FY2023 Budget and 2022 General Assembly Session In Review

Rhode Island’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget makes some substantial investments in Rhode Island and Rhode Islanders, while leaving on the table some important proposals. EPI has just released its in-depth review of the FY23 Budget and 2022 General Assembly session. This major report takes an in-depth look at legislative priorities that affect the lives of everyday Rhode Islanders. The report …

Ten Wins in 2022 Legislative Session

The Economic Progress Institute celebrates all of the organizations, advocates and legislators who helped to bring about these ten key wins to promote equity and economic security for all Rhode Islanders during the 2022 Legislative Session. Investments in Children and Families 1. More families eligible for child care assistance; better pay for providers. The RIght from the Start Campaign, co-led …

EPI Report details four transformative and equity-centered ways Rhode Island can invest ARPA funding

UpRise RI As Rhode Island lawmakers are engaged in final negotiations over the FY2023 state budget, the Economic Progress Institute (EPI) has published a report outlining how Rhode Island can shift expenditures of some American Rescue Program Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Funds (SFRF) as proposed in the Governor’s recommended budget to items that both embrace transformation and center equity. …

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 …

RI has resources to lift children from extreme poverty

Elizabeth Lange Special to Providence Journal (Print Edition) The time to act is now to lift more than 5,000 children in Rhode Island out of extreme poverty. The measure commonly used to define poverty is the federal poverty level (FPL), and equates to $1,919 per month for a family of three. Extreme poverty is defined as half of FPL — …

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 …

The Economic Progress Institute Announces New Executive Director

PROVIDENCE, RI—The Economic Progress Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Weayonnoh Nelson-Davies as its new Executive Director. Succeeding Rachel Flum and Interim Executive Director Margaux Morisseau, Nelson-Davies will lead the Economic Progress Institute in the next phase of its work to provide research, education, and advocacy on policies that improve economic security and opportunity for Rhode Islanders. Since …

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 …