The Rhode Island state budget for the next fiscal year is headed to the Senate. The 14-point-three-billion-dollar plan was passed by the House on a 66-9 vote. It includes funding for healthcare, childcare, a two-cent increase in the gasoline tax and a conveyance tax on home sales.
The bill got a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee last night.
“This budget makes immediate investments to address health care, particularly the primary care crisis, and also puts us on a path for an expedited rate review. It maintains the critical investments we have made in child care and education over the past decade, better positions the state to respond to uncertainty at the federal level, and addresses many other critical needs, from homelessness to aid to cities and towns,” said Senate President Valarie J. Lawson (D-Dist. 14, East Providence). “I am grateful to Chairman Louis DiPalma and all the members of the Senate Finance Committee, as well as Speaker Shekarchi, Governor McKee, and everyone who worked tirelessly to put forth a balanced budget that responsibly addresses the needs of Rhode Islanders.”
Said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Louis P. DiPalma (D-Dist. 12, Middletown, Little Compton, Newport, Tiverton), “Difficult financial times have led to a challenging budget year, but the Senate Finance Committee followed the facts and data and helped craft a budget document that takes the needs of our state’s residents into consideration, while also planning for federal support uncertainty and unexpected future issues and situations. This is not a flashy budget, but one that continues to support everyday Rhode Islanders who are struggling to get by in the current climate.”
The budget bill is expected to get a final vote Friday which is expected to be the last day of the session.
(Photo by ROMAIN COSTASECA/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: ROMAIN COSTASECA / AFP / Getty Images