THE BENJAMINS: Given the focus on the gun issue, it’s easy to forget how the House of Representatives passed a $14.3 billion budget last week. The Senate is poised to take it up today. While House Speaker Joe Shekarchi praised the spending plan, Gov. Dan McKee has criticized the tax and fee increases it contains – setting up a potential issue should Shekarchi decide to jump into the race for governor next year. 

BIG SPEND: Cloudy skies were over the Statehouse when the House debated the budget Tuesday – a seemingly fitting metaphor for how the state’s structural deficit will result in annual deficits (that have to be wiped out ahead of each new fiscal year) for the foreseeable future. In a scrum after the House budget vote, Shekarchi rejected the idea that storm clouds are a symbol for the state’s fiscal outlook: “I think the fiscal direction of the state’s heading in the right direction. Certainly, there’s uncertainty in what’s happening in Washington.” But he didn’t dispute the challenge of cutting the structural deficit down to size: “There’s a tremendous need. There’s a lot of people in Rhode Island who look to the state government to help support them. We are very generous in our benefit structure. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. But we take care of a lot of people, a lot of needy people, a lot of people who need assistance, a lot of people who need medical assistance, healthcare.” 

 RI SENATE: Val Lawson’s rise as Senate president, after the death of Dominick Ruggerio in April, is one of the top stories of the legislative session. While Lawson is unbothered by her dual presidencies of the Senate and the National Education Association Rhode Island teachers’ union, rival Sen. Ryan Pearson (D-Cumberland) called her part of a “labor dream team.” Asked on Political Roundtable whether he’s concerned that labor now has too much influence in the Senate, Common Cause of Rhode Island’s John Marion noted that labor’s presence is nothing new in the state. “But they are a special interest,” he added, “and we do need to keep a check that they’re not, like any special interest, sort of taking advantage of their position.”

PROGRESSIVE PRIORITIES: The minimum wage is set to go up in Rhode Island to $17 in 2027 and lawmakers appear poised to cap payday lending after a 14-year effort. But legislative leaders punted on the bottle bill, a long-studied issue, with a needs assessment council to develop findings by December 2026 or sooner. And while legislative leaders declined to boost the state income tax, that issue could come into play if GOP imperatives blow a big hole in Rhode Island’s budget.

SETTLEMENT MONEY: Attorney General Peter Neronha cites a court’s blessing as to why he can direct $10 million from an environmental settlement to dental care for needy Providence kids. GOP lawmakers say the AG’s move is illegal. Barring a legal challenge, Neronha’s plan will move ahead after Democrats easily defeated an amendment from Rep. Brian C. Newberry (R-North Smithfield) during Tuesday’s budget debate. 

GOP STRUGGLES: Republicans (and some Democrats) made another push this year to create an office of inspector general, with the idea that an IG could boost efficiency while rooting out waste and fraud. The idea ran into a brick wall, since Speaker Shekarchi’s leadership (which insists that sufficient oversight is already in place) is completely uninterested in setting up an independent office to monitor government and spending. Making change on this front is a bit of a chicken and egg. Republicans hold just 10 seats in the House and 4 in the Senate, so they can’t move the issue legislatively. OTOH, if the GOP had a stronger presence to compete with majority Democrats, there might be less need for an IG. And efforts to build the party’s legislative presence have been largely flat for years. 

GOOD GOVERNMENT: How can regular people make their voices heard at the Statehouse, particularly given the persistent presence of lobbyists? The view from John Marion of Common Cause: “Fortunately Rhode Island – our legislature’s very accessible compared to other states, right? It’s a commuter legislature, they meet in the evenings. So if you have a day job, you can actually get up there and talk to your legislator. And we actually do a lot of programming at Common Cause teaching people how to do this. And so I think people just – they need to literally show up. They need to call their legislator. They need to email their legislator. And they need to make their voices heard. You know, one of the things I fear actually, after the tragedy in Minnesota, is that we’re going to put layers or put barriers between us and our government because of the threat of violence. And I hope that doesn’t happen, because I see every day that I’m up there, everyday people coming into the building and talking to their legislators, and I think that’s incredibly important.”

 FOOD: Sky Kim of Gift Horse in downtown Providence won ‘Best Chef Northeast’ from the James Beard Foundation for her locally inspired Korean food. My colleague James Baumgartner spoke with her when she was a James Beard semifinalist last year.

 KICKER: I don’t know about you, but I could use a big dose of Zzzzzs after the long hours and busy end to another legislative session. An expert who works with elite athletes recommends putting yourself in a comfortable state of mind if you’re trying to boost the quality of your sleep (via The Athletic): “People think it’s about falling asleep fast. That’s a terrible metric. We don’t say, ‘Here’s how to eat your dinner faster.’ Resting is very restorative. If before bed you like to meditate, brainstorm ideas for new things, think about a screenplay, go on imaginary dates with your celebrity crush, I think that’s awesome.”