Requires the governor, when presenting his proposed budget articles for each fiscal year to set forth the climate considerations that were undertaken to move the state towards the mandated goals set forth in the 2021 Act on Climate.

Rhode Island Climate Budget Transparency Bill

This bill would require Rhode Island's governor to include specific climate-related information whenever presenting a proposed state budget. Specifically, the governor would need to explain what steps and considerations were taken to align the budget with the goals established in Rhode Island's 2021 Act on Climate — a law that set legally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state over time.

In practical terms, this means that each year when the governor submits a budget proposal to the legislature, it would need to include a section describing how spending decisions were evaluated through a climate lens. The idea is to make climate planning a visible, documented part of the annual budget process rather than something considered separately or behind the scenes.

This bill primarily affects the governor's office and state budget officials, who would be responsible for preparing and including this climate information. It would also benefit Rhode Island residents, legislators, and advocates who want to track whether the state's spending aligns with its own climate commitments. The bill does not change any existing climate targets or spending requirements — it simply adds a transparency and reporting requirement to the budget process. The bill has been introduced and referred to the Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee, where it will be reviewed before any further action is taken.