We, the people of this State which state shall henceforth be known as the state of Rhode Island, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing upon our endeavors to secure and to transmit the same, unimpaired, to succeeding generations, do ordain and establish this Constitution of government.
The senate
shall consist of the lieutenant governor and fifty
(50) members from the senatorial districts in the state, provided, however,
that commencing in 2003 the senate shall consist of thirty-eight (38)
members from the senatorial districts in the state. The senate shall
be constituted on the basis
of population and the senatorial districts shall be as nearly equal in population and as compact in territory as
possible. The general assembly
shall, after any new census taken by authority of the United States, reapportion the representation to conform to
the Constitution of the state and the
Constitution of the United States.
The lieutenant governor shall preside
in the senate and in grand
committee until 2003. Commencing in 2003, the senate shall elect its president, who shall preside in the
senate and in grand committee, as well as its secretary and other officers
from among its members and shall elect its clerks.
The senior member from the city of Newport, if any
be present, shall preside in the organization of the senate.
Section 4.
Repealed.