(MM)
A BRIEFING WAS HELD
TODAY--
AT THE STATE HOUSE--
ON THE PROPOSED
BUDGET BILL.
(HE)
AMONG THE THINGS THAT
HAVE BEEN UNDER
NEGOTIATION FOR THE
NEXT STATE BUDGET --
GOVERNOR GINA
RAIMONDO'S PET
PROJECT OF FREE
COLLEGE TUITION FOR
RHODE ISLAND
RESIDENTS.
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER STEPH
MACHADO WAS AT
TODAY'S BUDGET
BRIEFING--
AND JOINS US LIVE FROM
THE STATE HOUSE WITH
MORE.
HOUSE SPEAKER
NICHOLAS MATTIELLO
JUST BRIEFED HIS
COLLEAGUES IN THE
HOUSE ON THE 9-POINT-2
BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET
THEY ARE SLATED TO
VOTE ON THIS
THURSDAY.....
THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A LOT
IN IT....INCLUDING A
SCALED-BACK VERSION
OF THE GOVERNOR'S
FREE TUITION PROGRAM
THAT HAS RECEIVED A LOT
OF BUZZ FROM PARENTS
AND STUDENTS.
KELLY SLADER IS ONE OF MANY
RISING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE...
Everybody is. Everybody's
thinking
about scholarships or thinking
about
financial aid, worrying about
how
they're going to pay for it.
SHE'S NOW SERIOUSLY
CONSIDERING ATTENDING THE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF
RHODE ISLAND WHEN SHE
GRADUATES...NOW THAT THE
GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS
EXPECTED TO INCLUDE FREE
TUITION FOR 2 YEARS AT CCRI
IN THE BUDGET.
I've been considering colleges
in
New York with musical theatre
and
all that, but if I have free
college
right here it seems like a waste
to
not do that.
THE BUDGET PROVISION
WOULD REQUIRE A 2.5
GPA...PLUS A PLEDGE TO STAY
IN RHODE ISLAND FOR 2 YEARS
AFTER GRADUATION...
Our community college is our
institution that does a lot of
our job
training. So that is an
appropriate
place to do that program.
CCRI WILL BE TASKED WITH
FORMING THE POLICY AROUND
THE TWO-YEAR PLEDGE AND
HOW IT WILL BE ENFORCED....
A SPOKESMAN SAID (pre pro) "We
are in the process of reviewing
the
details of the program and we
are
prepared to aggressively promote
the RI promise to our state's
new
high school graduates in
accordance with the program's
requirements, upon approval by
the
general assembly."
CCRI STUDENT RAIN JOLICOEUR
SAYS THE NEW PROGRAM IS
THE TALK OF CAMPUS.
believe that education should be
for
everybody. It's a right, not a
privilege. And just the fact
that
people are going to be able to
have
the opportunity to be more
educated, it really brings out
the
best in Rhode Island.
BOTH URI AND RHODE
ISLAND COLLEGE HAVE
EXPRESSED
DISAPPOINTMENT THAT
THE TUITION PLAN WAS
SCALED BACK AND NO
LONGER INCLUDES THOSE
4 YEAR COLLEGES....
COMING UP NEW AT 6 THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY
CHAIRMAN WEIGHS IS ON
THE BUDGET AND THE
FREE TUITION PLAN.
LIVE IN PROVIDENCE
STEPH MACHADO
EYEWITNESS NEWS.
(MM)
WE'RE LOOKING AHEAD
NOW ---
TO THE RHODE ISLAND
HOUSE'S PLANNED VOTE
ON THE PROPOSED
BUDGET, EXPECTED TO
HAPPEN THURSDAY.
THIS AFTERNOON
LAWMAKERS HELD A
BRIEFING ON THE BUDGET
--- WHICH CONTAINS,
AMONG OTHER THINGS
---A MINIMUM WAGE
INCREASE, AND A 50 CENT
INCREASE ON
CIGARETTES.
IT DOES NOT, HOWEVER,
INCREASE THE INCOME OR
SALES TAXES.
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER STEPH
MACHADO SPOKE TO THE
HEAD OF THE STATE
REPUBLICAN PARTY
ABOUT THE BUDGET,
INCLUDING THE FREE
TUITION PROPOSAL --- AND
JOINS US LIVE FROM THE
PROVIDENCE MOBILE
NEWSROOM.
THE STATE GOP HAS COME
OUT AGAINST THE
PROPOSED BUDGET...IT'S
9-POINT-2 BILLION
DOLLARS...THE HOUSE
SPEAKER JUST BRIEFING
HIS COLLEAGUES ON THE
DETAILS THIS AFTERNOON
INCLUDING HIS CAR TAX
PHASE OUT PLAN AND
THAT FREE COLLEGE
TUITION COMPROMISE.
THE SCALED BACK VERSION OF
GOV. GINA RAIMONDO'S "RHODE
ISLAND PROMISE
SCHOLARSHIP" PLAN INCLUDES
TWO FREE YEARS AT CCRI FOR
RHODE ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATES....
Kelly Slader/High School Senior:
It's
great. a lot of people end up
with a
ton of collge debt so any way
you
can get away from that is good.
THE PROPOSAL WOULD
REQUIRE STUDENTS HAVE A 2.5
GPA AND PLEDGE TO REMAIN IN
RHODE ISLAND FOR 2 YEARS
AFTER GRADUATION....
THE NEW BILL DOES NOT
INCLUDE TWO YEARS FREE AT
URI AND RIC...WHICH IS WHAT
THE GOVERNOR WANTED..
Slader: I'm actually looking at
RIC,
so going to CCRI first and then
to
RIC would be nice.
RIC PRESIDENT FRANK
SANCHEZ TELLING EWN ...
"...there is the potential for
RIC to
see a drop in enrollments if the
Promise only includes the
community college. We need to
improve access to an affordable
four-year degree in Rhode
Island;
there is still some work needed
in
order to get this done."
Brandon Bell/RI GOP Chairman:
It's
a bloated, bogus budget
RHODE ISLAND GOP CHAIRMAN
BRANDON BELL WEIGHING IN
ON THE BUDGET...HE SAID HE
MOSTLY SUPPORTS SPEAKER
MATTIELLO'S CAR TAX PHASE
OUT PLAN...
BUT IS NOT SUPPORTING THE
FREE TUITION PLAN.
Bell We don't need a new
spending
plan when we have such a huge
structural deficit.
AND SPEAKER
MATTIELLO'S CAR TAX
PLAN PROVIDES FOR A
CUT TO THE CAR TAX
EVERY YEAR UNTIL IT'S
NOW...
GONE 5 YEARS FROM
NOW...
SO THE BUDGET BILL HAS
26 MILLION DOLLARS IN
THERE TO REIMBURSE
CITIES AND TOWNS FOR
THAT LOST REVENUE NEXT
YEAR.
HOUSE LAWMAKERS WILL
BE DEBATING AND VOTING
ON THIS BUDGET
THURSDAY NIGHT.
LIVE IN PROVIDENCE
STEPH MACHADO