Charles J. Fogarty
Former Rhode Island Lieutenant Governor
Charles J. Fogarty was first elected to the Office of Lieutenant Governor in 1998. Prior to taking office on January 5, 1999, he served for eight years as State Senator representing the 27th District, serving as Majority Whip and Senate President Pro Tempore.
Mr. Fogarty has turned the office of Lieutenant Governor into an active, policy-driven office dedicated to finding real solutions to issues important to all Rhode Islanders. Under state law, Lieutenant Governor Fogarty is responsible for overseeing a number of policy areas in state government through councils and committees, which he chairs under law, including the Long-Term-Care Coordinating Council, Small Business Advocacy Council, Rhode Island Emergency Management Advisory Council and the Intergovernmental Relations Council. He is also Vice Co-Chair of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Health, Co-Chair of the Amber Alert Task Force and Chairman of the National Association of Lieutenant Governors. He is a founding member of the National Legislative Association for Prescription Drug Pricing and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Council of State Governments.
The author of the landmark Health Quality Performance Measurement and Reporting Law which releases public reports on health care providers, Mr. Fogarty has led the fight to restrict money from the tobacco settlement to health care initiatives and tobacco control efforts, revamped the state's mental health parity law, created the Nurse Reward Tuition Program and dramatically expanded the state's prescription drug program (RIPAE). He has also tightened regulations in assisted living facilities and increased inspections at nursing homes.
Mr. Fogarty graduated from Providence College and earned his MPA degree from the University of Rhode Island. He is a lifelong resident of Glocester, Rhode Island. He has received numerous awards and recognition for his work in the areas of health care, the environment, education and tobacco control.
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