When Gov. Dan McKee presents his state budget proposal to the General Assembly in about three weeks, he promises it will be “more constrained” than in the past, not include any broad tax increase, while seeking bond approval to build a permanent state archive.
Appearing on the Morning Show with Frank Prosnitz on WBLQ radio, McKee talked about the budget, the proposed archive building bond, and other possible referenda that would continue to address housing and invest in Rhode Island College, the Community College of Rhode Island, and the University of Rhode Island.
The Governor will make his televised State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly on January 16 and, a couple of days later, submit his budget proposal to legislators.
From there, the House of Representatives primarily debates, dissects, and changes the budget, with final approval likely coming as the legislative session concludes in late June.
McKee is likely to tout what he considers the state’s economic momentum, including low unemployment, success of a destination marketing program, focus on healthcare and development of a cybersecurity school at Rhode Island College, which he says now has 300 students, with a goal of reaching 1,000.
While not specific on his budget proposal, he says it will be “a little more constrained than in the past couple of years. We want to make sure we’re not overspending ourselves, while maintaining our momentum.”
He says while his budget will represent progress, it will not suggest “spending money we don’t have,” and will have “no broadband tax increase.”
However, he did not comment on whether there would be any increase in the various fees the state charges for various services.
Meanwhile, the governor also says he will be asking the General Assembly to approve a bond to build a state archive, and also other bonds to address housing and higher education. While not specific on the housing and education bonds, he did elaborate on the state archive building.
The state archives have been housed in rental locations for years and are available virtually.
According to the Secretary of State’s website, the archives is “home to more than 10 million letters, photographs, and important state documents that form a permanent tangible record of Rhode Island’s rich history.”
When elected in 2022, Secretary of State Greg Amore, a former civics teacher in East Providence, was very supportive of building an archive in Providence, presumably near the State House.
McKee says he expects the archive building to cost between $80 and $100 million, asking voters to approve 60 percent of that cost, with the remainder from federal grants and philanthropy.
“We’re one of only a few states without an archive building,” he says. “We want to tell our story from our founding to the industrial revolution, a story that’s evolving. We want to make Rhode Island a bucket list state.”
