Speeches State of the State Address - January 14, 2020 Speaker Mattiello, Senate President Ruggerio, members of the House and Senate; members of the Judiciary; my Cabinet, my wonderful family; and my fellow Rhode Islanders. Thank you for trusting me to deliver results for our great state. Tonight, I stand before you truly optimistic about our future. In the past few years, we’ve dug our way out of a deep economic hole and are preparing Rhode Islanders for success in a fast-changing economy. Right now in Rhode Island, we have more than half a million jobs. That’s more jobs than at any time ever in our state’s history. Unemployment is at its lowest point in three decades. Read Full Speech » State of the State Address - January 15, 2019 Good evening, Speaker Mattiello, Senate President Ruggerio, members of the House and Senate; members of the Judiciary, my family -- and most especially -- my fellow Rhode Islanders. It's an honor to join you at the start of a new year and with so much at stake for Rhode Island and our nation. I'm humbled by the opportunity to continue serving as your Governor. My family and I are deeply grateful for your trust. When we began our work together four years ago, Rhode Island was stuck -- and everybody knew it. Our unemployment rate was among the nation's highest, schools were crumbling, and our roads were ranked the worst in the country. Rhode Island is a small and connected state so we all knew someone who was out of work. The struggle was everywhere you looked. Read Full Speech » Inaugural Address – January 1, 2019 My fellow Rhode Islanders, Speaker Mattiello, President Ruggerio, elected leaders, distinguished guests, my supportive and loving family: I am humbled that you've again placed your trust in me. Together we'll continue bringing the change that will set us on a path for enduring success. Read Full Speech » State of the State Address - January 16, 2018 Good evening. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, Senate President, members of the General Assembly; distinguished guests; my husband Andy, my son Tommy; and my fellow Rhode Islanders: Tonight I stand before you filled with optimism for the future. Rhode Island is stronger than we've been in decades: Four years ago, our unemployment rate was the highest in America. Today, it's in-line with the national average. The number of people who filed for unemployment insurance last year is the lowest it's been in 50 years. Our economy has more jobs than at nearly any other time in our State's history. Read Full Speech » RI Promise Scholarship Initiative - March 15, 2017 Thank you Chairman Abney and members of the community. Thank you for partnership and collaboration. Working together, we’ve been able to get a lot done for Rhode Islanders. We’ve put Rhode Island on stronger ground, so much so that last week we announced unemployment rate was below national average. That’s a clear signal which shows the good that can happen when we work collaboratively together. Just as we’ve worked together to create thousands of jobs, I believe we have a collective responsibility to make sure that Rhode Islanders are getting the good jobs that our businesses are creating. Read Full Speech » State of the State Address - January 17, 2017 Good evening, Speaker Mattiello, Senate President Paiva Weed, and Members of the General Assembly; Our distinguished guests: our mayors and municipal leaders, our judiciary, our college presidents, members of my Cabinet: We come together this evening to continue a longstanding tradition. A tradition that puts a spotlight on the incredible and remarkable responsibility that we have as stewards of our state. Read Full Speech » Budget Address – Feburary 2, 2016 Good evening, Speaker Mattiello, Senate President Paiva Weed, Members of the General Assembly, distinguished guests, my husband Andy, and my fellow Rhode Islanders: We gather this evening for an annual address that is as much about honoring a tradition of cooperation between the legislature and the governor as it is about setting priorities and crafting a state budget. Read Full Speech » Budget SigningJune 30, 2015 Good afternoon! It’s a pleasure to be with you to sign the 2016 budget – our first one together. I’m so grateful for the hard work of Speaker Mattiello, Senate President Paiva Weed, and members of the Finance Committees and General Assembly that led us here today. Read Full Speech » Budget Address – March 12, 2015 Speaker Mattiello, Senate President Paiva Weed, Members of the General Assembly, the Judiciary, the Cabinet, City and Town Leaders, and my fellow Rhode Islanders. Good Evening. It is an honor to stand before you to address how we can work together to expand opportunities for all Rhode Islanders and create jobs. Read Full Speech » Inaugural Address – January 6, 2015 My fellow Rhode Islanders, it is a great honor to address you today. I am humbled by the challenges before us, mindful of the many Rhode Island families struggling with some of the toughest economic conditions that we've ever faced, and deeply grateful that you've put your trust in me. Read Full Speech »