Rhode Island lawmakers have found themselves in unfamiliar territory in recent years, thanks to consecutive budget surpluses. The black bottom line is thanks to a windfall of federal COVID aid and higher than expected state tax revenue. Because of the surpluses, lawmakers have not had to wrestle recently with the big annual deficits that had been the norm for more than 20 years.

The post DiBiase on RI’s budget, tax policy and what it will take to fix the schools appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

COVID is bouncing back. Yeah, we’re all tired of the pandemic, but the XBB.1.5 variant really doesn’t care. This highly infectious bug is surging across the US, including in Rhode Island, where the number of COVID cases is spiking. So why does this matter, and where do things go from here?

The post Political Roundtable: Ranney on Covid, RI’s hospital landscape, gun violence & more appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

Thirty-four-year-old Ryan Pearson is the first Millennial to hold a key leadership post in the Rhode Island Senate; he won election in November as the second-ranking member of the chamber. Pearson stopped by our studio to discuss housing, healthcare and a range of other issues, on Political Roundtable.

The post Political Roundtable: Pearson on housing, education and healthcare appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

Ian Donnis: Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, welcome back to The Public’s Radio. Joe Shekarchi: Always a pleasure to be here, Ian. Donnis: Rhode Island has an estimated $610 million surplus headed into the next fiscal year. How can the state best use that money? Shekarchi: Well, I don’t like to call it a […]

The post Political Roundtable: Shekarchi on legislative priorities, a $610 million budget surplus and more appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

Rhode Island moves ahead with legal adult-use recreational cannabis. Plus, the problem of hunger in the Ocean State.

The post Political Roundtable: Matt Santacroce, head of RI’s Office of Cannabis Regulation; Andrew Schiff, CEO of RI Community Food Bank appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

State Representative Gregg Amore, an East Providence Democrat, won election last week as Rhode Island’s next secretary of state. He will succeed outgoing Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea in January. Amore stopped by our studio to discuss his approach to the office, the issue of denialism in elections and more.

The post Political Roundtable: Secretary of State-elect Gregg Amore appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

Democrats defied expectations in the midterm election that ended Tuesday. In Rhode Island, Seth Magaziner shocked Republican Allan Fung by winning the open seat in the Second Congressional District, and as expected, Governor Dan McKee defeated GOP rival Ashley Kalus. Democrats pretty much ran the table in Rhode Island. But Republicans are expected to win control of the U.S. House, and that would mean big obstacles for President Biden’s agenda in Congress. Both parties will fight for advantage in the run-up to the 2024 presidential race.

The post On Political Roundtable: Election 2022, U.S. Rep. David Cicilline on the midterm election; Common Cause’s John Marion on good government; Heroux’s upset of Sheriff Hodgson appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

Rhode Islanders will decide a series of key political races when the current campaign season ends Tuesday. Will Allan Fung become the first Republican to win a U.S. House seat in Rhode Island in about 30 years? And will Democratic Governor Dan McKee win a full four-year term? And what does the relatively tepid turnout of mid-term elections say about the health of our democracy? The end of the election next week is a prelude to the 2024 presidential contest, and this comes at a time of heightened political division in the United States.

The post On Political Roundtable: Election 2022, Our panel discusses key races; Jim Ludes on political violence; and Lawrence Verria on Robert “Cool Moose” Healey appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.

The race in Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District continues to heat up, with a flurry of new campaign ads this week, more national coverage and a visit by First Lady Jill Biden. There are now less than two weeks before voters choose between Democrat Seth Magaziner and Republican Allan Fung. All indications point to a close race, although Fung has had a small lead in a series of polls. The longtime former mayor of Cranston hopes to become the first Republican to represent Rhode Island in Congress in almost 30 years.

The post On Political Roundtable: Election 2022, CD2 race comes down to the wire; GOP CD1 candidate Allen Waters; and UMass/Dartmouth students on climate change appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.