PROVIDENCE — The Senate Committee on Finance voted 11-0 Thursday afternoon to move the fiscal 2021 state budget to the Senate floor.
In a brief meeting, conducted over the Zoom platform because of the snowstorm, committee members listened to an overview of the spending bill by committee Chairman William Conley, D-East Providence.
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The $12.75 billion budget covers the last six months, as well as the first six months of 2021.
It was approved Wednesday by the House.
In addition to the operational spending, the budget contains a series of bond questions that will be put to voters in a special election March 2. The election will primarily be a mail ballot effort, due to the pandemic.
Municipal aid that had been cut in 2020 will be restored under the budget, which includes $1.25 billion in federal stimulus aid.
“You will recall, at the beginning of the session, there were proposals to cut back on distressed community aid [and] cut back on the phase-out of the motor vehicle excise tax,” Conley said. “This will respond to all of those city and town councils and mayors and town managers we’ll be hearing from. It’s actually a net gain for municipalities of $25 million.”
The Senate is scheduled to discuss the budget in a meeting at 2 p.m. Friday at Sapinsley Hall of Rhode Island College. The session will be broadcast live over Capitol TV and streamed over the Rhode Island General Assembly website.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
