Title 35
Public Finance

Chapter 3
State Budget

R.I. Gen. Laws § 35-3-7

§ 35-3-7. Submission of budget to general assembly — Contents.

(a) On or before the third Thursday in January in each year of each January session of the general assembly, the governor shall submit to the general assembly a budget containing a complete plan of estimated revenues and proposed expenditures, with a personnel supplement detailing the number and titles of positions of each agency and the estimates of personnel costs for the next fiscal year, and with the inventory required by § 35-1.1-3(b)(5). Provided, however, in those years that a new governor is inaugurated, the new governor shall submit the budget on or before the first Thursday in February. In the budget the governor may set forth in summary and detail:

(1) Estimates of the receipts of the state during the ensuing fiscal year under laws existing at the time the budget is transmitted and also under the revenue proposals, if any, contained in the budget, and comparisons with the estimated receipts of the state during the current fiscal year, as well as actual receipts of the state for the last two (2) completed fiscal years.

(2) Estimates of the expenditures and appropriations necessary in the governor’s judgment for the support of the state government for the ensuing fiscal year, and comparisons with appropriations for expenditures during the current fiscal year, as well as actual expenditures of the state for the last two (2) complete fiscal years; provided, further, in the event the budget submission includes any transfers of resources from public corporations to the general fund, the budget submission shall also include alternatives to said transfers.

(3) Financial statements of the:

(i) Condition of the treasury at the end of the last completed fiscal year;

(ii) Estimated condition of the treasury at the end of the current fiscal year; and

(iii) Estimated condition of the treasury at the end of the ensuing fiscal year if the financial proposals contained in the budget are adopted.

(4) All essential facts regarding the bonded and other indebtedness of the state.

(5) A report indicating those program revenues and expenditures whose funding source is proposed to be changed from state appropriations to restricted receipts, or from restricted receipts to other funding sources.

(6) Such other financial statements and data as in the governor’s opinion are necessary or desirable.

(b) Any other provision of the general laws to the contrary notwithstanding, the proposed appropriations submitted by the governor to the general assembly for the next ensuing fiscal year should not be more than five and one-half percent (5.5%) in excess of total state appropriations, excluding any estimated supplemental appropriations, enacted by the general assembly for the fiscal year previous to that for which the proposed appropriations are being submitted; provided that the increased state-share provisions required to achieve fifty percent (50%) state financing of local school operations as provided for in P.L. 1985, ch. 182, shall be excluded from the definition of total appropriations.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the governor shall submit to the general assembly a budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, not later than the fourth (4th) Thursday in January 2005.

(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the governor shall submit to the general assembly a supplemental budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, and/or a budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, not later than Thursday, January 26, 2006.

(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the governor shall submit to the general assembly a supplemental budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, and/or a budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, not later than Wednesday, January 31, 2007.

(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the governor shall submit to the general assembly a budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, not later than Thursday, March 10, 2011.

(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the governor shall submit to the general assembly a budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, not later than Tuesday, January 31, 2012.

(h) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the governor shall submit to the general assembly a budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, not later than Thursday, March 12, 2015.

(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, the governor shall submit to the general assembly a budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, not later than Thursday, March 11, 2021.

History of Section.
P.L. 1935, ch. 2250, § 12; G.L. 1938, ch. 7, § 4; P.L. 1940, ch. 881, § 1; P.L. 1947, ch. 1922, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 35-3-7; P.L. 1977, ch. 200, art. 6, § 1; P.L. 1979, ch. 174, art. 13, § 1; P.L. 1980, ch. 146, § 1; P.L. 1981, ch. 291, art. 5, § 1; P.L. 1983, ch. 167, art. 5, § 1; P.L. 1984, ch. 245, art. VI, § 1; P.L. 1984 (s.s.), ch. 450, § 5; P.L. 1985, ch. 181, art. 4, § 1; P.L. 1987, ch. 8, § 1; P.L. 1987, ch. 118, art. 13, § 2; P.L. 1993, ch. 7, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 70, art. 5, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 5, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 595, art. 24, § 1; P.L. 2005, ch. 1, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 4, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 1, § 1; P.L. 2011, ch. 3, § 1; P.L. 2012, ch. 5, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch. 155, § 2; P.L. 2013, ch. 209, § 2; P.L. 2014, ch. 528, § 55; P.L. 2015, ch. 2, § 1; P.L. 2017, ch. 302, art. 7, § 9; P.L. 2020, ch. 80, art. 1, § 36.