Rhode Island governor says higher wages, better student scores and new housing among his top goals

BOSTON (AP) — Higher wages, stronger student scores and increased housing production are some of the goals Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee promised in his annual State of the State address Tuesday.

One pledge McKee made was to increase the buying power of the state’s residents in coming years by setting a goal to raise the per capita income in the state by at least $20,000 by 2030.

Within the next 100 days, the administration will roll out a game plan for raising incomes, the Democrat said.

McKee also said the budget for the new fiscal year that he’ll be submitting to the General Assembly later this week will prioritize programs that will help raise incomes while also making key investments in education, small businesses, and health care — all without raising broad-based taxes.

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“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,” McKee said.

Another priority for the new year is education.

McKee said that last year, the administration set a challenge for Rhode Island to reach Massachusetts student achievement levels by 2030, including by raising scores on the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System assesments.

He said he’ll propose $15 million for math and English Language Arts coaching for students and professional development for teachers to help meet the goal.

Another challenge facing Rhode Island, and many neighboring states, is the lack of housing.

To help jumpstart production, McKee said he’ll propose that a $100 million housing production bond be placed before voters. He said the initiative would be the largest housing production bond in the state’s history.

“We’re 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,” he said.

Health care is another top issue. McKee said he’ll sign an executive order in coming weeks focused on improving Rhode Island’s health care systems and working to ensure “we have access to an efficient and effective health care delivery system aligned with our state’s needs.”

To help make Rhode Island a leader in life sciences McKee pointed to a new State Health Lab that is being built. He also noted his budget will also propose construction of a new life science school at the University of Rhode Island through a bond referendum.

Other high-paying jobs include those in cybersecurity. McKee said he wants Rhode Island College to dedicate itself to responding to the demand.

“Let’s pass a first-of-its-kind cybersecurity bond to grow RIC’s current cybersecurity program into a cybersecurity school of choice,” he said. “And in five years – let’s have 1,000 students enrolled in this school graduating 250 students a year with these degrees.”

On the tax front, McKee called for reducing the corporate minimum tax from $400 to $350 –- a tax that he said impacts the state’s smallest businesses the most. He also said he’s targeting “six annoying fees” for elimination – including liquor manufacturing fees.

“Let’s finally pass an assault weapons ban in Rhode Island,” he added.

The state is also looking ahead to its second offshore wind project, Revolution Wind, which is set to begin construction this year, he said. When complete, Revolution Wind will power nearly 263,000 households.

Another question McKee said he wants to put before voters on the 2024 ballot is whether the state should build a new State Archive and History Center to display the state’s founding documents and important treasures.

Finally, McKee said the state is continuing to make strides on pitching itself as a destination, including to filmmakers, who used the state in the HBO series The Guilded Age.