Representative Charlene Lima
Member, House Small Business Committee
Charlene M. Lima (D) represents District 14 in Cranston and Providence.
First elected in November 1992, Representative Lima is a member of the
House Small Business Committee.
During the 2023 legislative session, Representative Lima introduced
legislation which requires persons or entities receiving government funds to
disclose the names of their contractors and subcontractors. She also
introduced bills that ban the sale of cosmetics developed and manufactured
using animal testing and a bill which creates a mandatory jail sentence of
ten years for two or more people who break into a business with the intent
to steal.
In 2022, Representative Lima introduced a bill that creates
custody procedures for pets in divorce cases,
citing that that in a divorce proceeding, pets were often viewed as
property and used as leverage over the other party without regard to the
pet’s well-being. She also introduced legislation which would provide
that any
person 18 years of age or older may possess a stun gun and provide
that those persons who are issued a license to carry a firearm may also
carry a stun gun.
She has also been recognized with the Fogarty Award for supporting programs
to help disabled Rhode Islanders, the ATAP Legislative Award for her law to
improve phone services for disabled Rhode Islanders, the National
Federation of the Blind Distinguished Service Award for her law helping
disabled citizens, a Defenders of Animal Award, a National Humane Society of
the United States award for Legislator of the Year, the Attorney General’s
Justice Award for Consumer Protection, and the Public Service Award from the
RI Health Care Association.
Representative Lima has a long history of public service. In the past,
she has served on the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Juvenile Justice
Task Force, the Secretary of the State's Panel for Election Law Reform,
and the District Representative Committee.
A retired educator, she taught for the Providence School Department and
was a member of the American Federation of Teachers and the Providence
Teacher’s Union. She has also been involved with the Rhode Island
Society to Prevent Blindness and the Women’s Auxiliary of the St. Mary’s
Feast Society.
Representative Lima was born on August 18, 1953, and is married to Frank
Fiorenzano. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode
Island in 1975, following her graduation from Classical High School in
Providence in 1971.