police to send guns used in crimes for ballistic testing and enter the results in the national tracing database. It passed the House 49-21.
June 10, 2025
Source: legiscan.com
Voted against keeping Rhode Island's supervised drug-use centers open two more years, to March 2028. It passed the House 51-16.
May 29, 2025
Source: legiscan.com
Voted against making kratom legal to sell to adults 21 and over under labeling rules. Opponents wanted the product kept off the shelf. It passed the House 40-24.
May 29, 2025
Source: legiscan.com
Introduced a bill to end the sales tax on the trade-in value of personal-use pickup trucks. A House committee held it for further study.
February 7, 2025
Source: webserver.rilegislature.gov
Won the open House District 15 seat in Cranston after a state recount confirmed his 26-vote lead over Democrat Maria Bucci.
November 14, 2024
Source: rhodeislandcurrent.com
Voted against putting two Cranston charter changes on the ballot that widened who could serve as the city's probate judge and in its law department. He agreed with a colleague that the city had enough qualified residents. Both passed the City Council 6-2.
February 26, 2024
Source: web.cranstonri.org
Was picked unanimously by the Cranston City Council's Republican members to be the council's next president, as he began his fourth term representing Ward 5.
December 29, 2020
Source: cranstononline.com
Past race Christopher G. Paplauskas ran in:
- Representative in General Assembly · November 3, 2026 · State House District 15; Rhode Island · incumbent