PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Governor Dan McKee delivered his 2025 State of the State address Tuesday night. “In 2025, I’m asking for your help to accelerate the progress we’ve made together,” McKee said. The governor highlighted success from the past year, as well as future plans to improve the state’s well-being and economy. “Last year alone, Rhode Island’s labor force reached its highest level on record,” McKee said. “We had more jobs in our state than ever before.” The governor is expected to submit his budget for the next fiscal year on Thursday and said he plans to include an assault weapons ban within. In the Republican response, Senate Minority Leader Jessica De La Cruz took particular offense to that strategy. “If the governor wants to push gun control, perhaps he needs a civics lesson,” De La Cruz said. “Legislation is crafted and debated by the General Assembly.” McKee also discussed the state’s plans on helping homeless communities, noting there are currently 1,300 shelter beds funded by Rhode Island, a 60% increase since he became governor. The governor noted that he recently visited the vacant pallet housing complex sitting off I-95. “Like you, I have been frustrated with the length of time it has taken to get the village operational,” McKee said. “But we are going to get this project over the finish line without compromising on safety.” The administration will soon stop receiving pandemic-era funding that helped invest over $75 million. In response, McKee said he will propose a “dedicated funding stream” for homelessness, as well as a second funding stream, which would fund $4.4 million in the fiscal year 2026 and $8 million in 2027. One of the last major topics discussed by the governor was the state of the Washington Bridge. Currently, McKee said its demolition is “on track” and nearing 75% completion. “Now, there have certainly been challenges along the way,” McKee said. “But today, I can say with confidence that we are now on the right path to deliver a new bridge for our state.” In the meantime, two construction companies are competing for the contract to rebuild the Washington Bridge, and a lawsuit was initiated with the state for “accountability.” Representing the Republican perspective, De La Cruz shared a less optimistic view on the ramifications of the bridge closure. “While the gridlock is bad, even worse is the closing of small businesses whose owners have sacrificed weekends, vacations and holidays to keep the doors open during hard times,” she said. McKee expanded further on the housing crisis, noting that in Rhode Island, the median homeowner’s net worth is about $400,000, and the median renter’s net worth is $10,000. To address this, McKee said almost 6,500 housing units have been completed, preserved, or are in the pipeline, as well as the addition of developments in Portsmouth and Pawtucket. “Housing is being built in every corner of our state,” McKee said. “Thanks to the voters passing our historic $120 million housing bond last year, we will continue to address this issue with courageous impatience.” Regarding the economy, McKee mentioned the addition of businesses and jobs, adding that Regent Craft will create over 300 jobs, and that the expansion of Breeze Airways at T.F. Green International Airport will create 400 jobs. He also mentioned Unity Park, which is a $8.9 million project which will turn over 45,000 square feet into a space for blue economy companies. Additionally, the governor said the state is distributing $2 million in grants to local businesses, and the Minority Business Accelerator Program supported over 1,000 local businesses in the past. In reference to healthcare in the state, McKee said he will submit a budget to the General Assembly to combat the shortage of primary care doctors in Rhode Island. According to the governor, this will include a proposal of a “strategic investment” to further student loan forgiveness for primary care physicians who work in Rhode Island. The budget will be submitted Thursday. McKee also mentioned the RIBridges data breach, adding that a team of leaders will continue to navigate breach, “follow the facts and hold the right people accountable.” Senator De La Cruz also notably highlighted the cyber attack on the system managed by Deloitte, the company which is now managing the fallout from its own data breach. “That’s an insult to the taxpayers checking their credit score every morning,” she said. “Because the governor failed to have the necessary cybersecurity measures in place.” Rhode Island 2030, which is a working document of a collection of budgets, initiatives and projects, has also been updated for the new year. Over the next five years, McKee said state revenues are expected to grow 2.5% each year, but state spending is expected to increase at 3.7% each year. To tackle this issue, McKee said he will submit a budget that will “provide a roadmap to close an approximately $250 million deficit without any broad-based tax increases.” To help repair and repave roads, McKee said RhodeRestore has worked on 1,000 projects, including 686 lane miles of road and 25 miles of sidewalk over 39 towns. Regarding litter, in 2024, Litter-Free Road Island removed almost 1 million gallons of trash from state roads with help from the Department of Transportation, according to McKee. The state also gave over $60,000 to jumpstart community cleanups in Rhode Island, which resulted in 6,600 trash bags picked up. Another large topic at hand was education, with McKee highlighting multiple improvements made in the public education system. For the Rhode Island education system, the Learn365RI education initiative showed progress for students in math and reading scores. Over the past three years, the RICAS English Language Arts gap with Massachusetts was reduced by 34%, and reduced by 18% in math. “That’s progress, but we must accelerate it,” McKee said. Moreover, attendance was up within the last year in Rhode Island, with schools counting over 244,000 fewer student absences, which McKee said added about 1.3 million hours of learning. To continue improvement in education, McKee said the state has “partnered with municipal leaders” to build community learning centers, adding that a new 8,500-square-foot learning center will be built in East Providence starting this spring. Additionally, $5.2 billion is being invested in 50 new or improved schools in the state, and McKee said that state is contributing almost $3 billion “to support our municipalities and local taxpayers in this effort.” The budget, which will increase state aid to education by about $40 million, will be submitted on Thursday. Categories: News, Providence, Rhode Island