Representative John Lombardi

John J. Lombardi (D) has served the residents of Providence in District 8 since first being elected in November 2012. He is the second vice chair of the House Special Legislation Committee and is a member of the House Small Business Committee and the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

During the 2023 legislative session, Representative Lombardi introduced legislation which would prohibit the practice of patient brokering and would provide penalties and enforcement. He also sponsored a bill which would require mandatory training standards for police officers and trainees in identifying, responding, and handling all incidents involving any person with a developmental disability. He also introduced a bill which would make possession of a used catalytic converter a felony and requires recycling service providers to maintain certain records relative to catalytic converters.

In 2022, Representative Lombardi introduced a bill which limit rate increases by electric distribution companies to either 5.5% annually or be no greater than the increase in the Consumer Price Index. He also introduced legislation which requires school committees to provide transportation for any student who resides two or more miles from school and a bill which would make it a felony to price gouge prescriptions or pharmaceuticals in time of a shortage.

Born on April 30, 1952, Representative Lombardi graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in Providence in 1970, and then earned his bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College in 1975. He earned a master’s degree in education from RIC in 1982 and a law degree from Suffolk University in Boston in 1987.

In addition to his duties as a legislator, Representative Lombardi is employed as an attorney and was named the Chief Judge of the Providence Municipal Court in January 2023. He served as an Associate Judge in the Municipal Court since 2014. He served on the Providence City Council for more than 26 years, including one year as acting mayor and eight years as council president. He is the former president of the Federal Hill House and Zuccolo Recreation Center.

Representative Lombardi resides in Providence with his wife, Denise.