02/09/2010 15:45 EST
02/04/2010 13:45 EST
02/04/2010 10:00 EST
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Mr. Speaker, Madam President, members of the General Assembly, my fellow General Officers, members of the Judiciary, distinguished guests, and my fellow Rhode Islanders. Before I begin tonight, if you’d indulge me, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the source of my inspiration, my strength, my motivation, and my comfort – and that’s my wife, First Lady Sue Carcieri, our four children and their spouses, and our fourteen grandchildren. Many of them are here tonight. Thank you for all your love and support.
Let us begin tonight by being mindful of the catastrophic earthquake that has ravaged Haiti. We are all in shock and disbelief, and our hearts break as we see the nightly images of the horrific devastation and loss of life. Those of us who have visited Haiti are keenly aware of the extreme poverty and hardship that so many Haitians endure on a daily basis. I know that Rhode Island is home to several thousand Haitians and that many other Rhode Islanders, both young and old, travel there to be of service to the people of Haiti. In fact, just a few days ago, members of the 143rd R.I. Air National Guard flew two of our transport planes to be deployed to assist Haiti. Tonight, we express our prayers and condolences to all those people who have been so profoundly affected. Please join me for a moment of silence in honor of those who have lost their lives so tragically in Haiti.
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Small Business Jobs Growth Initiative and Government Restructuring Included in Budget Proposal
Governor Donald L. Carcieri today released his FY 2011 budget, which includes a Small Business Jobs Growth Initiative to provide relief to the state’s small businesses and to encourage job growth. The FY 2011 general revenue budget is $2.85 billion, a decrease of $151.3 million, or 5 percent, as compared to the FY 2010 general revenues budget, and $502 million less than the high of FY 2008, when general revenues were $3.4 billion.
The FY 2011 all funds budget is $7.5 billion, of which $2.7 billion are federal funds - including $455.7 million from stimulus funds - $1.76 million from restricted receipts, and $1.8 billion from other sources. This is $403 million less than in federal and other funds than the FY 2010 budget, due to the decrease in stimulus funds.
Results of the fall 2009 New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) tests in reading, mathematics, and writing released today (February 3rd) show a slight but not significant increase in reading and mathematics scores in elementary and middle schools.
High-school scores improved significantly in reading (73% proficient, up 4 points) and writing (55% proficient, up 13 points), but were unchanged in mathematics.
The 2009 high-school four-year graduation rate improved by 1.6 percentage points, to 75.5%, still 4.5 points below the 2012 goal of 80%.
Governor Donald L. Carcieri 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 joined leaders and members of Rhode Island’s Haitian Community and local officials at the Elmwood Avenue Church of God in Providence for a press conference to address the crisis in Haiti and relief efforts.
Catholic Relief Services (phone: 888-277-7575) e-mail: info@crs.org
Oxfam (phone: 800-776-9326) www.oxfamamerica.org
Plan International (phone: 800-556-7918) www.planusa.org
The International Red Cross (phone: 800-733-2767) www.redcross.org
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The media relations and communications office of Governor Donald L. Carcieri today launched a Twitter page for the Governor.
"Today, more and more people get their news from the Internet and social networking sites," said Amy Kempe, spokesperson for Governor Carcieri. "Twitter is an ideal way for the public to get quick, unfiltered updates on the latest news and policy initiatives from the Office of the Governor. The response has been tremendous. Within minutes of opening an account, we had our first followers."
Governor Donald L. Carcieri today announced appointments to the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Board of Directors. The appointments are subject to the review and consent of the Rhode Island State Senate.
Under legislation passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Carcieri in 2009, the EDC board was expanded from nine members to thirteen members, and includes one member representative of higher education. Under the legislation, the Governor will continue to serve as chair of the board and shall appoint the remaining members.
