HIGHER WAGES
Full-time work should be more than enough to support a stable life. But for too many Rhode Islanders, it isn't. Costs keep rising while wages stay flat.
At $16/hour, a Rhode Islander has to work 62.5 hours every single week just to cover the basics. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a single adult needs at least $25/hour just to cover rent, food, transportation, and medicine in Rhode Island.
H7769/S2620 would raise Rhode Island's minimum wage to $20/hour starting January 1, 2027. H7769 is the House bill, and S2620 is the companion Senate bill.
Even at $20/hour, a full-time worker is still $5 short of a basic living wage for a single adult — but it is a critical step in the right direction.
Learn more about H7769 and sign the petition here: AffordableRI.org/higherwages
Affordable, Safe & Fair Housing
Providence was recently named the least affordable city in America for renters. Too many landlords are raising rents without restrictions or accountability, and failing to provide safe and habitable conditions.
Rent stabilization would cap annual increases at 4%, giving tenants stability and keeping families in their homes. Affordable utilities and continued investments in green energy ensure Rhode Island meets its Act on Climate goals.
Tenants are living with unresolved health and safety hazards. Enforcing rental registry laws means landlords are held accountable for the conditions of the homes they profit from. 51% of Rhode Island renters are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing alone.
Right now, many tenants face evictions with no good reason or explanation, leaving families with little recourse. Just cause eviction protections ensure that paying rent on time and following the lease is enough to keep your home.
Universal Pre-K & affordable Child Care
The cost of childcare is keeping people out of the workforce. Many families face an impossible choice — stay home or send their child to daycare and wipe out an entire day's pay. Rhode Island needs to invest in its future.
Rhode Island currently offers over 2,800 lottery-based pre-K seats for 4-year-olds, but that meets less than 23% of total demand. Seats are awarded through a competitive lottery, meaning most families don't get one. Publicly funded pre-K would give every child a strong start regardless of their family's income.
The income threshold for DHS childcare vouchers is too narrow, leaving working families with no support. Expanding eligibility means more families can access affordable care without being forced to choose between work and their children.
Access to Quality Healthcare
Nearly 30,000 Rhode Islanders are at risk of losing their health insurance — including the frontline healthcare workers we rely on every day. They are burned out, underpaid, and in many cases, uninsured themselves.
Rhode Islanders shouldn't have to choose between getting care and paying their bills. We are calling for expanded access to affordable healthcare for low- and middle-income earners.
Home care workers average $19/hour in Rhode Island — often not enough to afford the very care services they provide for others. Healthcare workers are being paid to sustain the lives of our loved ones while they themselves struggle to put food on the table.
TAX THE RICH
For too long, Rhode Island's budget has been built on working people paying too much and the wealthy paying too little. The richest 1% have gotten richer from tax cuts while paying less of their income in taxes than working Rhode Islanders.
Only people earning more than $640,000 would pay more. The 99% of Rhode Islanders will not pay a penny more — and will benefit from the investments this revenue makes possible.
This revenue would fund early education, childcare, public schools, healthcare, and transportation. A fairer tax structure is not a cost — it is an investment in Rhode Island's future.