Title 45, Title 45 and Cities

Pursuant to article XII of the Rhode Island constitution, it is the duty of the general assembly to promote public schools, and to adopt all means which it may deem necessary and proper to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education. It shall be the policy …

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, no budget commission member or any managerial, professional, or clerical staff hired, retained, or employed by the budget commission under this chapter shall have any civil liability for any actions taken or omitted in t…

(a) There is hereby created the Warwick public schools budget commission (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “commission”). (b) The Warwick public schools budget commission shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 2 of title 38 (“access to public records”), chapter 14 …

The Warwick public schools budget commission shall consist of five (5) members: three (3) of whom shall be designees of the mayor with the advice and consent of the city council; one of whom shall be the designee of the Warwick superintendent of schools; and one of whom shall be …

(a) Subject to the provisions of § 45-9.1-6, during the term of the Warwick public schools budget commission, no appropriations, allocations, or expenditures for school purposes shall occur unless approved by the commission, or in the case of an emergency, by the city finance dir…

The Warwick public schools budget commission shall cease to exist upon completion of two (2) events as follows: (1) Approval of the FY 2025-2026 Warwick school budget as recommended by the mayor and approved by the city council; and (2) Adoption of a deficit reduction plan by the…

Nothing in this chapter shall authorize the Warwick public schools budget commission to: (1) Reject or alter any collective bargaining agreement or any obligations thereunder including, but not limited to, payment of wages and benefits; (2) Eliminate or alter any rights or obliga…

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, unless otherwise specified, the provisions of this chapter shall supersede and shall control over any conflicting or inconsistent provisions of the Warwick city charter or ordinances, other laws, including general laws, …

This chapter, being necessary for the welfare of the state, the city of Warwick, and their inhabitants, shall be liberally construed in order to effectuate its purposes.

The provisions of this chapter are severable, and if any of its provisions are held unconstitutional or invalid for any reason by any court of competent jurisdiction, the decision of the court shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions. In carrying out the purpose…

The legislature finds and declares that there is a need for a permanent intergovernmental body to strengthen and facilitate relationships between the state government, the cities and towns, the school districts, and other local governments in the state, including, but not limited…

There is created the Stephen J. Anderson commission on state-local relations commission (SLRC), “the commission”.

(a) The commission shall be composed of seventeen (17) members, as follows: (1) The president of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns or his or her designee, and the president of the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, or his or her designee; (2) Three (3) state…

In addition to the activities listed in § 45-13.1-1, the commission shall carry out these further functions and duties: (1) Encourage, and where appropriate, receive and review studies relating to intergovernmental relations conducted by universities, state, local, and federal ag…

(a) The commission shall hold meetings at least quarterly and at other times that it deems necessary. The commission may hold public hearings from time to time on matters within its purview. (b) Each officer, board, commission, council, department, or agency of state government, …

The commission is authorized to apply for, contract for, receive, and expend for its purposes any appropriations or grants from the state, its political subdivisions, the federal government, or any other source, public or private.

The commission shall issue reports of its findings and recommendations from time to time, and shall issue annually a public report on its work. Copies of the annual report shall be submitted to the governor, speaker of the house of representatives, president of the senate, city, …

If any provision of this chapter or any rule or regulation made under this chapter, or the application of this chapter to any person or circumstance, is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of the chapter, rule, or regulation and application of the pro…

This chapter shall be known as the “Municipal Incentive Aid Act.”

It is hereby found and declared as follows: (a) The fiscal health of its municipalities is of paramount importance to the state of Rhode Island; (b) Local municipalities in Rhode Island are facing ever-increasing costs for retirement related expenses; (c) Retirement plans represe…

For purposes of this chapter “municipality” means any city or town of the state.

There are hereby appropriated funds for a state aid program entitled “Municipal Incentive Aid Program.” For fiscal year 2014, fiscal year 2015 and fiscal year 2016, the amount of five million dollars ($5,000,000) shall be appropriated. Municipal Incentive Aid shall be administere…

The purpose of this Municipal Incentive Aid program, shall be to encourage municipalities to improve the sustainability of their retirement plans and to reduce unfunded liabilities thereunder, by providing additional state aid to those municipalities that comply with the requirem…

(a) Municipal Incentive Aid described in this chapter shall be distributed to eligible municipalities on the basis of the most recent population estimate for each municipality as a share of the total state population reported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Cens…

(a) The general assembly finds and declares that by reason of their employment: (1) Fire fighters are required to work in the midst of, and are subject to, smoke, fumes, or carcinogenic, poisonous, toxic, or chemical substances; (2) Fire fighters are continually exposed to a vast…

The following terms when used in this chapter have the following meanings: (a) “Disability” means a condition of physical incapacity to perform any assigned duty or duties in the fire department. (b) “Fire department” means service groups (paid or volunteer) that are organized an…

(a) Any fire fighter, including one employed by the state, or a municipal fire fighter employed by a municipality that participates in the optional retirement for police officers and fire fighters, as provided in chapter 21.2 of this title, who is unable to perform their duties i…

(a) Any type of cancer found in a firefighter is conclusively presumed to be an occupational cancer as that term is defined in § 45-19.1-2. (b) This conclusive presumption shall not apply to firefighters hired after July 22, 2020, in the following situations: (1) If a physical ex…

(a) Whenever, under any general law or special act, any town or city has established a pension system for the fire fighters of the town or city, funded in whole or in part by contributions from those fire fighters, then upon the death of a fire fighter, whether before or after hi…

It is the intent of this chapter to provide municipalities with an alternate retirement plan for police and fire fighters to be administered in accordance with chapter 21 of this title.

The amount of retirement allowance for accidental disability is that as prescribed in § 45-21-22.

Upon the accidental death of a member before retirement; provided, that evidence shall be submitted to the retirement board proving that the death of the member was a natural and proximate result of an accident while in the performance of duty at some definite time and place, and…

Upon death of a member occurring while in service and prior to retirement from any cause other than accidental death arising directly out of and in the course of employment, a payment shall be made consisting of: (1) The sum of eight hundred dollars ($800) for each year of servic…

(a) Upon death of a member after retirement, unless the member has selected any of the options provided in § 45-21.2-6(c), a benefit is payable consisting of the excess, if any, of the total contributions of the member at date of retirement, without interest, over the aggregate a…

(a) Each member shall contribute an amount equal to seven percent (7%) of the salary or compensation earned or accruing to the member provided that effective July 1, 2015, each member shall contribute an amount equal to nine percent (9%) of the salary or compensation earned or ac…

The provisions of §§ 45-21-45, 45-21-46, and 45-21-47 are expressly made a part of this chapter.

Any person who, from January 1, 1960, and thereafter, was a member of the call system of the North Providence fire department, is entitled to credit as service for the various purposes of the retirement system for one year for every three (3) years served as a member of the call …

All persons appointed police officers to the Woonsocket police department, after July 1, 1980, are a group under this retirement system. Upon the effective date of participation of the city of Woonsocket in this retirement system any police officer appointed after July 1, 1980, w…

All persons appointed fire fighters to the Woonsocket fire department after July 1, 1985, are a group under this retirement system. Upon the effective date of participation of the city of Woonsocket in this retirement system any fire fighter appointed after July 1, 1985, waives a…

All persons becoming members under this retirement system by either method stated in § 45-21.2-14(e) waives and renounces all accrued rights and benefits of any other pension or retirement system supported wholly or in part by a municipality if the pension or retirement system wa…

All persons becoming members under this retirement system by either method stated in § 45-21.2-14(f) waive and renounce all accrued rights and benefits of any other pension or retirement system supported wholly or in part by a municipality if the pension or retirement system was …

Any person who, from January 1, 1950, and thereafter, was a member of the call system of the North Kingstown fire department, is entitled to credit as service for the various purposes of the retirement system for one year for every three (3) years served as a member of the call s…

Any person who, from January 1, 1943, and thereafter, was a volunteer member and/or a member of the call system of the East Greenwich fire district, is entitled to credit as service for the various purposes of the retirement system for one year for every three (3) years served as…

As used in this chapter, the words defined in § 45-21-2 have the same meanings stated in that section except that “employee” means any regular and permanent police official or officer and any regular and permanent fire fighter. The retirement board shall determine who are employe…

(a) The optional provisions of § 45-21.2-6(b) are applicable only to a member applying for a service retirement allowance, an accidental disability retirement allowance, an ordinary disability retirement allowance or any inactive member applying for retirement under vested rights…

The election under option 1 may be made by the member while in service; provided, that the member has at least ten (10) years of membership service for members terminating on or before June 30, 2012, or at least five (5) years of membership service for members terminating on or a…