House Finance reviews governor's Department of Revenue budget; lottery and iGaming notable revenue drivers

Chairman Mozakowski convened the House Finance subcommittee on general government for a briefing on the governor's fiscal 2026 recommendations for the Department of Revenue. House fiscal staff provided an overview of the department's programs and the governor's proposed adjustments to staffing, fees and revenue initiatives.

The nut graf: The Department of Revenue collects the bulk of state receipts and the governor's budget packages modest staff increases and fee shifts intended to support operations while assuming several legislative changes that would generate or redirect revenue. Lottery activity, the administration told the committee, is a large and changing component of projected general revenues.

House fiscal staff told the subcommittee the department accounts for roughly 600 authorized positions but is operating with about 508 filled positions and roughly 90 vacancies. Tom Verdi, director of the Department of Revenue, told the committee the department "collect[s] almost $6,000,000,000 annually, for the state of Rhode Island,"…