Brian Kennedy

Brian Patrick Kennedy (D) represents District 38 in Hopkinton and Westerly. First elected in November 1988, Representative Kennedy is the senior ranking member of the House of Representatives. He is Speaker Pro Tempore and was the former long-time chairman of the House Corporations Committee, of which he is still a member. He also serves on the House Innovation and Technology Committee, the House Rules Committee, the House State Government and Elections Committee, and the House Conduct Committee. He also is a member of the Joint Defense Economy Planning Commission. In August 2023, Representative Kennedy was elected president of the National Conference of State Legislatures ( NCSL), a bipartisan organization serving the nation’s 7,383 state lawmakers and legislative staff. During the 2025 session, Representative Kennedy introduced a law to establish a Rare Disease Advisory Council within the Department of Health, which will provide guidance and recommendations to educate health care providers and the citizens of the state about rare diseases. He also sponsored a law that regulate the distribution of kratom , a natural substance grown primarily in Indonesia that is used by people…