| Jessica de la Cruz is a Republican representing District 23 (Burrillville, Glocester, North Smithfield) in the Rhode Island Senate.
First elected to the Senate in November 2018, she was named Senate Minority Whip following her reelection in 2020.
During her time in the legislature, Sen. de la Cruz has been a leading voice on issues surrounding Eleanor Slater Hospital and its Zambarano Unit in Burrillville. She has been an advocate for the hospital's patients, who are among the state's most vulnerable residents and have nowhere else to turn.
Sen. de la Cruz has also been an advocate for constitutional rights and criminal justice reform. She was the lead sponsor of a law requiring the state's Attorney General to report the total number of cases in Rhode Island's courts that involve firearms-related charges.
Sen. de la Cruz has been a leading voice among those advocating to end the Disaster Declaration (State of Emergency) that extended executive powers over the last two years. She persistently urged the General Assembly to fully resume its lawmaking powers and its constitutional function as a check on the Executive Branch.
In 2021, Sen. de la Cruz was chosen to deliver the Republican response to the governor's State of the State address. In it she advocated for school choice, returning Rhode Island to constitutional norms, providing aid to small businesses, and prioritizing Rhode Island's infrastructure needs. |