Lawmakers to review state spendingState lawmakers plan to hold another round of meetings this …
Rhode Island State House, Providence (photo by Bruce Morin)
Jack Welch: RI drives businesses awayJack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, talked Rhode Island…
RI financial crisis looks even worseJust when you thought it couldn't get any worse, Rhode Island's…
Closed-door meeting about budget crisisGovernor Donald Carcieri, House Speaker William Murphy, and …
RI lawmakers propose
recession relief
Want to speed up approved public
works projects
Last Edited: Wednesday, 03 Dec 2008, 3:38 PM EST
Created On: Wednesday, 03 Dec 2008, 3:27 PM EST
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A prominent Rhode Island lawmaker wants to speed up approved public works projects to create jobs in a state hammered by one of the worst unemployment rates in the country .
Rep. Steven Costantino said Wednesday that budget officials have identified hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked for projects that have not started. Rhode Island has approved $570 million in spending on these projects, but state officials have not signed contracts for more than a third of that funding.
Directors in Gov. Donald Carcieri's administration have identified another $351 million in projects that could begin quickly if they had funding.
Rhode Island and Michigan posted a 9.3 percent unemployment rate in October , the worst in the nation. Major job losses have hurt Rhode Island's construction industry.
Share your opinions responsibly
Opinions that are derogatory, attack other users, offer unsubstantiated facts or are offensive in nature will be removed as defined by the Terms of Service. We reserve the right to remove any offensive or off-topic remark or thread. To mark a comment for review by a moderator, click "Report Abuse."
Email This
Print This
View Story on a Single PageAdvertisement
Financial Crisis Coverage
In-depth coverage of the nation's financial crisis - including the latest headlines, advice and analysis.