Raimondo signs first state budget

GOV. GINA M. RAIMONDO IS shown signing her first state budget on Tuesday. / COURTESY GOVERNOR'S OFFICE
GOV. GINA M. RAIMONDO IS shown signing her first state budget on Tuesday. / COURTESY GOVERNOR'S OFFICE

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Gina M. Raimondo on Tuesday signed her first state budget, touted as a “robust jobs plan” that will help put Rhode Islanders back to work and move the state forward.
Raimondo was joined by House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello, D-Cranston, and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Jamestown, for the signing of the $8.7 billion budget.
According to information from the governor’s office, the budget provides retirement security by approving pension reform and improves Medicaid by strengthening the quality and coordination of care, while achieving significant savings.

Mattiello called the budget “pro-business and pro-jobs.”

“We also wanted to make sure the new Commerce Department has the tools needed to attract and grow businesses with the proper incentives. This budget is the result of collaboration between the governor [the House] and the Senate. It is a budget that has something for everyone, including retirees and low-income families,” he said.

Paiva Weed said the budget fully funds the education aid formula and increases funding for higher education, while investing in full-day kindergarten and establishing a school building authority to fix Rhode Island’s aging schools. Paiva Weed said it also provides more cost-effective delivery of Medicaid, while improving care and patient outcomes.

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“The budget invests in economic development through a package of incentives designed to get our economy moving. At the same time, it assists the most vulnerable in our society, and helps working families through programs like the earned income tax credit and child-care subsidies for those participating in job training. I applaud the governor’s leadership in the development of this budget,” Paiva Weed said.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Daniel Da Ponte, D-East Providence, said the budget strengthens the business community by eliminating a sales tax on energy, reducing the minimum corporate tax and instituting a number of economic development initiatives. He also noted that the tax on Social Security benefits has been removed for many retired Rhode Islanders.

“It’s a budget that builds upon the progress we’ve been making moving our economy toward prosperity. The message in this budget is that Rhode Island is open for business,” Da Ponte said.

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