Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council
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Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council

State Finance

Rhode Island’s Road and Bridge Program: High Spending, Heavy Debt, Uneven Results

State Finance / By

Spending on bridges and roads represents one of Rhode Island’s most substantial capital commitments, with over $1 billion expended annually in combined state and federal revenues. Launched in 2016, the RhodeWorks program reduced the number of structurally deficient bridges in the state by nearly half through targeted spending. However, this concentrated focus came with trade-offs:

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Rhode Island’s Medicaid Trajectory

Budget, Expenditures, Human services, Medicaid, State Finance / By

State Policy and Rising Health Care Costs Push Spending Past Revenues Despite Declining Enrollments Under New Federal Restrictions Rhode Island’s Medicaid program represents the state’s largest public investment, representing over one-third of total state budget spending. Medicaid provides a critical safety net for nearly three in ten Rhode Islanders and fuels the state’s healthcare sector. However, sustaining this massive program poses a critical fiscal challenge.  RIPEC’s comprehensive

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Rhode Island’s Housing Strategy: High Costs, High Subsidies, Low Returns

Budget, Expenditures, Housing, State Finance / By

Rhode Island’s Housing Strategy Rhode Island’s housing policies are in transition, moving from fragmented governance and historical underinvestment to a centralized strategy backed by record levels of capital directed toward housing production and preservation. Despite these historic outlays, policies that drive up production costs and subsidies have resulted in the production of relatively few housing

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The Economic Risks of Rhode Island’s Millionaire’s Tax Proposal

Budget, Expenditures, Revenues, State Finance, Tax Policy, Taxation / By

Rhode Island’s Millionaire’s Tax Proposal The Economic Risks of Becoming Less Competitive and Losing Taxpayers Governor Daniel J. McKee has proposed adding a fourth income tax bracket in his FY 2027 budget, which would tax income over $1.0 million at 8.99 percent—a 50 percent increase over the current 5.99 percent top rate. RIPEC’s analysis  finds

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Highlights on the Governor’s FY 2027 Budget Proposal

Budget, Expenditures, Revenues, State Finance, Tax Policy, Taxation / By

RIPEC Brief Finds Governor’s FY 2027 Budget Holds State Spending in Check as Key Tax and Borrowing Decisions Await General Assembly On January 15, 2026, Rhode Island Governor Daniel J. McKee released his proposed state budget for fiscal year (FY) 2027, which begins on July 1, 2026, along with budget revisions for the current fiscal

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RIPEC Analyzes November Revenue and Caseload Estimates

Budget, Revenues, Tax Policy, Taxation / By

Despite Steady Revenue Growth and Drop in Medicaid Enrollment, Structural Deficit Still Looms Over Rhode Island Rhode Island’s Revenue and Caseload Estimating Conferences play a central role in the state budget process by setting the available general revenues and the expected expenditures for Medicaid and other public assistance programs. The November 2025 Conferences provided updated

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How Rhode Island Taxing and Spending Compares

All, Municipal Finance, State Finance, Tax Policy / By

How Rhode Island Compares: State and Local Taxing and Spending How Rhode Island Compares uses the most recent available state and local revenue and expenditure data—for fiscal year (FY) 2023—to compare taxing and spending in the Ocean State to the United States and the New England region. Across 31 revenue and spending categories, this report

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RIPEC Analyzes FY 2026 Spending in State Budget

Budget, Revenues, Tax Policy, Taxation / By

Austerity Deferred Despite Softening Revenues and Federal Uncertainty After a period of extraordinary growth in state revenues and expenditures, Rhode Island continues to expand spending at a relatively high rate despite slowing general revenues and the uncertainty of future federal funding. Much of the increased spending in the FY 2026 budget is supported by one-time

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RIPEC Brief Finds Rhode Island’s Housing Resources Commission in Need of Reform

Housing, Human services, State Finance / By

PROVIDENCE, RI –  The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) today released a policy brief highlighting issues with the design and operations of Rhode Island’s Housing Resources Commission (HRC). RIPEC found that the HRC has wide statutory authority over housing policy and programming and shares many of the same top-line responsibilities with the Department of

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RIPEC Analysis Shows Income Tax Hike in RI Risks Negative Economic Consequences

Economic development, State Finance, Tax Policy / By

PROVIDENCE, RI –  The Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) today released a policy brief analyzing proposed legislation that would sharply raise the state’s top income tax rate from 5.99% to 8.99% on income above about $625,000. The proposed 50% increase—targeting the state’s highest earners—would risk negative long-term consequences for state revenues and the economy,

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