Seal of Rhode Island Rhode Island

Rhode Island has a constitutional restriction on appropriations under Article IX Section 16 of the Rhode Island Constitution. This limitation was voter approved by legislative referendum in November 1992. The restriction limits appropriations to 98% of estimated available revenues. Revenues in excess of the limitation would be deposited first into the budget reserve fund and then into funds for debt service and capital projects.

This was amended in 2006 to increase the maximum size of the budget reserve account, only apply excess revenues to the capital fund, and change the appropriations limit to 97% of revenues effective in 2012.

 
The base year represents the year the hypothetical Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) would have been enacted. Selecting a base year changes how the state’s TABOR is calculated because the annual growth rates of inflation and population change depending on when TABOR is enacted.
  • Year Inflation-adjusted Actual Spending
    1992 5,016,760,000
    1993 4,676,730,000
    1994 4,320,050,000
    1995 4,328,030,000
    1996 4,269,540,000
    1997 4,152,510,000
    1998 4,275,510,000
    1999 4,248,710,000
    2000 4,696,350,000
    2001 5,028,240,000
    2002 5,601,600,000
    2003 5,558,220,000
    2004 5,499,820,000
    2005 5,601,380,000
    2006 5,963,780,000
    2007 6,100,380,000
    2008 6,214,800,000
    2009 6,150,430,000
    2010 5,950,000,000
    2011 5,997,020,000
    2012 5,997,700,000
    2013 6,492,390,000
    2014 6,832,120,000
    2015 6,090,920,000
    2016 6,210,000,000
    2017 6,263,540,000
    2018 6,453,980,000
    2019 6,683,170,000
    2020 7,242,000,000
*All spending figures are in inflation-adjusted 2020 dollars.