Gov. Gina Raimondo called for new focus on manufacturing jobs Tuesday night in a State of the State address that centered on expanding opportunities for the state's middle class through job creation and job training.
In her third address to the General Assembly, Raimondo referenced a forthcoming plan to "rebuild and reinvent" the state's manufacturing industry -- hearkening back to a campaign promise she made in 2014 and retelling the story of her late father who lost his job at the former Bulova watch factory when work was shipped overseas.
Raimondo said the state's economy, business climate and workforce have all become stronger, but state leaders have missed opportunities to rebuild the manufacturing industry. They "sat back on a simple hope that jobs like my dad's would come back; that the factories would miraculously reopen," she said.
The address was a precursor to the governor's 2018 budget proposal, which will be released Thursday. That budget will include money for manufacturing training in high schools. It will also support equipment investments and workforce training for companies, she said.
Just how much money is involved in the plan and how it would be distributed isn't yet clear. The governor has repeatedly named increasing manufacturing jobs as a priority -- one that was also mentioned in last year's State of the State address. To date under the Raimondo administration at least two manufacturers -- Finlay Extracts and Ingredients USA and Greystone of Lincoln -- have received state incentives.
Raimondo, a Democrat, largely directed her speech at a blue-collar middle-class population holding high school diplomas but struggling to find jobs -- the same nationwide voter base credited with electing Republican Donald Trump as president.
"We need to realize that our economy has changed in ways that are causing real challenges. How we meet those challenges will determine our future," Raimondo said, promising to deliver a budget that "protects and expands" job training programs.
She also showed a willingness to work with the General Assembly's progressive Democrats, saying it's time for the state to pass an earned sick leave law. The issue was one of several the progressive wing outlined last week in their "fair shot" agenda.
Other forthcoming budget proposals referenced included "funding to support recovery housing for Rhode Islanders struggling with addiction," a hike in the minimum wage from $9.60 an hour to $10.50 an hour, and a raise -- for the second consecutive year -- for direct care workers.
Raimondo also plugged her recently announced plan for two years of free tuition at the state's public colleges for in-state students. Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed called the governor's plan an "innovative approach" that she welcomes.
In an acerbic response to the address, House Minority Leader Patricia Morgan was critical of the tuition plan, saying no amount of free tuition will stop the 25-to-45 age demographic from leaving the state. Morgan also downplayed many of the economic accomplishments Raimondo touted in her address, including the addition of roughly 200 jobs combined from GE Digital and Johnson & Johnson, saying too much money has been given to companies that have promised "too few" jobs.
As for common ground with House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, the governor said -- as expected -- that she agrees cutting the car tax should be a priority. The budget will include Raimondo's plan to slash the tax by at least 30 percent while Mattiello hopes to eliminate it entirely over five years.
After her remarks, Mattiello said he intends to go forward with his more aggressive approach.
"I appreciate the governor's moving in the right direction, but I don't know if it will go far enough to satisfy the citizens of the state.... I intend to go forward with it unless the citizens tell me otherwise," he said.
Raimondo also used the platform to address brewing fears that civil rights could become a point of contention in the Trump administration.
"When we're confronted by uncertainty, we hold to our founding covenant: That there's a place here for everyone. There's a place here no matter your race, your creed, your gender, where you're from or who you love," she said.
(c)2017 The Providence Journal (Providence, R.I.)
