FY2024 Budget and 2023 General Assembly Session in Review

2023 Session in Review Rhode Island’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget – authorizing $14.0 billion in total expenditures, including $5.43 billion in state General Revenue – along with other legislation enacted during the 2023 General Assembly session, substantial investments were made in Rhode Island and Rhode Islanders, while leaving on the table important proposals. Our review of the 2023 session highlights …

An Equity Review of the Proposed FY2024 Rhode Island State Budget

Budget Equity Review Rhode Island’s annual state budget is the most important piece of legislation proposed, debated, and enacted each year. The budget is a statement of our values and priorities and has been called a moral document. As residents of this state, we are obligated to understand whether the budget, in its many expenditures and investments, elevates our identified …

EPI’s 2022 Candidate Briefing Book

Every election presents an opportunity for positive change. The question is: What type of change do you want to see in Rhode Island? We all share the common value of fair treatment and economic prosperity for ourselves and our families. We want to live in healthy and vibrant communities where we can thrive. Elections remind us that policies have significant …

Four Transformative and Equity-Centered Ways to Expend ARPA State Fiscal Recovery Funds

INTRODUCTION As policymakers negotiate a final budget for FY2023 and institute a plan for spending the entirety of Rhode Island’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Funds (SFRF), we find ourselves at a critical juncture. If nothing changes, we are likely to spend the state’s ARPA SFRF in a scattershot manner, funding lots of small projects, but spreading …

Summary of Governor’s Proposed FY2023 Budget

Proposals Important to the Fiscal Health of the State and Its Residents This analysis summarizes policy proposals and spending recommendations of particular relevance to low-income and modest-income Rhode Islanders and the advancement of their economic opportunity included in the Governor’s proposed FY2023 budget. Until the Governor and the General Assembly negotiate a final budget, Rhode Islanders will have opportunities to …

Revised FY2022 Supplemental Budget Enacted – Will Allocate 10% of American Rescue Plan Act Funds

On January 4, 2022, Rhode Island’s House and Senate passed and Governor Dan McKee signed into law a supplemental budget for the current fiscal year, FY2022. Originally proposed in October 2021 and then amended and approved by the General Assembly’s finance committees in December, the legislation allocates approximately 10% of Rhode Island’s $1.13 billion in flexible state Fiscal Recovery Funds …

Governor McKee’s FY2022 Supplemental Budget Proposal

On October 7, 2021, Governor Dan McKee submitted to the chairpersons of the House and Senate Finance Committees a proposal to amend the current fiscal year’s budget (FY2022) by allocating approximately 10% of Rhode Island’s $1.13 billion in flexible state Fiscal Recovery Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Prior to the submission, a special House Task Force and …

Cannabis Legalization in RI: A Racist History Demands Equitable Reform

Three proposals to legalize cannabis for adult recreational use in Rhode Island were presented during the 2021 legislative session: Senate Bill 568, House Bill 6370, and Article 11 of Governor McKee’s proposed FY2022 budget. The proposals are estimated to yield around $17M annually. Rhode Island legalized cannabis for medical use in 2006 and decriminalized possession of small amounts of cannabis …