For decades, Rhode Island's political class has proudly embraced the big-government, liberal, progressive approach to governance - high taxes, heavy regulation, dominant public-sector unions, expansive welfare and spending programs, and more government control over everyday activities in our lives.

New Report Shows RI’s Big Government Gamble has Failed Residents

/in , , /by

Rhode Island’s Liberal Policies are Driving Residents and Jobs to Conservative states.
Ocean Staters have suffered significant personal income loss compared to Red states

For decades, Rhode Island’s political class has proudly embraced the big-government, liberal, progressive approach to governance – high taxes, heavy regulation, dominant public-sector unions, expansive welfare and spending programs, and more government control over everyday activities in our lives.

As a solidly Blue state that has not elected a Republican to statewide or federal office in 20 years, in addition to twenty previously documented failures, a new July report clearly demonstrates how our Ocean State stands as a textbook example of how progressive tax-and-spend policy priorities have led to stagnation and a crushing blow to prosperity.

According to the July 2026 report “Does Political Affiliation Impact Economic Growth?” by economists Richard Vedder and Nicholas Jadwisienczak for the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, this choice has come at a steep cost. The authors classify Rhode Island among the 16 solidly Democratic “Blue” states and find that, even after controlling for factors like manufacturing concentration, unionization, migration, temperature, and population density, solidly Red states enjoyed roughly 26–37% higher personal income growth than solidly Blue ones over the 2000–2025 period.

In practice, this shows up clearly in Rhode Island:

  • The state lags the national average in real GDP growth, per-capita personal income growth, and productivity. Its GDP per capita ranking has slipped, and income growth trails the U.S. benchmark.
  • High taxes (including among the nation’s highest property taxes), regulatory burdens, and business-unfriendly policies have contributed to slow job creation and out-migration of residents and capital—classic symptoms of the “vote with your feet” dynamic the report describes, where people and businesses flee high-tax, high-regulation environments for freer Red states like Florida and Texas.
  • Expansive government spending and union influence crowd out private-sector dynamism, delivering more government employees and mandates while delivering less broad-based prosperity for working families.

Where other Americans have benefitted from a conservative approach – small-government, lower taxes and regulations, and more freedom – Rhode Island’s experience, conversely proves the point: big-government liberalism is a loser for state residents.

Progressive policies promise fairness and security through bigger bureaucracies and higher taxes, but instead delivers regressive results; slower growth, fewer opportunities, declining relative living standards, and a brain drain that leaves behind those least able to escape.

Red states, with lower taxes, lighter regulation, and more faith in free enterprise, have consistently outperformed – delivering higher income gains that benefit workers, families, and communities alike.

The Ocean State doesn’t have to stay on this losing path. By shifting toward pro-growth, limited-government policies—cutting taxes, streamlining regulations, and unleashing private enterprise—Rhode Island could reverse its decline and give its residents the prosperity they deserve.

The data from across the fifty states is clear: smaller government and economic freedom aren’t just conservative ideals—they’re the proven recipe for a brighter and more prosperous future.

Rhode Island's twenty year single-party rule has driven sharp decline. The new “One Score” report details twenty major policy failures in taxes, affordability, education, business climate & more. Read it now.

ONE SCORE, Twenty Failures: The High Cost of Rhode Island’s One-Party Rule

/in , /by

Rhode Island’s twenty year single-party rule has driven sharp decline. The new “One Score” report details twenty major policy failures in taxes, affordability, education, business climate & more. Read it now.

Read more
Despite common-sense energy reforms suggested by Governor McKee; despite pledged reforms by all other New England states; and despite indisputable research that shows how Rhode Island’s net zero emissions energy strategy will lead to unaffordable costs and dangerous risks … the budget put forth by the new Speaker of the RI House of Representative, Christopher Blazejewski … doubles-down on the state’s radical Act On Climate mandates.

Un-Affordability: Speaker Blazejewski’s Budget Denies Science, Will Raise Energy Costs for Ocean Staters … but Center Claims One Major Victory

/in , /by

Despite common-sense energy reforms suggested by Governor McKee; despite pledged reforms by all other New England states; and despite indisputable research that shows how Rhode Island’s net zero emissions energy strategy will lead to unaffordable costs and dangerous risks … the budget put forth by the new Speaker of the RI House of Representative, Christopher Blazejewski … doubles-down on the state’s radical Act On Climate mandates.

Based on research co-authored by the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity (Center), Governor Dan McKee proposed common-sense energy relief proposals to cut the gas tax, delay renewable energy mandates until 2050, and scale back costly energy regulations. However, Blazejewski’s budget not only rejects all the Governor’s modest recommendations …  it also expands green energy mandates and increases proposed climate change bonds by millions of dollars. The budget further preserves the full suite of other existing mandates, wasteful subsidies, and regulatory burdens on utilities and ratepayers that drive up electricity costs for everyone in our state.

But one recommendation by the Center and its partners in the New England Coalition for Freedom (NECF) was included in the energy portion of the budget … the expanded definition of qualified renewable energy sources to include nuclear power. 

Just three years ago, nuclear energy was considered politically dead in New England. The region closed five nuclear plants from 1992-2019. Advanced nuclear energy was a political nonstarter. With the exception of New Hampshire, every state was fully committed to replacing all non-renewable energy sources with wind, solar, hydro, batteries, and biomass. Alternative energy mandates enjoyed broad political support, while nuclear carried decades of stigma, and related free-market organizations making the nuclear argument were routinely dismissed. 

Yet early this year, shortly after the release of NECF’s second major energy report, all six New England governors signed a joint letter committing their states to exploring nuclear power. New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte’s executive order in this regard specifically confirmed that her order was directly prompted by NECF’s research. 

“The inclusion of nuclear power as a renewable source of energy is a clear victory for our Center and our entire NEFC coalition. Natural gas pipeline capacity should also be expanded,” commented Mike Stenhouse, CEO of the Center. “However, it is a tragedy for all RI families and businesses that Speaker Blazejewski refuses to recognize the science and the reality that every New England governor recognizes – that Democrats’ climate-change fanaticism will impose severe costs and restrictions on all ratepayers and motorists – and must be scaled back.”

NECF, a joint effort of free-market organizations representing the New England states, helped to engineer this regional nuclear turnaround by undertaking two landmark energy studies supported by a sustained, coordinated multi-state advocacy and education effort over multiple years. The 2024 study documented that the region’s existing alternative energy NetZero by 2050 mandates would cost regional ratepayers an additional $815 billion through 2050 — more than doubling the average family’s electricity bill — and would cause rolling blackouts. The January 2026 study, “Alternatives to New England’s Energy Affordability Crisis,” modeled three lower-cost, reliable alternatives showing that nuclear and natural gas portfolios could save regional ratepayers between $400 billion and $708 billion compared to the NetZero by 2050 mandate, without the blackout risk. 

This body of research became the catalyst for a documented, multi-state policy shift — reframing the regional energy debate from an ideological argument about “clean energy” to a concrete, data-driven conversation about affordability, reliability, and real costs. That reframing produced documented results in every state.

In Rhode Island, following the coalition’s January 2026 report, in addition to signing the letter committing to exploring nuclear energy, Governor Dan McKee proposed significant rollbacks to Rhode Island’s Renewable Energy Standard in his FY2027 budget and State of the State address, including delaying the 100% renewable electricity target from 2033 to 2050 and expanding eligibility to include nuclear. The RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity’s ensuing petition calling for affordable energy solutions quickly gathered over 1,000 signatures, forcing then Speaker of the House Shekarchi to publicly attempt to downplay the voice of the people. Even the energy-alarmist-leaning special Senate Commission evaluating the Act on Climate invited CEO Stenhouse to present the NECF’s report findings.

Leaders from every other New England state, in addition to the joint letter, either recognized NECF’s findings or suggested policy changes that reflect documented concerns about the costs and viability of their respective and overly-ambitious net zero state strategies.

Unfortunately, Speaker Blazejewski denies reality and is committed to driving the Ocean State off an ocean cliff … and compliant Democrats will blindly follow him into the sea. 



Rhode Island students deserve better. The federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) empowers working and middle-class families with scholarships for K-12 private schools, charters, homeschooling, tutoring & more at zero cost to RI taxpayers or public schools. The governor can opt-in today for January 2027 launch. Give Ocean State families real choice and brighter futures. Don’t leave millions in education funding on the table.

Unleashing Hope via K–12 Scholarships for Families: Why Rhode Island Should Opt-In to Federal Education Tax Credits

/in , , /by

Rhode Island’s symbol may be the Anchor of Hope, but Ocean State students cannot hope for a bright tomorrow without a great education today!

DOWNLOAD THE PDF

As Rhode Island legislators debate whether or how severely to halt meaningful education reforms, our students cannot afford to wait. They also cannot afford for our governor to deny them access to educational funds that would not cost the state a dime.

Rhode Island families should not be left behind. Imagine a program that would:

  • Empower working- and middle-class families to choose the best education for their child, independent of zip code or district boundaries
  • Strengthen student outcomes without harming public schools
  • Fill gaps in Rhode Island’s current system, by augmenting existing education parental choice options
  • Deliver real impact for Ocean State students, based on past education scholarship results

The federal Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) can provide exactly this proven, privately funded pathway to better educational outcomes for thousands of Ocean State families at no cost to Rhode Island taxpayers or public schools. And it can be approved today!

Any governor is authorized to opt-in at any time to this federal program, avoiding General Assembly politics and state bureaucracy, simply by submitting a required list of scholarship granting organizations (SGOs).

This common-sense action would ensure all eligible Rhode Island families can choose the K–12 education or educational aid that best meets their children’s needs. On the other hand, denying access to these life-changing scholarships would leave children and young adults in our state even further behind in a competitive world.

For more information, visit the American Federation for Children’s pages for its Scholarship Fund and EFTC advocacy.

Program Overview: The EFTC, enacted as part of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), and signed into law in 2025, creates the nation’s first permanent, uncapped federal tax credit for K–12 school choice. Starting January 1, 2027, Rhode Island taxpayers who donate up to $1,700 to qualified nonprofit SGOs would receive dollar-for-dollar federal tax credits. These privately funded scholarships would then support eligible K–12 students statewide.

National estimates suggest 90% of families would be eligible (as households up to 300% of area median income,) but Rhode Island’s income distribution likely pushes this number to about 95%. In addition to eligibility, federal rules prevent earmarking of donations for specific students and single-school SGOs. Beyond those restrictions, each organization would determine its own scholarship requirements and structure. Rhode Island has not yet opted in or out of the program. By submitting a list of eligible SGOs, our current or future Governor could unlock new resources for education in Rhode Island at zero cost to state or local budgets. Not only would the scholarships represent increased education funding, but to the extent scholarships cover tuition only partially, families and other sources would add even more to the Ocean State’s total investment in our students.

When the Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity studied the effects of a school choice proposal in 2015, we found a modest scholarship program would attract more than $17 million in additional discretionary funds to capture the value of the scholarships.

Rhode Island’s Need: Rhode Island’s K–12 students face persistent achievement challenges. Only about 31% are proficient in math and 34% in English/language arts on recent state assessments, and parental should be a powerful part of any plan for improvement. According to Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes, 55% of Rhode Island’s charter schools outperform comparable district schools in reading, while 41% are equivalent. The RI Center for Freedom and Prosperity has found that students at relatively low- cost private religious schools in Rhode Island outperformed their public-school peers substantially on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Rhode Island’s Need: Rhode Island’s K–12 students face persistent achievement challenges. Only about 31% are proficient in math and 34% in English/language arts on recent state assessments, and parental should be a powerful part of any plan for improvement. According to Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes, 55% of Rhode Island’s charter schools outperform comparable district schools in reading, while 41% are equivalent. The RI Center has found that students at relatively low-cost private religious schools in Rhode Island outperformed their public-school peers substantially on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

Denying families access to life-changing scholarships would leave thousands of students trapped in underperforming schools, perpetuating inequities today and limiting opportunities for tomorrow. If Rhode Island acts now to opt in, rapid implementation and empowering Rhode Island families could begin as soon as January 2027.

Rhode Island’s Student Achievement Challenges: Despite the tenth-highest per-student spending in the nation, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results for 2024 find Rhode Island “not significantly different” than the national average, except when it comes to 8 th grade math, on which the Ocean State is “significantly lower.” These mediocre results mask significant gaps, especially in urban districts and for low-income and minority students.

Limited educational freedom options are available for Rhode Island families: charter schools, a small corporate tax-credit scholarship, and limited public school open enrollment, which are insufficient to serve the thousands of families seeking better fits based on learning style, values, or special needs. If they were a school district, non-district schools, including charters, would be the only public system experiencing increases in enrollment. This century, they have seen 1,420% growth, from 1,078 in 2000 to 15,307 in 2025. Even this does not meet the demand; the RI Senate Fiscal Office found in 2021 that charter schools received more than five applications for every open seat.

Defining the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit

The EFTC is the most ambitious federal school choice initiative in U.S. history. It functions as a tax credit, not a voucher or new federal spending program:

  • Taxpayers make cash donations (up to $1,700 per donor) to qualified 501(c)(3) SGOs.
  • Donors receive a 100% non-refundable, dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit.
  • SGOs award scholarships for tuition, fees, tutoring, special needs services, materials, transportation, and technology. States do not have discretion to set rules governing scholarship granting organizations or limiting their use of the funds.(1)
  • Scholarships are usable at any school type — public, private, charter, religious, homeschool, or virtual— with no federal or state restrictions.
  • The program is permanent and uncapped, with no sunset or donation limits.
  • States opt-in annually by having the governor (or designated official) submit a list of qualifying SGOs to the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

Local organizations, whether newly formed or existing SGOs already participating in Rhode Island’s existing corporate scholarship program, or national organizations, like the AFC Scholarship Fund, can readily administer scholarships in the Ocean State. The scholarships are entirely privately funded through federal taxpayer incentives and have no direct effect on state budgets or public-school funding formulas.

Local organizations, whether newly formed or existing SGOs already participating in Rhode Island’s existing corporate scholarship program, or national organizations, like the AFC Scholarship Fund, can readily administer scholarships in the Ocean State. The scholarships are entirely privately funded through federal taxpayer incentives and have no direct effect on state budgets or public-school funding formulas.

If our governor opts-out, Rhode Island would be forgoing millions in potential scholarship dollars that could flow directly to Rhode Island students, from out-of-state and in-state donors alike. Only our students would suffer, as taxpayers participating in the credit program would donate to federal SGOs or those in other states.

This is a “don’t leave the money on the table” moment for the Ocean State.

Implementation and Next Steps for Rhode Island

  • For State Leaders: The governor (or designated official) should solicit requests for participation from SGOs and submit the resulting list of eligible organizations to the U.S. Secretary of Treasury to allow Rhode Island’s full participation for the next calendar year, preparing now for January 2027. This simple opt-in requires no new state spending or legislation. The resulting tax credit funds could be called BRIGHT TODAY SCHOLARSHIPS because RI students cannot hope for a bright tomorrow without a great education today!
  • For Donors: Rhode Island taxpayers can begin contributing up to $1,700 to qualifying SGOs (including national partners like the AFC Scholarship Fund) and claim the full federal tax credit even if Rhode Island’s governor does not opt in.
  • For Families: Eligible students can apply directly through participating SGOs for scholarships covering a wide range of educational expenses.
  • For Advocates: Urge state officials to opt-in swiftly and support SGO capacity-building to ensure scholarships reach Rhode Island families as quickly as possible.

The governor (or designated official) should solicit requests for participation from SGOs and submit the resulting list of eligible organizations to the U.S. Secretary of Treasury to allow Rhode Island’s full participation for the next calendar year, preparing now for January 2027. This simple opt-in requires no new state spending or legislation. The resulting tax credit funds could be called BRIGHT TODAY SCHOLARSHIPS because RI students cannot hope for a bright tomorrow without a great education today!

The Law Centre today delivered a formal letter to Dr. Jerome Larkin, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), demanding that the agency immediately cease enforcement of Rhode Island’s ban on conversion therapy for minors. The action follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s March 21, 2026 decision in Chiles v. Salazar, which struck down Colorado’s similar law as a violation of the First Amendment.

Law Centre Calls on Rhode Island Department of Health to Stop Enforcing Conversion Therapy Ban After Supreme Court Ruling

/in , /by

The Law Centre today delivered a formal letter to Dr. Jerome Larkin, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), demanding that the agency immediately cease enforcement of Rhode Island’s ban on conversion therapy for minors. The action follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s March 21, 2026 decision in Chiles v. Salazar, which struck down Colorado’s similar law as a violation of the First Amendment.

Read more

TESTIMONY: Senate Commission to Study the Successful Implementation of the Act on Climate

/in , /by

In this powerful testimony, Mike Stenhouse, CEO of the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity, explains why energy policy—not taxes, not housing, not government services—is the single most important determinant of Rhode Island’s future prosperity or poverty. Whether one believes in climate change or not, the economic consequences of the Act on Climate are unavoidable.

Read more

MEDIA RELEASE: Center Launches Petition Calling for Affordable Energy Policies

/in , , /by

The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity today announced that it has launched an online petition drive calling for policymakers to support a fundamental pivot away from our state’s current energy strategy, which will lead to staggeringly high electricity prices and potentially dangerous blackouts.

Read more
The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity announced today that Dr. Stephen "Doc" Skoly has stepped down as Chairman of its Board of Directors to pursue a run for the US House of Representatives in Rhode Island's second Congressional district.

“Doc” Skoly Stepping Down as Center’s Chair to Pursue Congressional Seat

/in , /by

Cranston, RI – The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity announced today that Dr. Stephen “Doc” Skoly has stepped down as Chairman of its Board of Directors to pursue a run for the US House of Representatives in Rhode Island’s second Congressional district.

In his January 7th letter to the Board, Skoly praised the Center for raising awareness about such important issues as our state’s unsustainable energy policies, advancing affordability policies, promoting medical freedom, and preserving parental rights in education each of which, he said, will provide him with a solid platform for his candidacy.

Doc Skoly became a statewide symbol for medical freedom in 2021 when he took a stand on behalf of all healthcare professionals and first responders and put his career at risk.

Already protected by natural immunity and with legitimate medical concerns of exacerbating his Bell’s Palsy condition, Skoly on the advice of his doctor chose not to comply with Rhode Island’s agenda-driven and experimental Covid-19 vaccine healthcare-worker mandate.

His decision, which history now shows was based on scientific truths, resulted in the vengeful and unconstitutional shuttering of his surgical practice for six months by the RI Department of Health.

Skoly’s related lawsuit challenging the vaccine mandate was never allowed to go to trial by both the Federal District Court in Rhode Island and the US First Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Americans at every turn must have the freedom to make their own personal, medical, educational, and economic choices,” commented Skoly. “This is what our Center stands for, because when there is more freedom, there is more prosperity.”

Skoly will maintain his seat on the Center’s board which will meet in late January to confer over the election of a new Chairman.

Release of this announcement was delayed to allow time for Dr. Skoly and his family to mourn the passing of his mother on January 10th.

New Englanders would save hundreds of billions of dollars and avoid deadly power blackouts by replacing state-mandated renewable energy projects with nuclear and natural gas power, a study released today by a coalition of New England think tanks finds.

NEW REPORT PROVIDES ALTERNATIVES TO RHODE ISLAND’S SUICIDAL ACT ON CLIMATE POLICIES

/in , , /by

New Englanders would save hundreds of billions of dollars and avoid deadly power blackouts by replacing state-mandated renewable energy projects with nuclear and natural gas power, a study released today by a coalition of New England think tanks finds.

Alternatives to New England’s Energy Suicide, released by New England’s free-market think tanks along with Americans for Prosperity Foundation, estimated the effects of trying to meet the region’s energy needs through 2050 with nuclear and natural gas plants instead of wind and solar power.

Read more
With "affordability" top of mind for Ocean State residents, the CEO of the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity today called upon Senator Sam Zurier and all members of the special Senate Energy Commission he chairs to take a w holistic and realistic look at Rhode Island's net-zero policies and Act On Climate mandates.

Stenhouse Challenges Zurier’s Special Senate Energy Commission to “Act” on the Act On Climate

/in , , /by

New Year Requires New Energy Strategy? Zurier Invited to be ‘In The Dugout’ guest

With “affordability” top of mind for Ocean State residents, the CEO of the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity today called upon Senator Sam Zurier and all members of the special Senate Energy Commission he chairs to take a holistic and realistic look at Rhode Island’s net-zero policies and Act On Climate mandates.

“Per my recent Providence Journal opinion piece, it is vitally important for the future prosperity of our state that this commission make an honest and comprehensive re-evaluation of our state’s energy strategy,” commented the Center’s CEO, Mike Stenhouse. “Since the Act’s mandates were enacted many years ago, the national energy landscape has dramatically changed … and state policymakers must adjust, as has been done in other states.”

Recent reports, published by the Center and its northeast energy consortium partners, have underscored the “staggering costs and risks” associated with the Ocean State’s existing net-zero approach which has little chance of achieving its costly agenda-driven goals and that could lead to “freezing in the dark” disasters. An upcoming report by the consortium, detailing significantly more affordable pathways to a prosperous energy future, is scheduled for release on January 13.

“We’ve entered a new year and it’s time for a new approach to the climate change debate, one that recognizes certain big picture truths,” continued Stenhouse. “Rather than continuing with a unattainable strategy that prioritizes reductions in carbon emissions, at great cost to families, Rhode Islanders deserve a realistic new strategy that prioritizes abundant, reliable, clean, and affordable energy sources so that the people of our state can prosper in their personal and professional lives. I have invited Senator Zurier to be my guest on my In The Dugout podcast to discuss his plans for his Commission.”

The Center recommends the Commission follow the lead of other northeast states and consider three actions. First, repeal Rhode Island’s electric vehicle mandates. Second, withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Third, delay all Act on Climate milestones by at least 20 years.

In 2025, lawmakers created a special Senate commission ‘to study and provide recommendations for potential changes’ to our state’s Act On Climate energy policies. The commission is composed of four Democrat State Senators (Chairman Zurier, Mark McKenney, Susan Sosnowski, and Lammis Vargas) and one Republican (Gordon Rogers).