R.I. House lawmakers hold summit at RIC to help improve state's stubborn economy / Photos

By Philip Marcelo PROVIDENCE, R.I. --The 75-member state House of Representatives gathered for a special economic summit at Rhode Island College on Thursday,where they heard from local business and education leaders, as well as top advisers to the governors of Massachusetts and Connecticut about the challenges Rhode Island faces and how lawmakers can help solve them.

The five-hour long event, held in lieu of the chamber's regular legislative session, capped a week of events and announcements -- including Governor Chafee's release of an $8.2 billion state budget on Wednesday -- focused on fixing Rhode Island's stubborn economy.

House Speaker Gordon Fox, D-Providence, said he hoped lawmakers would come away with specific policy ideas to address this session, which officially opened Jan. 1.

"We know that the public is clamoring for solutions now, for fast action," he said.

In the coming weeks, Fox said he'll form smaller groups of legislators to focus on areas discussed in the day's four panels: challenges to small businesses; economic development lessons from Connecticut and Massachusetts; workforce development; and "rebranding" Rhode Island.

State Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed, D-Newport, meanwhile, announced her 38-member chamber will hold an economic summit at the University of Rhode Island's Providence campus next Thursday, focused on improving the state's business rankings and economic competitiveness.