Shekarchi elected Majority Leader for House of Representatives

On Thursday night at a Democratic Caucus, Rep. K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) was elected the new Majority Leader of the House of Representatives by his House Democratic Caucus colleagues. Shekarchi was elected to the position with a unanimous vote of 62-0.  The Majority Leader is the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives and directs the activities of the majority party on the floor of the House of Representatives. "I am truly honored to be selected as the House Majority Leader by my colleagues in the chamber," said Shekarchi. "I am humbled by their support and the support of Speaker Mattiello and I am looking forward to continuing our work to get Rhode Island's economy back on track and creating the jobs our citizens need and deserve." First elected to the General Assembly in November of 2012, Shekarchi recently served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Labor where he successfully advocated for several measures that will stimulate job growth, help attract new businesses, and assist existing companies in our state.  Examples of such legislation that became law under Shekarchi's sponsorship include the Rhode Island New Qualified Jobs Incentive Act of 2015 and the Premium Jobs Initiative that became law during the 2016 legislative session. Shekarchi 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, he is an attorney at the Shekarchi Law Office. He has been the legal counsel to the Warwick Housing Authority for 16 years and was a former Warwick solicitor.