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H 7791Government

To Approve, Publish and Submit to the Electors a Proposition of Amendment to the Constitution of the State - Combining the Offices of the Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State

Proposes a constitutional amendment to merge the offices of the Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State starting with the 2030 election.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Feb 12, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Rhode Island Constitution that would fundamentally alter the structure of the state's executive branch by combining the offices of the Lieutenant Governor and the Secretary of State into a single elected position. If approved by the General Assembly, the proposition would be placed on the ballot, allowing the qualified electors of Rhode Island to approve or reject the measure at the next statewide general election.

If passed by the voters, the merger would officially take effect commencing with the November 2030 election. The newly created office would be titled 'lieutenant governor -- secretary of state.' The individual elected to this consolidated position would assume all the duties, obligations, and responsibilities currently divided between the two separate offices. Historically, the Lieutenant Governor serves as the immediate successor to the Governor and chairs various state commissions, while the Secretary of State oversees elections, state records, and business registrations.

Additionally, the bill updates the existing constitutional language regarding the election, terms, and recall procedures for general officers to reflect this new combined office. The current recall provisions—which allow for the removal of a general officer for felony indictments, misdemeanor convictions, or ethics violations—would apply to the newly merged position under the exact same signature thresholds and timeline requirements. The resolution mandates that the proposition be published in newspapers statewide prior to the election to ensure voters are adequately informed.

For younger readers

This bill asks voters if they want to combine two important state government jobs—the Lieutenant Governor and the Secretary of State—into just one job. If people vote yes, the change would happen in the 2030 election. This means one person would do the work that two people used to do.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
Rhode Island votersOffice of the Lieutenant GovernorOffice of the Secretary of StateState Board of Elections

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

Low

Estimated cost
Not specified
Estimated revenue
Not specified

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Could streamline government operations and reduce administrative redundancies.
  • Might save taxpayer money by eliminating one statewide elected official's salary and office staff.
  • Consolidates election oversight and executive succession into a single, highly accountable office.
  • Reduces the number of independently elected statewide offices, potentially limiting diverse representation in the executive branch.
  • Concentrates too much power in a single office, reducing checks and balances.
  • The duties of the Secretary of State (elections, records) and Lieutenant Governor (succession) are distinct and might be poorly served by a single official.
For Conservatives
  • Shrinks the size of the state government by eliminating a statewide constitutional office.
  • Reduces taxpayer burden by cutting the salary, staff, and budget associated with maintaining a separate office.
  • Increases government efficiency by merging overlapping administrative functions.
  • Alters the traditional constitutional structure and succession plan of the state's executive branch.
  • Could politicize the Secretary of State's administrative duties (like running elections) by tying them directly to the Governor's immediate successor.
  • Reduces the number of statewide offices available for conservative candidates to contest and win.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 6 additions · 2 deletions

RESOLVED, That a majority of all members elected to each house of the general assembly voting therefor, the following amendment to the Constitution of the State be proposed to the qualified electors of the State in accordance with the provisions of Article XIV of the Constitution for their approval and that it take the place of Article IV, section 1, which is hereby amended to read as follows: ARTICLE IV OF ELECTIONS AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE

Section 1. Election and terms of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, lieutenant governor -- secretary of state, attorney-general, general treasurer, and general assembly members. The governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, lieutenant governor -- secretary of state, attorney general and general treasurer shall be elected on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, quadrennially commencing A.D. 1994, and every four (4) years thereafter, and shall severally hold their offices, subject to recall as provided for herein, for four (4) years from the first Tuesday of January next succeeding their election and until their successors are elected and qualified. No person shall serve consecutively in the same general office for more than two

(2) full terms, excluding any partial term of less than two (2) years previously served. Commencing with the election in November A.D. 2030, the offices of the lieutenant governor and the secretary of state shall be combined into one office, and the duties and obligations of said offices shall also be merged. The senators and representatives in the general assembly shall be elected on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, biennially in even numbered years, and shall severally hold their offices for two (2) years from the first Tuesday of January next succeeding their election and until their successors are elected and qualified. Recall is authorized in the case of a general officer who has been indicted or informed against for a felony, convicted of a misdemeanor, or against whom a finding of probable cause of violation of the code of ethics has been made by the ethics commission. Recall shall not, however be instituted at any time during the first six (6) months or the last year of an individual’s term of office. Such a recall may be instituted by filing with the state board of elections an application for issuance of a recall petition against said general officer which is signed by duly qualified electors equal to three percent (3%) of the total number of votes cast at the last preceding general election for that office. If, upon verification, the application is determined to contain signatures of the required number of electors, the state board of elections shall issue a recall petition for circulation amongst the electors of the state. Within ninety (90) days of issuance, recall petitions containing the signatures of duly qualified electors constituting fifteen percent (15%) of the total number of votes cast in the last preceding general election for said office must be filed with the state board of elections. The signatures to the application and to the recall petition need not all be on one (1) sheet of paper, but each such application and petition must contain an identical statement naming the person to be recalled, the general office held by said person, and the grounds for such recall set forth in a statement of one hundred (100) words or less approved by the board of elections. Each signatory must set forth his or her signature as it appears on the voting list, the date of signing, and his or her place of residence. The person witnessing the signatures of each elector on said petition must sign a statement under oath on said sheet attesting that the signatures thereon are genuine and were signed in his or her presence. If the requisite number of signatures are not obtained within said ninety (90) days period, the recall effort shall terminate. Upon verification of the requisite number of signatures, a special election shall be scheduled at which the issue of removing said office holder and the grounds therefor shall be placed before the electors of the state. If a majority of those voting support removal of said office holder, the office shall be immediately declared vacant and shall be filled in accordance with the constitution and laws of the state. The person so removed shall not be eligible to fill the unexpired portion of the term of office. The general assembly shall provide by statute for implementation of the recall process.

RESOLVED, That the said proposition of amendment shall be submitted to the electors for their approval or rejection at the next statewide general election. The voting places in the several cities and towns shall be kept open during the hours required by law for voting therein for general officers of the state; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the lieutenant governor -- secretary of state shall cause the said proposition of amendment to be published as a part of this resolution in the newspapers of the state prior to the date of the said meetings of the said electors; and said proposition shall be inserted in the warrants or notices to be issued previous to said meetings of the electors for the purpose of warning the town, ward, or district meetings, and said proposition shall be read by the town, city, ward, or district meetings to be held as aforesaid; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the town, city, ward, and district meetings to be held aforesaid shall be warned, and the list of voters shall be canvassed and made up, and the said town, ward, and district meetings shall be conducted in the same manner as now provided by law for the town, city, ward, and district meetings for the election of general officers of the state.