PROVIDENCE – As protesters gathered in the State House to decry government’s response to the homelessness crisis, Gov. Dan McKee took the stage Tuesday night to tout the “progress” made on his watch in multiple arenas, from the successful launch of a professional Rhode Island soccer team to a drop in school absences.
“As I stand here tonight, I can say with confidence that the ‘State of our State’ is full of progress and promise,” he told lawmakers and other dignitaries packed into the House chamber to hear his annual address.
Among his bragging points: “After years of being told we couldn’t – Rhode Island is beginning to close the gap with Massachusetts when it comes education.” (Put another way: the gap has shrunk, but only 30.1% of the Rhode Island students who took RICAS tests last year met expectations in math, compared with 40.9% in Massachusetts on a similar test. The gap was roughly the same for reading.)
Among his promises: “As we return to a pre-pandemic fiscal environment, we must take steps to right-size government while preserving programs that improve educational outcomes, raise incomes, and make our residents healthier.” He said the proposed state budget he delivers to lawmakers on Thursday will do all three.
Among the takeaways from his fourth annual “State of the State” address:
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Democrat McKee set the stage for his anticipated, but by no means certain, bid for reelection by elevating the passage of an “assault weapons ban” to a top priority this year, despite potential political obstacles in the Senate.
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He took a swipe at his potential 2026 opponent, Helena Foulkes, the former head of CVS pharmacy operations, by zeroing in on the steps the state has taken to reduce opioid deaths and saying: “We owe it to Rhode Islanders to do everything possible to prevent additional overdose deaths.”
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He promised an “update” of his earlier promise to “raise per-capita income in Rhode Island by a minimum of $20,000 by the year 2030,” to move Rhode Island closer to its wealthier neighbors, known as his “RI2030 Plan.”
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He accentuated the “positive” when talking about the challenges the state currently faces, including the uncertain timeline for rebuilding the Washington Bridge, the prospect of Hasbro potentially leaving for Boston, the unknown fallout from the RIBridges cyberattack, and the ongoing homelessness crisis.
Gov. Dan McKee delivers his fourth State of the State address on Tuesday in the Rhode Island State House.
On Hasbro: “After years of being the underdog, our state is now becoming a place of innovations and opportunity. And this is a point we are emphasizing in our ongoing talks with Hasbro.”
On the homelessness crisis: He promised to try again to convince legislators to create a dedicated funding stream for programs to help Rhode Island’s unhoused, with details to come. But last year’s proposal to tack an extra tax on “whole house” rentals, like Airbnbs, went nowhere.
On the replacement of the Washington Bridge: “There’s a lot of good news happening on that front.”
The goods news? Two big construction firms, with national reputations, are competing for the contract. The state has secured the promise of at least $220 million in federal dollars toward the unknown cost. The state has initiated a lawsuit to “pursue accountability” from companies who worked on the bridge.
On the RIBridges data breach: He echoed his own early promise in the Washington Bridge saga: “We are going to follow the facts and hold the right people accountable.”
Protesters stopped from entering the rotunda
Protesters organized by the Black Lives Matter RI PAC and other groups were planning to gather in the State House rotunda for a People’s State of the State event to call for greater help for the poor and vulnerable.
When they arrived an hour before the scheduled start of the speech, the McKee administration, in an unusual move for a State of the State, had closed off the rotunda to the public.
“He is preventing the residents of Rhode Island from assembling and using their voice,” Tuttle said. “This is completely unprecedented. A governor has never prevented individuals that are unhoused, that are currently speaking right now, to share their story.”
The rally went ahead in the Bell Room downstairs from the rotunda with protesters waving signs that said “stop rent hikes,” stop all evictions,” “house the homeless,” and stop utility shutoffs,” among other things.
“All of us deserve to live with dignity, with health and security, so the state and country can thrive,” rallygoer Susan Kelley told the crowd. “Tax the top brackets, now.”
Gov. Dan McKee delivers his fourth State of the State address on Tuesday in the House chamber at the State House.
McKee dropped these budget hints
Doctor shortage: McKee promised a “strategic investment” in more student loan forgiveness for primary care physicians who commit to staying and working in Rhode Island.
Education: McKee promised that the proposed budget he unveils on Thursday will increase state aid to local school districts by $40 million and provide more money steered to his pet project, “out-of-school learning opportunities.”
Workforce development: He sketched the outline of a new “Ready to Build” program he intends to propose, and presumably to fund, to create a “pre-apprenticeship pathway to jobs in the building trades,” along with an investment in the creation of 1,000 “new work-based learning opportunities in Rhode Island.” (Political observers will note that McKee relied heavily on union support in his 2022 race and singled out LIUNA’s Dan Bianco for recognition as he spoke).
With reports from staff writer Antonia Farzan and Patrick Anderson.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Gov. Dan McKee delivers RI’s State of the State address. What he said.