Big Winners and Losers - Rhode Island FY 2020 Budget

Winners

Speaker of the House Nick Mattiello

At the beginning of the session, he faced a significant uprising that threatened his leadership. By budget time, his agenda dominated.

He stubbed a toe on the $1M appropriation but pulled the money and rebounded nicely. Not one Democrat voted against Mattiello's budget.

Make no mistake about it -- this was a Mattiello budget.

Loser

Governor Gina Raimondo's "Mandate"

In the week leading up to the budget, Governor Gina Raimondo said the legislative leaders should adopt her budget priorities because she had a "mandate" from the voters for her agenda. 

Well, her priorities -- Pre-K funding was slashed and expansion of RI Promise was eliminated. All the Democrats -- conservatives and progressives voted, de facto, against her "mandate."

Winner

Workers Who Work with the Developmentally Disabled

When the controversial doctor's million dollars was pulled -- others benefitted. 

Senator Lou DiPalma Tweeted after the vote, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH @SenatorRuggerio @RISpeaker - Increased wages for DD workers… $ 4.5M General Revenues, representing an increase of $1.5M over that proposed by the Governor. All funds = ~$9.6M. Great work by all involved!!!!! We’re on our way to getting them to $15/hr..."

Loser

Local Marijuana Growers

With the change to allow compassion centers to grow their own product, local legal growers no longer have a market. The industry was crushed in the legislative changes.

Winner

Senate President Dominick Ruggerio

Ruggerio stopped waiting for the City of Providence to make a determination on the proposed $300 million Fane Tower. He stripped the oversight from the City in legislation and saw it placed in the budget.

Loser

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza

O for the session. Ruggerio's move on Fane and being forced to rescind his legislation to sell Providence Water were both major losses for the Providence Mayor. 

He may have the worst State House relationships of any Providence Mayor in modern political history. 

Winners

Big Corporate Marijuana

The changes in regulations, increasing licensing fees (increased to $500,000), and the ability for compassion centers to grow their own all greatly benefit the large out-of-state corporations looking to dominate in Rhode Island's industry.

Loser

DCYF

Repeated floor amendments seeking to increase staffing and budget to the agency were shot down and legislators seem to be clear -- DCYF's problems are management and leadership -- not funding. 

The House Republican Caucus submitted a budget amendment totaling $2.9 million to add 25 full-time equivalents (FTE) employees to the DCYF personnel appropriation to address the shortage of workers licensing and evaluating children in foster care, those being supported in adoption proceedings, and children eligible for kinship placements. These monies would have been moved from appropriations to film tax credits, RI Promise and JCLS. The Amendment was roundly defeated.

Winner

House Minority Leader Blake Filippi

Filippi led his caucus as a minority party leader should -- raising questions and offering alternatives.

All 9 Republicans voted against the budget. 

Winner

University of Rhode Island

President David Dooley ran an end-run around the Governor Gina Raimondo's office and went directly to legislative leaders Speaker Mattiello and Senate President to pass legislation to give the University and independent Board of Trustees. The legislation passed and URI has now much-needed independence.

“URI is our state’s flagship university. We should give it the structures it needs to support its development. A dedicated board of trustees is typical among universities, and provides institutions with flexible, responsive governance. This is a move that would help URI grow and improve, and I’m proud to help bring it about,” said Mattiello.

Senator Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown, New Shoreham), whose district includes URI’s Kingston campus, said, “URI is a world-class university, and needs to be positioned to be competitive with its peers. Greater self-governance means it can ensure that all decisions affecting it are made with its specific mission and purposes in mind, and will help ensure that those decisions are effective in moving the university forward.”