SENATE MINORITY LEADERSHIP ON PASSAGE OF FISCAL YEAR 2024 BUDGET
STATE HOUSE, Providence, RI – The Rhode Island Senate voted 32 to 4 in favor of passing the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2024, State Budget. The House approved the budget last week and it now goes to the Governor for his signature.
Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz rose in opposition, stating “Rhode Island has the highest per capita spending in New England. New Hampshire has a larger population and more land mass yet their state budget is just over $15 billion for two years, and no one complains about their roads.”
“The record spending in this budget sets a dangerous precedent, particularly with little relief in sight for high inflation and the potential of a looming recession,” continued Leader de la Cruz.
“We had a rare opportunity to use surpluses and federal funds to supplement our budget, decrease spending, and send money back to taxpayers – like other states have done. I
Instead, the budget increased to a new historic high.”
Senate Minority Whip Gordon Rogers gave credit for the inclusion of funding for municipal infrastructure, an issue he has championed for years, but ultimately decided the budget in totality would not get his vote, stating “At the end of the day, I am here to represent my constituents, and this budget places an immense burden on them.
A $14 billion-dollar burden. It’s an unfair burden – I represent rural communities and I come from a municipal background.
I understand the challenges of rural municipalities and I know that the people in those communities send their hard-earned dollars to the state in the form of taxes just like all Rhode Islanders, but they don’t get an equal return on their investment.”
THE SENATE MINORITY LEADERSHIP