Government
Public services and government action
RI's Tax Mix Has Shifted Cost Toward Working Families
Rhode Island's lowest earners pay a bigger share of their income in state and local taxes than the wealthiest 1 percent, the result of a 2010 income tax cut and a sales tax frozen at 7 percent since 1992 — a pattern the state's new millionaires' tax aims to partly reverse.
McKee Settles ACLU Suit Over State House Protest Access
The ACLU of Rhode Island and Governor McKee's administration settled a federal lawsuit, guaranteeing the State House rotunda stays open for protest before, during, and after every future State of the State address.
ACLU Report Finds Uneven Remote Access to RI Meetings
An ACLU of Rhode Island report finds only 16 of the state's 73 city, town and school governing bodies let residents watch, archive, review and remotely participate in public meetings — with remote participation the rarest feature of all.
RI Can't Say How Many Serve Felony Murder Terms
A national report calling for the repeal of felony murder laws found Rhode Island among the states that cannot even measure the rule's impact — the state produced no data identifying who is serving time under it.
RI Fast-Tracks Hospital Sales in Bankruptcy Cases
A new Rhode Island law signed June 18 lets regulators approve hospital sales in bankruptcy within 90 days, a response to the Prospect Medical crisis threatening Roger Williams and Fatima hospitals.
Federal Bills to Break Up Education Dept. Put RI Funds at Risk
A U.S. House committee has advanced ten bills to break up the Department of Education and shift its programs to other federal agencies — a move that could disrupt the roughly $275 million Rhode Island schools draw from Washington each year.
RI Left Exposed as Trump Guts 702 Federal Rules
The Trump administration's 2026 Unified Agenda targets 702 federal regulations for elimination, colliding with Rhode Island's laws on overtime, drinking water, offshore wind, and driverless cars.
A New Federal Rule Threatens to Freeze Rhode Island Heating Assistance
A sweeping proposed rule by the OMB could subject crucial energy-bill assistance programs to political reviews and arbitrary delays.
RI Supreme Court Strips State of Immunity Shield in Civil Rights Lawsuits
The Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the state cannot claim sovereign immunity from civil rights lawsuits, opening the door for residents to sue state agencies for discrimination.
ACLU Warns Proposed State Rule Would Let RI Police Watch Bodycam Video Before Giving Formal Statements
The Rhode Island Department of Public Safety is weighing a rule that would let officers watch body-camera footage before giving a formal statement in use-of-force cases, prompting warnings from the ACLU and other advocates that it would weaken accountability.