House Finance Committee approves nearly $9B state budget

The House Finance Committee has approved a revised budget of nearly $9 billion.

The vote was 14 to 2 coming down after 1:30am.

The revised budget includes no new taxes. It gets rid of the proposed $.25 cigarette tax hike proposed by Governor Gina Raimondo in February.

The budget also cuts beach fees. Season resident passes are down from $60 to $30. One time fees on weekends are slashed in half, for residents to $7 dollars and non residents $14.

The revised budget also offers a pension tax break.

Another change from the Governor’s proposal is a reduction in tagging fees for medical marijuana to $25 dollars per plant.

Noticeably not in the budget, $40 million dollars that the Governor had wanted to put towards school construction.

This budget is for the fiscal year beginning in July. It is expected to go to the full house for a vote next Wednesday.

© WLNE-TV / ABC6  2016