Thomas E. Noret

Deputy Majority Leader

First Vice Chair, House Conduct Committee

First Vice Chair, House Education Committee

Second Vice Chair, House Oversight Committee

Member, House Judiciary Committee

Thomas E. Noret (D) was first elected in November 2018 to the seat in House District 25 in Coventry and West Warwick. A Deputy Majority Leader, he is the first vice chair of both the House Education Committee and the House Conduct Committee, and is the second vice chair of the House Oversight Committee. Representative Noret is also a member of the House Judiciary Committee.

In 2025, Representative Noret introduced a law that requires all new school buses to be equipped with digital video systems that monitor school bus violations, such as vehicles passing the bus when red lights are flashing. In addition, he sponsored a law that requires cell phones to be mounted to the car when they’re used for purposes of navigation. He also sponsored a law that requires all new public buildings to be fitted with universal changing stations, which are an enclosed changing facility accessible to people of all ages and genders who require assistance with diapering.

During the 2024 session, Representative Noret, a former police officer, introduced a new law that allows law enforcement officers to utilize mufflers, silencers, or other devices for deadening or muffling the sound of a firearm while acting within the scope of their official duties as tactical teams and under the supervision of the police chief.

The House passed his bill in 2024 that would have made it a crime to threaten to take the life of, or to inflict bodily harm upon, a public official or a member of their immediate family because of the performance or nonperformance of some public duty.

In 2023, he introduced a new law that offers new training options for law enforcement officers in recognizing mental health issues.

In 2022, he joined with his colleagues in sponsoring legislation to address the state's housing crisis, introducing a law that Requires Rhode Island Housing to collect data on the number of Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers which are received and utilized by each municipality, housing authorities, and agencies. He also sponsored a new law that gives the Department of Environmental Management the authority to regulate the water level behind certain dams in the state. He also introduced a new law that requires annual weapons qualifications for correctional officers.

Also in 2022, he was chosen for the Emerging Leaders Program sponsored by the State Legislative Leaders Foundation, which cultivates the next generation of leaders in state legislatures who are serving in ether their first or second term.

During the 2021 legislative session, Representative Noret co-sponsored a number of child protection bills, including new laws that put an end to child marriages, terminate the parental rights of convicted rapists, raise the age to buy tobacco to 21, and outlaw child erotica.

Representative Noret served in the Rhode Island Air National Guard, 143rd Airlift Wing from 1990 to 1994. While serving, Representative Noret accepted a position with the Coventry Police Department where he served his community for 20 years, retiring in 2012.

After retirement, he accepted a position as a Tax Investigator with the Rhode Island Division of Taxation's Special Investigation Unit. Most recently, he was employed by the Greater Providence YMCA as the executive director of the South County branch.

He graduated from Bishop Hendricken High School in 1987. He earned an associate's degree in business and law enforcement from the Community College of Rhode Island in 1991 and a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Roger Williams University in 2006.