PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio have indicated they may be close to resolving the state budget impasse.
Mattiello said in a statement Tuesday that he and Ruggerio had a “very productive meeting” over coffee. He says they will continue to meet in the near future.
Ruggerio issued a similar statement, saying he hopes the two can reach a conclusion “that benefits all Rhode Islanders in the near future.”
The two Democratic leaders have been feuding over who bears responsibility for the two-and-a-half-week-old standoff over the state’s $9.2 billion budget. The 18-day stalemate is causing uncertainty in local governments and school districts as state government operates at last year’s spending levels.
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