Sen. Hanna M. Gallo has been elected president pro tempore of the Senate.

In that position, she will be responsible for presiding over the Senate in the absence of the president.

“I am deeply honored to serve the Senate in this position, and grateful to my colleagues in the Senate for their support and confidence,” said Senator Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Cranston, West Warwick). “I look forward to working with President Ruggerio in addressing the many issues ahead of us in Rhode Island this year.”

Senator Gallo, who was first elected to the position in 2021 and previously chaired the Senate Education Committee, has been instrumental in numerous education initiatives, including sweeping education reforms enacted in 2019 that put in place curricula aligned with high standards and improved accountability and governance.

She sponsored landmark legislation establishing an equitable, predictable, and transparent formula for funding education in Rhode Island.

She led the charge for funding of full-day kindergarten statewide, enacted in 2015. She was an early supporter of the state’s successful application for a federal Race to the Top grant.

She was elected to the Senate on Nov. 3, 1998.