Rep. Karen Alzate

Rep. Karen Alzate (RI-60) was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018. She is the chair of the House Special Legislation Committee, serves as second vice chair of the House Labor Committee, and is member of the House Finance and the House Municipal Government and Housing Committees.

In the 2023 session, she introduced legislation simplifying the conversion of commercial structures like hospitals or mills into housing, streamlining the process for high-density residential developments without requiring approval from municipal planning boards.

Additionally, Rep. Alzate sponsored legislation reducing the fee for an original driver privilege card, aligning it with renewal costs. Previously, Chairwoman Alzate successfully directed the Division of Motor Vehicles to issue driving privilege cards to undocumented residents, reducing the fee from $50 to $25.

From 2021 to 2022, Rep. Alzate served as Chairwoman of the Rhode Island Legislative Black and Latino Caucus. She graduated from Tolman High School in 2006, earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Rhode Island College in 2013, and completed a Master’s Degree in community development from Roger Williams University in 2019. She participated in the Latina Leadership Institute in 2017 and was a member of the New Leaders Council in 2016.