Transcripts For CSPAN2 Rhode 20240704

Gov. Mckee thank you. Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you so much. Weve got a lot to share tonight, so lets get down to business. Mr. Speaker, mr. President , members of the legislature, congressman seth magaziner, thank you for being here. Our general officers, chief justice and members of the judiciary, municipal leaders, members of my cabinet, and my fellow Rhode Islanders who are watching at home, including my mom, willa and i want to thank everybody always asking how my mom is doing. Good evening. When i started thinking about this years state of the state address, i thought back to the first inaugural speech i made in march of 2021. Rhode island was in a time of significant change. We were faced with many challenges and what felt like endless unknowns. At that time, i asked my fellow Rhode Islanders to join me, to come together as one team and meet that moment head on. On that day, i shared something i used to tell the players i coached in basketball. The team i coached was called the rhode island shooting stars. They were a group of young men from all different walks of life, family situations, and backgrounds, and no one thought they could succeed. They were underestimated as a team and as individuals. But through hard work and dedication, they did compete, and they did succeed. Ill have more to share about their successes later in this address. But throughout the teams journey, i always reminded them, good teams are built when talented individuals do their best. But the best teams, the very best teams, are built when talented individuals use their skills to help others do their very best. When i became governor, i believed that rhode island could do better, be better than just a good team. I knew we could be one of the very best. Over the last three years, weve risen to that challenge. Weve shown that its our turn. That we can compete. That we will compete. And that if we work together, all we can do is succeed. Tonight, im here to cheer on our home team and share our game plan for Rhode Islands future. I have never been more confident that the state of our state is strong and getting stronger every single day because of the team thats doing the work in all 39 cities and towns. [applause] in the end, its about the work that we get done. And although i dont have as much time to be on the Basketball Court these days, im enjoying my new role as coach of Team Rhode Island. And why wouldnt i be . Together, as one team, weve made so much progress over the last few years. Here are some of the quick hits from our record a record that i shared with our speaker and Senate President and the members of the General Assembly. We reached the lowest Unemployment Rate in Rhode Islands history. [applause] 98 of our schools have improved attendance this year. 13,000 fewer students are chronically absent this year. [applause] we have a Record Number of jobs at quonset. Our states fiscal outlook was upgraded. Were ranked second best in the nation for Young Workers seeking a job. And were ranked in the top 10 best states for raising a family. [applause] theres more work ahead, but tonight is about the people who are doing the work to make all this progress happen. Last year, we set a challenge, for rhode island to reach massachusetts student achievement levels by 2030. Were doing this by improving three main areas ricas scores, student attendance, and fafsa completion. When we set that goal, i told a story about a painter who wanted to paint the perfect sunrise. Every day, the painter would get up, ready to start, then hed think, this sunrise is beautiful, but maybe tomorrow will be better. Long story short, he never got it done. Last year, i said, when it comes to improving Rhode Islands education system, we cant be like that painter. We cant wait. And the good news is, we havent. 38 out of 39 cities and towns have joined this effort that were calling learn365ri. [applause] its a commitment to prioritize learning in all our communities. A simple concept every home, every day, learning matters. Weve built a remarkable statewide team whos doing the work on education. And within our administration, we have experienced staff leading the way education commissioner angelica infantegreen, who was recently appointed by the Biden Administration to serve on their National Assessment governing board. Thank you, commissioner. [applause] postsecondary commissioner shannon gilkey, who has over 15 years of service in education, with 10 of those in higher ed. And he is reimagining our state schools, Rhode Island College, ccri and uri. Thank you, shannon. [applause] and jeremy chiappetta, our new Senior Advisor on education within my office who has firsthand experience as an educator, a principal, and a certified superintendent. There has never been somebody as qualified in education sitting in the Governors Office that i am aware of in the history of the state of rhode island. Thank you, jeremy. [applause] and they are not alone theyre not alone in this effort. Last year, under the leadership of bob walsh, a nonprofit called always learning rhode island was formed to support our learn365ri efforts. To provide guidance to the municipal leaders who have signed those contracts. To date, theyve raised over half a Million Dollars with the help of the local Business Community and civic leaders. Im proud that my wife, susan, a retired teacher, is joining the team as an honorary chair of that board. [applause] we know we know that students who attend school regularly perform, on average, about 20 points better on reading and math than those who are chronically absent thats why attendance matters. This school year, our work to dramatically improve attendance is already having a positive impact. I want to recognize alejandro, a second grader from Webster Elementary School in providence, who is here with us tonight. In kindergarten and first grade, he was chronically absent however, he turned things around and just received his first perfect attendance award. [applause] alejandro, keep up the great work [laughter] wonderful. And bella is here tonight. Shes a student at nowell academy. Because of circumstances beyond her control, last year, bella was chronically absent. However, she made the commitment to improve her attendance and this year shes on track and no longer chronically absent. Bella, rhode island is proud of you. Please stand up and let us recognize you as well. [applause] and that story keeps on going. With us tonight is alondra, a senior at Central Falls high school and a member of our chronic absenteeism working group. Shes dedicating her free time to help us create Attendance Solutions for students across our state. Thank you for stepping up in a big way, bella. Thank you so much. We appreciate your leadership. [applause] look, were serious about improving ricas scores and closing the gap between rhode island and massachusetts by 2030. Rhode island began to move the needle this year, and we want to ensure that progress continues. Thats why my budget will propose 15 million for math and english Language Arts coaching for students and professional development for teachers to help us meet the goal ahead of us. Lets get this done for our students. [applause] when it comes to education, we are moving ahead as one team, with strong education leaders in the General Assembly like representative joe mcnamara and where is joe . Joe is around here somewhere. And senators sandra cano and val lawson. That Team Includes our municipal leaders, our teachers, our superintendents, principals, and local aft and nea Union Leaders like frank flynn and mary barden, who are with us tonight. Thank you for being on Team Rhode Island. [applause] now, were asking all rhode island families, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles and guardians to join our team and get in the game. Because it matters that in every home, every day, learning matters. This is my third state of the state as governor, but my first as a grandfather. And while my granddaughter, mabel james, isnt quite old enough to be here tonight, just like general callahans new grandchild by the way, congratulations, general. [applause] and although mabel james is not here with us tonight, she reminds me of why im here she reminds me of why you are here. She reminds me of why everyone is listening why everyone listening in the state of rhode island is on board. Because we all want to build a rhode island thats better for our kids, for our grandkids, for the next generation, and the one after that. We want to ensure rhode island is the place they want to call home and a place they can afford to call home. In last years state of the state, we set a goal on education. This year, were going to set a goal to raise per capita income by a minimum of 20,000 by the year 2030. [applause] just think, how much housing insecurity and Food Insecurity we could address as a state, if we double down and work to raise per capita income across rhode island, helping every family. And just like we did with our education goal, within the next 100 days, we will roll out a game plan for raising incomes with the help of ernie almonte, the executive director of the league of cities and towns, and ed tibaldi, an economist and professor at bryant university. Later this week, ill be submitting my budget to the General Assembly. The budget will prioritize programs and initiatives that will help us raise the incomes of our fellow Rhode Islanders, while controlling recurring costs. We will continue the fiscal discipline we have shown over the past two years, using onetime funds for onetime investments and budgeting within our means so we wont be forced to revise our budget and make disruptive midyear cuts, as other states are. [applause] our budget will make key investments in education, Small Businesses, and Rhode Islands Health Care System without raising any broadbased taxes. [applause] i happen to think that is worth applause. The good news is, we dont have to start from scratch. Thanks to President Biden and our congressional delegation led by senator jack reed, rhode island has secured an historic amount of federal funds. Congressman magaziner, on behalf of rhode island, thank you to you and your colleagues for securing these funds. [applause] those dollars were earmarked by your leaderships. Thank you. Our team put these dollars to work to create an unprecedented pipeline of projects that will put people to work in goodpaying jobs and help raise incomes across our state, an impact that will be felt for decades to come. In addition to creating goodpaying jobs, we must ensure that rhode island is an affordable place to live. We must ensure that our young families can purchase their first homes and that our nurses, Public Safety workers, our laborers and teachers can live in the communities they work in. For far too long, rhode island has had one of the lowest Housing Production rates in the nation. Thats why our Administration Proposed and im grateful to the General Assembly for approving over a quarter billiondollar investment in housing in 2022. [applause] and an additional 71 million in housing in last years budget. In sum, since ive been governor, weve allocated nearly half a billion dollars to housing. And while building doesnt happen overnight, we continue to see signs of progress. Under the leadership of housing secretary stefan pryor, we already have over 1,600 homes in the pipeline, with more on the way. And thanks to our downpayment assistance program, were helping over 1,500 first time homebuyers, like the cruz family, who are with us tonight. [applause] juan and emelin and their two sons moved into their first home in west warwick last year using our down payment assistance program. I was there to welcome them. Their son actually gave me a little seashell. And we love that. Because it meant something to him that he was walking into his first home and he wanted to say thank you. He gave me a gift tonight. So thank you so much. I want to congratulate them on their new home and thank them for choosing rhode island. It is important that we recognize that homeownership is a key to creating generational wealth. In addition to new housing tools passed last year, the budget ill propose will call for a 100 million Housing Production bond on the ballot. This would be the largest Housing Production bond in our states history. And were going to ensure that, if approved by the voters, these dollars will create more inventory and help put young people on a path to homeownership in our state. More young people on a path to homeownership in our state. [applause] because we know that homeownership for everyone in this room is one of the top ways to build generational wealth. So lets get it done. We know that states across the country are dealing with issues in their Health Care Systems hospitals are facing Financial Difficulties and shortages of primary care doctors are creating challenges for patients. Under the leadership of health and Human Services secretary rick charest, our administration is dedicated to strengthening the states Health Care System. And rick is no stranger to this work. He is the former ceo of landmark medical center, where he led a significant turnaround, bringing the hospital out of receivership. And when i recruited him to State Government thanks, rick, for accepting, you are hanging around here somewhere thank you for accepting and taking my call. He immediately went to fix the longstanding challenges we inherited at Eleanor Slater hospital and made significant progress in improving Patient Safety and increasing staff morale. And thank of the General Assembly for appropriating dollars to go out and fixed at hospital. [applause] and fix that hospital. [applause] the budget i proposed last year that the General Assembly passed included new state directed payments to hospitals. These new payments, combined other changes, resulted in over 110 million in new medicaid funding to our states hospitals. The budget ill propose this year will once again include this crucial funding. Additionally, our budget will propose over 135 million in investments to increase Health Care Provider rates and support the Behavioral Health needs of Rhode Islanders. Some provider rates have not increased in over ten years. We know how important Early Intervention is for our children and families. This Crucial Program promotes the development of infants and toddlers who have a Developmental Disability or delay. In addition to the federal funding that we directed to Early Intervention providers to strengthen their workforce, the budget ill propose to the General Assembly will fully fund the Early Intervention rate increases recommended by the office of the Health Insurance commissioner and eohhs. [applause] finally, in collaboration with secretary charest, in the coming weeks, ill be signing an executive order focused on improving Rhode Islands Healthcare Systems and planning work to ensure we have access to an efficient and effective Healthcare Delivery system aligned with our states needs. The working group created as part of this executive order will be comprised of members from my health cabinet, professionals, with broad input from a wide array of stakeholders who will be ready to do the work. Under the leadership of the department of Health Director dr. Bandy, were building a new state health lab. Which my partners up here a great deal to do with. This Publicprivate Partnership will also have muchneeded wet lab space which will be essential to growing Rhode Islands Life Sciences industry. [applause] for over a decade, leaders have stepped up to the microphone and talked about how massachusetts is a leader in life science and that rhode island could be as well. Instead of dreaming of that possibility, thanks to the leadership of speaker shekarchi, were making it a reality. [applause] our administration worked with the speaker and the General Assembly to propose a new quasipublic agency dedicated to our states life science strategy and we included 45 million in last years budget to support this sector. Neil steinberg, who will be leading our life science strategy, is here with us tonight, and i want to thank the senate for confirming his appointment earlier this month. Neil, stand up. [applause] jobs in the life science sector are goodpaying jobs, usually commanding six figures. We want these jobs in rhode island to help raise per capita income. To grow the Talent Pipeline and solidify rhode island as a life science leader, my budget will propose building a new Life Science School at the university of rhode island through a bond referendum. I will be out across the state with uri president Marc Parlange rallying Rhode Islanders behind this important, incomeraising initiative. [applause] im not sure whether he made it he is here. Mr. President , we are going on tour. All 39 cities and towns. Thanks to Rhode Island College president jack warner teaming up with former congressman jim langevin, we launched the First State Institute for cybersecurity and emerging technologies at Rhode Island College. [applause] tonight, were joined by Jillian Costello and nygel gomes, two students who are already enrolled in the institute and on a path to a goodpaying job in this emerging industry. Jillian and nygel, please stand up. Be recognized. [applause] thank you for being a part of Team Rhode Island. Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing field with thousands of unfilled positions. To have congress la ngevin leading the charge on this he is the best. He will Bring National recognition to Rhode Island College. Thank you, congressman. [applause] an Information Security analyst is now ranked as one of the top five best jobs in the nation with a median salary of 112,000. We want these jobs in rhode island to help raise per capita income. The Cybersecurity Institute at ric is equipping the next generation of cybersecurity professionals with the technical and business skills to meet the cybersecurity challenges of the 21st century. To meet the potential that this field offers, im calling on us to take it to the next level. Lets pass a firstofitskind cybersecurity bond to grow rics current Cybersecurity Program into a Cybersecurity School of choice. And in five years, lets have 1,000 students enrolled in this school, graduating 250 students a year with these degrees. And lets raise our per capita income in the state of rhode island. [applause] raising incomes also means making sure our retirees can afford to stay in rhode island. Right now, treasurer james diossa is spearheading a Pension Advisory Working Group to look at potential changes to our states pension system. Were also working with his office on legislation to create secure choice, a new voluntary Retirement Savings program. Treasurer, thank you for your leadership. [applause] while that work continues, lets act now to raise the threshold for taxable Retirement Income so our retirees can keep more money in their pockets. I will be sending a Budget Proposal to the General Assembly to make this happen. [applause] its the right thing to do, we not only want to keep our grandkids and kids here in rhode island, we want to make sure the people that invested in this state retire in this state. Rhode island is a Small Business state. I know that, not only as governor, but also as a former Small Business owner. Thats why one of my Top Priorities is making rhode island a better place to do business. But lets not forget what weve already accomplished with the General Assembly with the representatives and senators in this room, with our speaker, with our Senate President. We sped up and fully eliminated the car tax. We wiped out the tangible tax for 75 of rhode island businesses. Thank you, Senate President , for your leadership in your chambers and your chambers leadership on this issue. [applause] we eliminated the socalled litter tax on businesses. We delivered 35 million in utility rate relief for families and businesses. We exempted the tradein value of motorcycles from sales tax for the purchase of new motorcycles. For all the motorcycle fans out there. We increased access to capital for Small Businesses. And altogether, weve provided tens of millions of dollars in tax relief to local businesses. Without increasing broadbased taxes a penny. [applause] and were not stopping there. The budget ill send to the General Assembly this week will keep that progress going. I will call for reducing the corporate minimum tax from 400 to 350 this tax impacts our states smallest businesses the most. Lets give them more relief. Im targeting six annoying fees for elimination, including the redundant Real Estate Broker and liquor manufacturing fees. Lets get rid of these small, aggravating permits and fees that just bog down Small Businesses in terms of their time. And were also proposing funding to help more minority and women owned businesses get certified to qualify for more state contracts. We cannot build an economy without including each and every family, each and every business in that economy. [applause] secretary liz tanner and her team at commerce know that its Rhode Islands turn to be a leader in Small Business friendliness. Together, were not only making progress, but were going to get it done. In addition to the budget ill propose, im looking forward to working with the General Assembly on several key issues, finding Common Ground and reforming the Law Enforcement officers bill of rights, finding new ways to speed up Housing Production, and this year, lets finally pass an assault weapons ban in rhode island. [applause] now, i want to share some highlights from our States Economic hubs that are sustaining goodpaying jobs and keeping our progress going. Were making the biggest investment in the port of galilee in decades. Galilee isnt just the home of georges and champlins, the port is one of Rhode Islands economic and jobs powerhouses. In fact, galilee is the fourth highest value fishing port on the east coast and the 18th highest value port in the united states. Department of Environmental Management director terry gray is here tonight with ryan clark, president and ceo of the town dock, a Family Business down in galilee. The town dock is one of the leading calamari suppliers in the united states. Representative mcnamara, you have to love that. [applause] their facilities are directly behind one of our upgrade projects, and were glad to see them benefiting from the work. Ryan, thanks for all you do and for being on Team Rhode Island. Lets give him and all our Small Businesses a big round of applause for the work that they do each and every day. [applause] last year, we launched a new program through the department of transportation to help our cities and towns expedite repairs to local roads and bridges. We are all tired of being the lowest ranked in terms of roads in the country. I am. All 39 cities and towns participated, and here are the results, from the budget that was passed last year, the 29 million we appropriated that is now creating 75 million of local work. 622 total projects representing 456 lane miles of road and nearly 24 miles of sidewalk. As the state works to improve Rhode Islands infrastructure rankings, we want to provide support to our municipalities to do the same. Thats why my budget will call for another 5 million so this program can continue and we support our local 39 cities and towns. [applause] i told you there was a lot to share. Dot director peter alviti is here tonight along with our municipal leaders who stepped up in a big way to capitalize on this program. And while were talking about our transportation infrastructure, i want to take a minute to acknowledge the frustration that many Rhode Islanders experienced when we had to make the decision to quickly close part of the Washington Bridge as a Public Safety measure. I know this impacted routines like getting to doctors appointments and taking kids to school, so i want to once again thank Rhode Islanders for their patience and understanding. We look forward to getting the Washington Bridge open as quickly as possible. But we are determined to make sure that our bridges are safe, our roads are repaired, and this National Ranking that has been around our necks for far too long goes away. I want to thank the people at dot who are doing the work to fix our roads and bridges just take a drive on 295, which was repaved for the first time in over 20 years. We have waited too long to make this investment. And with the help of the General Assembly, we will keep that going so are driving infrastructure represents the progress that the state has made. With the first working offshore wind farm in the united states, we know that rhode island is an industry leader. But were not stopping there, our second offshore wind project, Revolution Wind, is set to commence construction this year. When construction is complete, Revolution Wind will power nearly 263,000 households at a rate of 9. 8 cents per kilowatt for 20 years. This is an important step toward meeting our act on climate goals. [applause] in order to get our offshore wind projects completed, we need the people doing the work. A few of our offshore wind workers are here tonight, and i want to thank them nicole kent of ibew local 99, Nicholas Russo of laborers local 271, and Jennifer Odwyer of ironworkers local 37. [applause] i want to recognize them. Lets recognize them. Thank you so much. We cant get this done and meet the goals that we are setting without people doing the work. And it is the work that matters. Its not what we talk about. Its the work that matters. Thank you all for being on Team Rhode Island. Lets give them another round of applause. [applause] but were not just building the infrastructure, were also training the workers at the states first offshore Wind Safety Training Center at the ccri flanagan campus in lincoln under the leadership of interim president dr. Rosemary costigan. Rosemary, are you here . Please. Thank you, doctor. Again, we want these jobs in rhode island to help raise per capita income. In partnership with the General Assembly, we made a significant and smart investment in quonset by directing 60 million to the port of davisville. As one of north americas top 10 auto importers, more than 200,000 cars crossed the piers of davisville last year, supporting more than 1,600 jobs. [applause] there is far more to that story. I dont have the time to tell it all tonight. 435,000 square feet of new space is either on the drawing board or in production today and will put people to work by creating opportunities in the future for new jobs. 435,000 square feet. [applause] and we also have to have a little fun. So we are going all in on boosting tourism and raising Rhode Islands national profile. We doubled our investment in destination marketing, and its working. Last year, our state had over 27 million visitors, an increase of more than 5 compared to the prior year. Were proud to have many of those visitors flying into rhode island t. F. Green international airport, ranked in the top 10 best airports in the world. Right here in rhode island. [applause] but thats not all, this year, rhode island became the home of good burger 2, hocus pocus 2, and the gilded age. And were not stopping there. Im excited about another new movie thats going to be filmed in rhode island this year. Its called ella mccay, a story about a Lieutenant Governor who becomes a governor. And while its a familiar story, ive been assured that its not about yours truly. [laughter] i want to thank Rhode Island Film and Television Office director Steve Feinberg for doing the work to attract these blockbusters which help put rhode island on the map in a big way. Give steve a round of applause. [applause] not sure if steve is here tonight. We made a little history this year when we moved the independent man from the top of the state house to undergo an historic repair and preservation effort. This was the first time in nearly 50 years and only the second time in state history that Rhode Islanders could come see the man up close. The independent man is a source of pride for Rhode Islanders. We found that out over the last several weeks. And so is this building. This gem. Thats why were executing a long overdue cleaning of the buildings outer shell for the first time in 30 years. It looks good. [applause] and i want to recognize department of Administration Director Jonathan Womer and our team at the division of Capital Asset management and maintenance for leading the charge on this effort. Theyre joined in the gallery tonight by some of the men and women who did the work to safely remove the independent man and clean this historic building. Please stand up. Give them a round of applause. I believe they are in the gallery tonight, the men and women who worked on it. [applause] tonight is not only about the work we are getting done, but it is the people who are doing the work. Were using this opportunity to invest in the peoples house and preserve the independent man for generations of Rhode Islanders and visitors to enjoy. And while were at it, lets make Rhode Islands history a true attraction that brings thousands of tourists to our state every year. In partnership with secretary of state gregg amore, lets build a new state archive and history center, a place to display our founding documents and important treasures. [applause] my budget our budget the peoples Budget Proposal will ask the General Assembly to put this on the 2024 ballot. Its our turn to capitalize on our history and have a place to document what Rhode Islands future holds. Which is bright. And speaking of taking pride in our beautiful state, on behalf of first lady susan mckee, who is here tonight, i want to encourage all Rhode Islanders to take our litter free rhode island pledge to keep our state clean. The budget i will submit to the General Assembly will include Additional Resources to make that happen. Visit litterfree. Ri. Gov to take the pledge. Everyone in the state, lets make a serious effort to make sure this beautiful state is beautiful. [applause] tonight, you heard the stories of people across rhode island who are doing the work, and there are thousands more just like them all across our state. Team rhode island is filled with talented, dedicated players, both in and out of State Government. I am inspired by these people every single day. And im proud to be working with them. Earlier, i talked about how the very best teams are built when talented individuals use their skills to help others do their very best. That Basketball Team i coached, i really cant do justice to that story in the short time we have here. They were an example of a team who helped each other do their very best. In many ways, their story is Rhode Islands story, too. No one believed they could succeed, but they did, two state championships, four national championships, invited to the top tournament in the country at duke university. And just like rhode island, they earned the respect they deserved. But what im most proud of is what theyre achieving today as they are raising their families in homes that they own, when they grew up in homes that they did not own. This is progress for the state. In 2024, Team Rhode Island will continue using our skills to make our state one of the very best in the nation. We will use our resources to put people to work in goodpaying jobs on projects that will pay dividends for decades to come. My fellow Rhode Islanders, we will become what we believe we can be. Never underestimate the power of a team that has each others backs. The state of the state is strong. The future is bright. And our very best is well on the way. God bless rhode island, and god bless the united states. Thank you all for being here. Goodnight. Enjoy your evening. [applause]