Rhode Island ranks among the least affordable, least competitive states in New England. We're not here to complain about it. We're here to change it. These are our priorities for 2026 and the specific initiatives we're pushing candidates to champion.
Energy costs, housing prices, and tax burdens are among the highest in the region. Working families are making impossible choices. We have a five-year plan to change that.
Rhode Island has some of the highest electricity rates in the continental US, nearly double the national average. Housing costs have outpaced wage growth for a decade. Combined state and local tax burdens rank in the bottom quartile nationally.
The result: working families leave, young people don't come back, and the tax base shrinks, making everything worse.
Rhode Island can have the most competitive energy costs in New England within five years with the right policy commitments. We're pushing candidates to make that a specific, measurable goal, not a talking point.
On housing and taxes, we support targeted reforms that make Rhode Island more competitive without gutting essential services.
A specific legislative roadmap to reduce residential and commercial electricity rates to the regional median by 2031, through grid modernization, permitting reform, and procurement strategy.
Cut permitting timelines, incentivize accessory dwelling units, and remove zoning barriers that artificially restrict supply in high-demand communities.
A comprehensive analysis of Rhode Island's state-local tax structure benchmarked against neighboring states, with specific recommendations for making RI a competitive advantage for families and businesses.
Affordability alone isn't enough. Rhode Island needs a growing, competitive economy that creates real opportunity, especially for young people who are currently leaving.
Rhode Island has one of the slowest-growing economies in New England. The state ranks poorly on business climate metrics, and workforce skills don't consistently align with employer needs. Too many young residents leave after college and don't return.
Real economic growth requires a laser focus on productivity and competitiveness, not just incentive packages. We support aligning education and training with real-time business needs, building AI-ready infrastructure, and making Rhode Island the best state in New England to start and grow a small business.
Rhode Island must position itself as an early adopter of AI infrastructure and workforce training. We support state investment in data and computational infrastructure and public-private AI training programs.
Align community college and vocational training curricula with real-time employer needs. Expand school choice. Make access to quality education an enforceable right for every Rhode Island student.
Cut red tape for small business formation, expand access to capital for minority and first-generation entrepreneurs, and leverage infrastructure investments to support local job creation.
None of our affordability or opportunity agenda is achievable if state government continues to operate in an unaccountable, non-transparent way that favors special interests over residents.
Rhode Island has a long history of insider governance: decisions made for political benefit rather than public good, budgets that obscure how money is actually spent, and a lack of independent oversight mechanisms. Transparency is promised and rarely delivered.
Structural reforms (not just better intentions) are the only path to accountable government. We support concrete mechanisms that align authority with responsibility and give residents real tools to hold officials accountable.
Give the Governor the authority to veto specific budget line items without rejecting an entire appropriations bill. Reduces the leverage of special interests who bury spending in omnibus budgets.
Independent watchdogs within major state agencies with authority to investigate waste, fraud, and abuse, reporting directly to the legislature rather than the executive branch.
A plain-language, searchable public dashboard showing how every tax dollar is spent at the state and municipal level, updated in real time and accessible to any Rhode Islander.
If you're a candidate, elected official, or civic leader in Rhode Island, we want to work with you. RIRPSC provides resources and support to those who commit to our 2026 agenda.