Rhode Island Question 3, Environment and Recreation Bond Measure (2022)
| Rhode Island Question 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic Bond issues | |
| Status Approved | |
| Type Bond issue | Origin State Legislature |
Rhode Island Question 3, the Environment and Recreation Bond Measure, was on the ballot in Rhode Island as a legislatively referred bond question on November 8, 2022.[1] The ballot measure was approved.
A "yes" vote supported issuing $50 million in bonds for environmental and recreational purposes. |
A "no" vote opposed issuing $50 million in bonds for environmental and recreational purposes. |
Election results
|
Rhode Island Question 3 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
228,228 | 66.86% | ||
| No | 113,144 | 33.14% | ||
Overview
What did the bonds in Question 1 fund?
- See also: Text of measure
Question 3 was designed to issue $50 million in bonds for environmental and recreational purposes. The proceeds from the bond issuance were allocated as follows:[1][2][3]
| Bond allocations | |
|---|---|
| Program | Amount |
| Municipal Resiliency | $16,000,000 |
| Small Business Energy Loan Program | $5,000,000 |
| Narragansett Bay and Watershed Restoration | $3,000,000 |
| Forest Restoration | $3,000,000 |
| Brownfields Remediation and Economic Development | $4,000,000 |
| State Land Acquisition Program | $3,000,000 |
| Local Land Acquisition Matching Grant Program | $2,000,000 |
| Local Recreation Development Matching Grant Program | $2,000,000 |
| Roger Williams Park and Zoo | $12,000,000 |
How did Question 3 get on the ballot?
- See also: Path to the ballot
To put a legislatively referred bond question before voters, a simple majority vote is required in both the Rhode Island State Senate and the Rhode Island House of Representatives. In Rhode Island, the state General Assembly must ask voters to issue general obligation bonds over $50,000, except in the case of war, insurrection, or invasion.
The bond measure was introduced into the Rhode Island General Assembly as a provision of Article 5 of House Bill 7123 (HB 7123) on January 16, 2020. HB 7123 included three bond measures. The legislature voted on each article of HB 7123 separately.[2][3]
The state House approved the article on June 16, 2022, by a vote of 69-1 with five not voting. The state Senate approved the article on June 23, 2022, by a vote of 33-0 with five not voting. Governor Daniel Mckee (D) signed HB 7123 on June 27, 2022, certifying the three bond issues for the ballot.[2][4]
What were the other bond questions that appeared on the November ballot?
Three bond questions appeared on statewide ballots in November totaling $400 million.
| Measure | Primary purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Higher education | $100,000,000 |
| Question 2 | Public schools | $250,000,000 |
| Question 3 | Environment | $50,000,000 |
What was the history of bond measures in Rhode Island?
- See also: Background
Between 2008 and 2021, voters in Rhode Island decided on 29 bond measures totaling $1.7 billion ($1,710,915,000) in principal value. Voters approved 100% of the bond measures, with support ranging from 55.23% (Question 2 of 2010) to 83.89% (Question 3 of 2016). As of 2022, voters had not rejected a bond measure since 2006, when 50.56% of electors rejected a $4.0 million bond for improvements in Fort Adams State Park.
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question for Question 3 was as follows:[1]
| “ |
3. GREEN ECONOMY BONDS - $50,000,000 For environmental and recreational purposes, to be allocated as follows: a. Municipal Resiliency - $16,000,000 b. Small Business Energy Loan Program - $5,000,000 c. Narragansett Bay and Watershed Restoration - $3,000,000 d. Forest Restoration - $3,000,000 e. Brownfields Remediation and Economic Development - $4,000,000 f. State Land Acquisition Program - $3,000,000 g. Local Land Acquisition Matching Grant Program - $2,000,000 h. Local Recreation Development Matching Grant Program - $2,000,000 i. Roger Williams Park and Zoo - $12,000,000 [ ] Approve [ ] Reject [5] |
” |
Full text
The full text of the bond proposals in Article 5 of the state budget is below:[1]
Readability score
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2022
Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.
The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 12, and the FRE is 21. The word count for the ballot title is 62.
Support
Yes on 3 led the campaign in support of Question 3.[6]
Supporters
Officials
- Gov. Daniel McKee (D)
- Senate President Dominick Ruggerio (D)
- House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi (D)
- Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Corporations
Organizations
- Audubon Society of Rhode Island
- Clean Water Action
- Climate Jobs Rhode Island
- Rhode Island Land Trust Council
Arguments
Opposition
Ballotpedia did not locate a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure.
Campaign finance
Ballotpedia identified one committee registered to support Question 3—Yes on 3 RI. It reported $27,000 in contributions. If you are aware of any committees, please submit links to editor@ballotpedia.org.[7]
| Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support | $27,000.00 | $0.00 | $27,000.00 | $23,493.82 | $23,493.82 |
| Oppose | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Support
The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in support of the measure.[7]
| Committees in support of Question 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures |
| Yes on 3 RI | $27,000.00 | $0.00 | $27,000.00 | $23,493.82 | $23,493.82 |
| Total | $27,000.00 | $0.00 | $27,000.00 | $23,493.82 | $23,493.82 |
Donors
The following was the top donor to the committee.[7]
| Donor | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Williams Park Zoo | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | $10,000.00 |
| Nature Conservancy | $7,000.00 | $0.00 | $7,000.00 |
| Build RI | $5,000.00 | $0.00 | $5,000.00 |
| Save the Bay | $5,000.00 | $0.00 | $5,000.00 |
Background
Environment, recreation, and water bond measures in Rhode Island
From 2008 through 2021, Rhode Island voters approved all nine bond measures that appeared on the ballot related to the environment, recreation, and water totaling $308.5 million in bonds. Approval rates for the measures ranged from 58.04% to 78.86%.
Bond issues on the ballot in Rhode Island
Between 2008 and 2021, voters in Rhode Island decided on 29 bond measures totaling $1.7 billion ($1,710,915,000) in principal value. Voters approved all of the bond measures, with support ranging from 55.23% (Question 2 of 2010) to 83.89% (Question 3 of 2016). As of 2022, voters had not rejected a bond measure since 2006, when 50.56% of electors rejected a $4.0 million bond for improvements in Fort Adams State Park.
The following table contains information on the 29 bond issues that appeared on the ballot in Rhode Island between 2008 and 2021:
| Year | Measure | Primary purpose | Amount | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Question 1 | Transportation projects | $87,215,000 | 
|
| 2008 | Question 2 | Environment and recreation | $2,500,000 |
|
| 2010 | Question 2 | Higher education | $78,000,000 |
|
| 2010 | Question 3 | Transportation projects | $84,700,000 |
|
| 2010 | Question 4 | Environment and recreation | $14,700,000 |
|
| 2012 | Question 3 | Higher education | $50,000,000 |
|
| 2012 | Question 4 | Housing | $94,000,000 |
|
| 2012 | Question 5 | Water infrastructure | $12,000,000 |
|
| 2012 | Question 6 | Environment and recreation | $20,000,000 |
|
| 2012 | Question 7 | Housing | $25,000,000 |
|
| 2014 | Question 4 | Higher education | $125,000,000 |
|
| 2014 | Question 5 | Museums | $35,000,000 |
|
| 2014 | Question 6 | Transportation projects | $35,000,000 |
|
| 2014 | Question 7 | Environment and recreation | $53,000,000 |
|
| 2016 | Question 3 | Housing | $27,000,000 |
|
| 2016 | Question 4 | Higher education | $45,500,000 |
|
| 2016 | Question 5 | Transportation projects | $70,000,000 |
|
| 2016 | Question 6 | Environment and recreation | $35,000,000 |
|
| 2016 | Question 7 | Environment and recreation | $50,000,000 |
|
| 2018 | Question 1 | School buildings | $250,000,000 |
|
| 2018 | Question 2 | Higher education facilities | $70,000,000 |
|
| 2018 | Question 3 | Environment and recreation | $47,300,000 |
|
| 2021 | Question 1 | Higher education | $107,300,000 |
|
| 2021 | Question 2 | Water and recreation | $74,000,000 |
|
| 2021 | Question 3 | Housing | $65,000,000 |
|
| 2021 | Question 4 | Transportation | $71,700,000 |
|
| 2021 | Question 5 | Education | $15,000,000 |
|
| 2021 | Question 6 | Culture and arts | $7,000,000 |
|
| 2021 | Question 7 | Industrial infrastructure | $60,000,000 |
|
GO bond debt in Rhode Island
As of the fiscal year 2021, the Rhode Island state debt from general obligation (GO) bonds was $1.3 billion, a $36.7 million increase from the prior fiscal year.[8]
Path to the ballot
To put a legislatively referred bond question before voters, a simple majority vote is required in both the Rhode Island State Senate and the Rhode Island House of Representatives. In Rhode Island, the state General Assembly must ask voters to issue general obligation bonds over $50,000, except in the case of war, insurrection, or invasion.
The bond measure was introduced into the Rhode Island General Assembly as a provision of Article 5 of House Bill 7123 (HB 7123) on January 16, 2022. HB 7123 included three bond measures. The legislature voted on each article of HB 7123 separately.[2][3]
On June 16, 2022, Article 5 of HB 7123 passed in a vote of 69-1 with five members not voting, in the state House. On June 23, 2022, the state Senate voted 33-0 with five not voting.[4]
Governor Daniel McKee (D) signed HB 7123 on June 27, 2022, certifying the three bond issues for the ballot.[2]
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How to cast a vote
- See also: Voting in Rhode Island
Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in Rhode Island.
| How to cast a vote in Rhode Island | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll timesWhile most polls in Rhode Island open at 7 a.m. Eastern Time, certain municipalities may opt to open their polls later. In New Shoreham, for example, polls open at 9 a.m. Eastern Time. All polls statewide close at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[9] Registration requirements
To register to vote in Rhode Island, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Rhode Island, and at least 16 years old. To voter, one must be at least 18 years old by Election Day.[10] Applicants can register online, by mailing in a voter registration form, or in person at the local board of canvassers or other state agencies such as the Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Human Services, or the Department of Mental Health.[10] Automatic registration
Rhode Island enacted automatic voter registration in 2017.[11] Online registration
Rhode Island has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website. Same-day registration
Residency requirementsTo register to vote in Rhode Island, you must be a resident of the state. Verification of citizenshipRhode Island does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. Verifying your registrationThe Rhode Island Department of State allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website. Voter ID requirementsRhode Island requires voters to present photo identification (ID) while voting. Accepted forms of ID include a Rhode Island driver's license, Rhode Island voter ID card, and U.S. passport. For a list of all accepted forms of ID, see below. The following list of accepted ID was current as of April 2023. Click here for the Rhode Island Secretary of State page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.
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See also
External links
- Rhode Island Secretary of State Voter Guide
- House Bill 7213 on LegiScan
- House Bill 7123 full text
- House Bill 7213 Article 5
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Rhode Island State Legislature, "House Bill No. 7123 Article 5," accessed October 13, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 LegiScan, "Rhode Island H 7123 (2022)," accessed October 13, 2022
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rhode Island Secretary of State, "2022 Voter Information Handbook," accessed October 13, 2022
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rhode Island State Senate, "Journal Entry from June 23, 2022," accessed October 14, 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Yes on 3, "Home," accessed October 14, 2022
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Rhode Island Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Portal," accessed March 29, 2021
- ↑ Rhode Island Controller, "Financial Reports," accessed December 23, 2020
- ↑ Rhode Island Board of Elections, "General Election Polling Place Hours," accessed April 18, 2023
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Rhode Island Department of State, "Register to Vote," accessed April 18, 2023
- ↑ Providence Journal, “Raimondo signs automatic voter registration bill into law,” August 1, 2017
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