Rhode Island

Congress Approves Key Jobs Initiative to Spur Hiring & Provide RI with $252 Million for Transportation Upgrades

March 17, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Congress passed a bipartisan job creation bill today that will help re-energize the economy and fuel economic growth in Rhode Island and provide the state with $252 million in highway and transit funding.    » read more »

March 5, 2010 -- Rhode Island's progress in the fight against childhood obesity has been highlighted in a National Governors Association (NGA) report released today to profile the innovative policies and practices that have been employed in 15 states.

Childhood obesity, recognized as a national epidemic, is a major public health issue that puts youth at risk for the early onset of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and other debilitating health conditions.

Shaping a Healthier Generation: Healthy Kids, Healthy America State Profiles of Progress focuses on Rhode Island's Healthy Kids, Healthy Rhode Island initiative to strengthen school wellness policies and provide 100 percent of schools with customized technical assistance to implement those policies.    » read more »

March 5, 2010 -- Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri today said he is pleased that Rhode Island has been named a finalist for Race to the Top funding through the U.S. Department of Education's competitive $4.35 billion program to reward and encourage innovative states that are making progress with education reform efforts.

The State of Rhode Island submitted a proposal in January that could provide $126 million over four years to support the state's school reform efforts. The US Department of Education is expected to announce final awards in early April.    » read more »

Governor Carcieri Extends Condolences to Haitian Community and Urges Rhode Islanders to Support Relief Effort

Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri today expressed great concern over the plight of the Haitian people in the aftermath of the powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the small Caribbean nation on Tuesday, and extended condolences to the families in Haiti, in Rhode Island, and throughout the world who have lost loved ones in the tragedy.

The Governor will join leaders and members of Rhode Island’s Haitian Community and local officials at the Elmwood Avenue Church of God in Providence at 4:00 p.m. today for a press conference to address the crisis in Haiti and relief efforts.    » read more »

December 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Senate yesterday approved 57-35, a year-end appropriations bill that U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse said will provide critical federal support for a wide range of projects and programs throughout Rhode Island. The legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives 221-202 on December 10 and will now go to the President’s desk to be signed into law.    » read more »

Jobs Proposals Mean Job Creation and Help for Rhode Island Small Businesses

December 8, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) released the following statement regarding the President’s speech today outlining major initiatives to spur job creation:

“Eight years of economic mismanagement by the Bush Administration caused unemployment to spike, our deficit to skyrocket, and created one of the worst recessions in our nation’s history. We need to stay focused on the most critical problem facing our country and Rhode Island in particular – jobs. Although recovery won't happen overnight, today, President Obama offered a balanced plan to spur job growth and get our economy back on track.    » read more »

December 3, 2009 -- WARWICK, RI - Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) today submitted a list of Army Corps of Engineers projects to be considered as part of the Water Resources Development Act. The bill does not contain funding, only authorizations. Funding for projects will be considered during the regular appropriations process.

Langevin submitted the following requests:

The Nature Conservancy - $15 million (for New England region, including Rhode Island)    » read more »

Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri today received confirmation from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) designating Rhode Island as a “primary natural disaster area.” In a letter to the USDA on October 28, 2009, Governor Carcieri sought the disaster designation for all five Rhode Island counties due to losses caused by extreme rain, unseasonably low temperatures, hail, and high winds that occurred from May 1, 2009 through August 1, 2009.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – By a vote of 100-0, the U.S. Senate today approved the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill for fiscal year 2010, including $73.55 million U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) helped secure to upgrade Naval Station Newport.

“This federal funding will allow the Navy to make critical renovations at Naval Station Newport and improve readiness and operational support for our troops,” said Reed, a member of both the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees. “This federal investment is vitally important to the continued presence and growth of Rhode Island’s military facilities and defense industry, which play an important role in our state’s economy.”    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- Rhode Island Governor Donald L. Carcieri recently issued the following statement regarding the Revenue Estimating Conference’s revised revenue projections for the current fiscal year. The Revenue Estimating Conference projected revenue shortfall for the current fiscal year is $130.5 million.

“The revenue forecast is poor,” said Governor Carcieri “It is clearer than ever, Rhode Island is still in the throes of an economic recession. Unfortunately, this is not a surprise, as we have continued to see the economy worsen and revenues decline.”    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- Warwick, RI - As millions of American homeowners continue to struggle against the tide of home foreclosures, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) heard from Rhode Island homebuyers and realtors yesterday about the recession's impact on the local housing market. Whitehouse hosted a roundtable discussion at The Rhode Island Association of Realtors in Warwick.    » read more »

Bill Also Includes Measures to Extend Homebuyer Tax Credit and Help Businesses to Offset Losses Incurred During Recession

November 4, 2009 -- Washington, DC - With millions of Americans still struggling to find work in this difficult economy, the U.S. Senate today took action to assist those in need by extending unemployment insurance benefits for up to 20 weeks. The legislation, which passed the Senate by a vote of 98 to 0, will also expand and extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit passed earlier this year and allow businesses to offset losses incurred during the recession. Whitehouse, a cosponsor of the unemployment provision, released the following statement following today's vote:    » read more »

November 4, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – In a positive step for Rhode Island's economy, the U.S. Senate today approved legislation championed by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) to immediately extend unemployment benefits for up to 20 weeks for more than 4,000 Rhode Island job seekers who exhausted their current benefits. The Reid-Baucus-Reed-Shaheen legislation extends unemployment insurance benefits to jobless Americans in every state by up to 14 weeks, with an additional 6 weeks possible in high unemployment states like Rhode Island with rates at or above 8.5%.    » read more »

Nov. 3, 2009 -- The Rhode Island Governor’s Office of Economic Recovery & Reinvestment (OERR) today issued updated job figures created or retained by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The revised job figures shifted down to 1489.49, as compared to 1,703.45 previously reported. The shift is attributed to a comprehensive verification and validation review by the OERR and the various federal agencies that oversee each program.

The 1512 reporting process is part of the Recovery Act that requires data to be collected and provided to the federal government every three months beginning in October 2009. Data required to be reported includes:

* Money received and spent during specified reporting periods
* Award description    » read more »

November 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Rhode Island’s Congressional delegation today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy is awarding a $15 million Recovery Act grant to Rhode Island LFG Genco, an affiliate of Ridgewood Renewable Power, to support the expansion of Ridgewood’s landfill methane-capture electricity generation plant in Johnston.

The project will be the second-largest landfill gas-to-electricity generation facility in the United States. The project will generate 42 MW of power, and save an estimated 1.21 trillion Btu annually from the landfill gas that would otherwise be flared.    » read more »