Senator Leonidas P. Raptakis
Vice Chair, Senate Committee on Special Legislation &
Veterans' Affairs
Secretary, Senate Committee on Judiciary
Leonidas P. Raptakis is a Democrat representing District 33
(Coventry, West Greenwich) in the Rhode Island Senate.
He first served
in the Senate from 1996 to 2010 and was elected to return to the chamber in
November 2012. He was a candidate for Secretary of State in 2010. He
previously served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1992 to
1996.
During his time in the legislature, Sen. Raptakis has worked to
protect residents of his district from excessive water and sewer fees. He
sponsored a bill to cap sewer costs in Coventry at a rate aligned with other
communities, as well as another bill preventing the town from charging
homeowners for road repaving costs incurred during sewer work.
He has
also been part of a group of Kent County lawmakers to raise concerns over
billing issues at the Kent County Water Authority. In 2021, he was lead
sponsor of a resolution calling on the state's auditor general to review the
authority's operations.
He has introduced legislation to protect
residents in the area of Johnson's Pond, specifically by extending wetlands
protections and allowing the Department of Environmental Management to
control its water level if necessary.
Sen. Raptakis has sponsored a
law requiring that people convicted of murder spend more time incarcerated
before being eligible for parole, as well as legislation seeking to create a
convicted murder registry in the state. He also introduced proposals to
stiffen penalties for repeat DUI offenders and make it a felony to block
traffic on a roadway or highway.
Other proposals introduced by Sen.
Raptakis include a measure to tie increases in the state's minimum wage to
the Consumer Price Index, or CPI; a bill protecting children from being left
unattended in vehicles; a measure to eliminate the fuel tax for businesses;
and legislation seeking to establish an Office of the Inspector General in
Rhode Island. He has also supported putting line-item veto authority for the
governor before voters as a constitutional amendment.
Sen. Raptakis
was born on Nov. 18, 1959. He and his wife, Donna Maria Digidio, have two
children, Alexandra-Marie and Nicholas Peter.
He earned a B.A. in 1985
from Rhode Island College and an A.A. in 1981 from the Community College of
Rhode Island. He is also a graduate of Coventry High School. He is a small
business owner.
Sen. Raptakis is a member of Alpha Omega; Chapter 106,
District 7 of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association; the
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church; Club 100; the Coventry-West Greenwich
Elks; and FOP Lodge #26. For many years, he has sponsored the Greek
Independence Day celebration at the State House.