Karen Alzate

Rep. Karen Alzate (D-Dist. 60, Pawtucket, Central Falls) was first elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018. Appointed the Deputy Floor Manager in May 2026, she is the chairwoman of the House Special Legislation Committee, second vice chair of the House Labor Committee, and a member of the House Finance Committee. She is also co-chair of the Rhode Island Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian-American, and Pacific Islander (RIBLIA) Caucus. After many years of advocacy, Representative Alzate's payday lending ban legislation became law in 2025. It eliminates the special carve-out in Rhode Island law that allows payday lenders to charge effective interest rates of 260% APR that trap people in cycles of debt. It goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2027. She also introduced a law in 2025 that supports women in the workplace experiencing menopause under the state's fair employment statute. It makes Rhode Island the first state to explicitly enact these workplace protections. In 2024, Chairwoman Alzate introduced legislation that would repeal the law that allows “payday lenders" to operate in Rhode Island. She also introduced a bill that would create an additional personal income…