About two-dozen Democratic state representatives rallied Tuesday behind what they call the Working Families Agenda – which includes proposals to lower prescription drug costs, build more affordable housing, and expand free meals for students – and they want to pay for it by hiking taxes on affluent Rhode Islanders. The agenda has the backing of […]
General Assembly
Posted inPolitics
McKee proposes slightly smaller $13.68 billion spending plan
Call it a return to reality budget for Rhode Island. For the first time in recent history, Gov. Dan McKee’s $13.68 billion spending plan for 2024-25 reduces the amount envisioned to run the state for the next fiscal year, if only by a relatively paltry $335 million. Introducing the proposal, McKee touted his plan as […]
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Seven things to know about the new RI General Assembly session
Rhode Island’s 113 lawmakers returned to the Statehouse Tuesday, kicking off an annual session that usually runs through June. The meeting was punctuated by the passage of a revised version of the governor’s budget and marked by exchanges over high-profile issues. Here are some highlights of the new session: ***Rhode Island lawmakers have enjoyed an […]
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Federal aid and rainy day money help patch RI’s supplemental budget
Rhode Island’s House Finance Committee passed a supplemental budget Tuesday that closes a roughly $240 million deficit mostly by leaning on federal COVID-19 aid and state rainy day funds. Bolstered by an increase of more than $1 billion in federal funds – largely for unemployment benefits – the spending plan reaches almost $12 billion. The […]
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Like other states, RI faces a grim budget outlook and a long recovery
→ See more of our coronavirus coverage, including community resources and personal stories. The pandemic has devastated budgets in states across America, and Rhode Island is no exception. The size of the current and next-year deficits will come into sharper focus Friday with the conclusion of the twice-year Revenue and Estimating Conference. For now, a Boston […]
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TGIF: Ian Donnis’ politics/media roundup for May 1
Thanks for stopping by for my weekly column. As always, I welcome your tips and comments, and you can follow me through the week on the twitters. Here we go. *** want to get my column in your inbox every Friday? Just send an email with the subject line ‘TGIF’ to idonnis (at) thepublicsradio (dot) […]
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RI lawmakers stage hearing on spending of federal COVID-19 aid
Rhode Island legislators asked a series of questions Thursday about the spending of emergency COVID-19 aid from the federal government.
Posted inArticle, Politics
Raimondo hopeful for more federal help; RI lawmakers to review COVID-19 spending
→ See more of our coronavirus coverage, including community resources and personal stories. While Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo is hoping for more federal help to cut a massive budget deficit, state lawmakers are set to share their views Thursday on how to spend $1.25 billion in federal COVID-19 aid. During a conference call with […]
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Warwick City Council president running for RI Senate seat being vacated by Lynch Prata
Warwick City Council President Steve Merolla is running for the state Senate being vacated by Senate Judiciary Chairwoman Erin Lynch Prata, The Public’s Radio has learned. Merolla is a partner in Merolla, Accentturo & Lough. Merolla resumed the council presidency in 2019, when he had almost 20 years of experience on the panel. He has […]
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Lynch Prata Seeking Nomination to RI Supreme Court
Sen. Erin Lynch Prata, chairwoman of the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee, is applying for a pending vacancy on the state Supreme Court and seeking a related advisory opinion from the Ethics Commission. “As a sitting State Senator, serving as the Chairperson of the Judiciary Committee, I appreciate that my application for a prospective judicial […]