Projo Politics Blog

PROVIDENCE, RI -- The notice has gone up early this year for the May Revenue & Caseload Estimating Conference that tells the governor and lawmakers how much money they have available to spend.

It is a major event in the annual budget cycle, but it does not usually get posted until a few weeks before this annual gathering of top fiscal advisors to the governor and legislature gets underway.

But in a year when the state's budget woes are taking center stage at the State House - and the imminent arrival of federal stimulus dollars has scrambled the decision-making - this year's conference organizer, House Fiscal advisor Michael O'Keefe, decided to book the speakers early.

So veteran budget watchers were given a heads up this week to the May 5 start of this year's revenue conference, which begins with an in-depth look at the state's welfare caseloads, resumes on May 7 with briefings on the local, regional and national economy by Steven G. Cochrane of Moody's Economy.com, and the state's own employment forecaster at the state's Department of Labor & Training.

The revenue-estimators will attempt to reach a consensus on the state's financial situation on Monday, May 11 after a series of briefings along the way from the Lottery commission, tax division, treasurer and the administrators of the state's historical and film tax credit programs.

 Tags  General Assembly Governor Carcieri Michael O'Keefe revenue estimating

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