PROVIDENCE – The R.I. House of Representatives voted unanimously Tuesday 68-0 to reject Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s proposed cabinet pay raises for 11 state cabinet directors.
The move marks a historic moment for the state. It's the first time on record that the legislature chose to exercise its authority to veto such salary increases.
McKee's proposed raises are $82,000 in total, which includes a 5% pay hike for nine cabinet directors. On April 18, he issued a memo to the General Assembly notifying them of the proposed raises, giving the legislature 30 days to vote against it.
According to state law, when the governor proposes annual salary increases for executive officials, those raises will take effect automatically after 30 days unless both sides of the General Assembly vote in a joint resolution to block it. Half of that joint resolution is now completed after Tuesday's House vote.
Now, the salary hikes must be voted on by the R.I. Senate, who have until May 18 to render a decision. However, they only have one session left, which is tomorrow, where they will have to make a determination in order to block McKee's proposal.
As of Wednesday, the Senate has not scheduled a vote on the matter, spokesman Greg Paré said, adding that Senate leaders are still in the process of discussing McKee's proposal.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi formally introduced the resolution to reject McKee's proposed salary raises on May 9, with the vote taking place four days later.
While Shekarchi did not comment Tuesday on the House rejecting the executive salary hikes, he did say the governor picked a bad time to look for such pay increases after McKee first proposed the pay raises at a public hearing at the R.I. Department of Administration in March.
“We are dealing with a great deal of uncertainties regarding the state budget and even more uncertainties about what the state will be receiving in federal funding,” Shekarchi said. “There’s a strong possibility we will receive a significant cut in federal aid, and I have no idea how we’ll make that up. It’s about the message the Governor is sending. It’s not a good look for the state to be giving raises, however small or justifiable, at this time.”
Rhode Island is expected to have a major budget gap for the 2026 fiscal year, which starts on July 1. The Office of Management and Budget estimates that spending will exceed revenue by about $250 million.
“I don't think people should be getting raises at this time,” Rep. Charlene Lima, D-Cranston, said during Tuesday's vote.
House Majority Leader Christopher Blazejewski, D-Providence, also noted on Tuesday that the pay raise rejection "is not a reflection of any one particular director but has more to do with the financial circumstances at this time."
McKee’s proposed salary increases for cabinet directors include:
- Jonathan Womer, director of the R.I. Department of Administration current base salary: $185,589, proposed: $194,888
- Richard Leclerc, director of the R.I. Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals current base salary: $175,344, proposed: $184,111
- Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer, director of R.I. Department of Business Regulation current base salary: $162,737, proposed: $170,874
- Wayne T. Salisbury Jr., director of the R.I. Department of Corrections current base salary: $174,593, proposed: $183,323
- Ashley Deckert, Director of the R.I. Department of Children, Youth & Families current base salary: $185,400, proposed: $194,670
- Terrance Gray, director of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management current salary: $167,619, proposed $176,000
- Kimberly Merolla-Brito, director of the R.I. Department of Human Services current base salary: $160,473, proposed: $168,497
- Matthew Weldon, director of the R.I. Department of Labor & Training current base salary: $173,512, proposed: $182,188
- Thomas Verdi, director, R.I. Department of Revenue current base salary: $163,963 proposed, $172,161
- Col. Darnell S. Weaver, R.I. State Police superintendent: current base salary: $195,000, proposed: $196,000
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
