PROVIDENCE – State lawmakers are set to convene on Smith Hill Tuesday to officially start the six-month 2026 legislative session.
House and Senate leaders typically deliver opening remarks in their respective chambers on the second floor of the Statehouse after the elections of leadership.
There will also be swearing-in ceremonies for the six newly elected members.
This year, the House and Senate are facing a projected $101.3 million deficit for fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1. General Assembly leaders in both chambers have said protecting the state’s health care system will be the top priority, but they still want to pursue new legislation on affordable housing and education.
Federal cuts to Medicaid and the end of subsidies in the Affordable Care Act that lower the cost of their health insurance means that thousands of Rhode Island residents face the prospect of losing coverage.
The state's health care system could face another blow if
Roger Williams Medical Center and
Our Lady of Fatima Hospital close. The hospitals are owned by the bankrupt
Prospect Medical Holdings and The Centurion Foundation is trying to secure enough funding to close a sale.
In a joint Op-Ed published Jan. 5 Laurie White, president and CEO of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Michael Dibiase, president and CEO of the R.I. Public Expenditure Council, called on state leaders to resist the urge to raise income taxes on higher earners this year, pointing to last year's enactment of more than $100 million in taxes and fees in an attempt "to keep pace with runaway spending."
"Rhode Island has a spending problem, not a revenue shortfall," they wrote. "Instead of addressing spending growth and improving efficiency, state leaders are once again looking for a get-rich-quick scheme that is going to erode our long-term prosperity."
Gov. Daniel J. McKee, who is scheduled to give the annual State of the State address on Jan. 13 in the House chamber, must submit his next budget proposal by Jan. 15. "with a focus on affordability for all, creating good-paying jobs, and building a bright future for Rhode Island's children," according to a Tuesday press release.
The Senate is scheduled to meet weekly on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. The House will convene both Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m.
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@pbn.com.
