I want to wish all Rhode Islanders a happy and healthy New Year. In 2016, we have made exciting progress advancing small business friendliness, promoting municipal efficiency, and advocating for excellence in our public schools.

This newsletter is my way of giving you a glimpse into the work we are doing in the Lieutenant Governor's Office. Please share with others and encourage them to subscribe so that they too can know the work we are undertaking on behalf of all Rhode Islanders. You can also follow my daily activities on Twitter and on Facebook.

I value the opinion of every Rhode Islander I serve and want to hear from you! Please send questions, suggestions, and concerns to me via my website.

I look forward to continuing to make Rhode Island a great place to live, work and do business in 2017.

Sincerely, 

Lt. Governor Dan McKee

Bringing Small Business to the Big Screen
This September, as part of my ongoing efforts to give Rhode Islanders a voice, I launched a monthly TV show, "Advance RI."

Each month, I host guests on the show who are creating positive change in our state's small business community, public schools or cities and towns.

For our latest episode, we took the show on the road to host the 1st Advance RI Small Business Forum on location at the Carriage Inn & Saloon in North Kingstown. 
Engaging Small Business Owners Across the State
I always say, no one knows a small business like someone who owns a small business. That's why I made it my mission in 2016 to visit a locally owned coffee shop in each of Rhode Island's 39 cities and towns.

This was a great opportunity to hear what our small business owners need to succeed and to connect with municipal leaders in each community.

It is my mission in 2017 to engage these small businesses owners in the Small Business Advocacy Council where their feedback can fuel real change for Rhode Island's small business community.

Stay tuned for the big reveal of my next statewide small business tour, coming soon!

Empowering RI Ratepayers
It's safe, simple and saves the ratepayer money. This year, my office partnered with the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, and Rhode Island Interactive to launch Empower RI, a website to help Rhode Islanders shop for the best electricity prices for their homes and businesses.

The site is designed to make the process of selecting a competitive electricity supplier easier and more transparent in Rhode Island, which has some of the highest energy costs in the country. 

Empower RI is part of my office's effort to ease the burden of high energy costs on small businesses. We began this journey in 2015 when Attorney General Peter Kilmartin and I intervened before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on behalf of ratepayers to eliminate the so-called billing adjustment, which cost National Grid electricity customers some $1.5 million after they switched to competitive suppliers. The PUC voted to end the adjustment as of July 1, 2015, removing a barrier to a robust competitive market.
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