Title 31, Title 31 and Other Vehicles

The tax administrator shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter. All administrative provisions of chapters 18 and 19 of title 44 relating to interest, penalties, assessments and hearings shall apply.

Any person making a false report to the tax administrator with the intent to misrepresent the amount of title fees, motor vehicle licensing fees, transfer fees or excise fees paid or the amount of surcharges collected or who knowingly fails to collect the surcharge as required by…

The purpose of this chapter is to assure the payment of tax on fuel consumed by motor carriers in propelling qualified motor vehicles on the public highways in Rhode Island.

Every motor carrier subject to the tax imposed by this chapter shall on or before the last day of April, July, October, and January of every year make to the administrator any returns of its operations during the quarter ending the last day of the preceding month that the adminis…

(a) The tax administrator and the administrator’s authorized agents and representatives may, at any reasonable time, inspect the books and records of any motor carrier subject to the tax imposed by this chapter. The administrator may enter into agreements with the appropriate aut…

(a) If the administrator is not satisfied with any report or return of a motor carrier subject to the tax imposed by this chapter, or with the amount of the tax to be paid by the motor carrier, the administrator may compute and assess the amount of the tax on the basis of facts c…

In the absence of adequate records or other evidence satisfactory to the administrator, showing the number of miles operated by a motor carrier’s qualified motor vehicles per gallon of motor fuel, the motor vehicle shall be deemed to have consumed one gallon of motor fuel for eac…

(a) Every motor carrier shall be entitled to a credit on the tax equivalent to the rate per gallon of the tax in effect under chapter 36 of this title, on all motor fuel purchased by the carrier within this state for use in its operations without this state and upon which motor f…

The tax administrator may enter the International Fuel Tax Agreement or other cooperative compacts or agreements with other states or jurisdictions to permit base state or base jurisdiction licensing of persons using motor fuel in this state. Those agreements may provide for the …

(a) Any motor carrier failing to secure or display upon demand the license or identification device required in § 31-36.1-3, or under the International Fuel Tax Agreement shall be guilty of a civil violation and subject to a fine not exceeding: (1) one hundred dollars ($100) for …

All money collected under the provisions of this chapter shall be deposited in the intermodal surface transportation fund as established in § 31-36-20.

When under the laws of any other jurisdiction, any tax, license, fee, or other obligation in addition to any imposed by Rhode Island, are imposed on motor vehicles registered in Rhode Island, the same tax, license, fee, or other obligation may be imposed on vehicles from those st…

Terms used in this chapter shall be construed to have the meanings provided for in § 31-36-1 and as follows: (1) “Administrator” means the tax administrator. (2) “Bond” means: (i) A bond duly executed by a motor carrier as principal with a corporate surety qualified under the pro…

(a) Each carrier operating a qualified motor vehicle in two (2) or more jurisdictions shall apply to the administrator for a motor carrier fuel use license upon forms approved by the administrator and there shall be no fee for this license. The license shall remain in effect unti…

The administrator may revoke the license and identification devices of a motor carrier which refuses or neglects to comply with any provision of this chapter or any regulation pursuant to this chapter. Before revoking the license and identification devices, the administrator shal…

There is levied and imposed upon motor carriers a tax at the rate specified in § 31-36-7 on the use of fuel for the propulsion of qualified motor vehicles on the public highways within this state. The tax, with respect to fuel purchased instate, shall be paid at the time of purch…

Notwithstanding provisions to the contrary, the tax administrator, pursuant to rules and regulations adopted by the tax administrator, in his or her discretion, may require a motor carrier to post a bond. Such bond shall be consistent with the provisions of the International Fuel…

Any surety on a bond furnished by a motor carrier shall be discharged from any liability to the state accruing on the bond after expiration of sixty (60) days from the date which the surety shall have filed with the administrator a written request to be released and discharged, b…

Each motor carrier shall make available in this state and retain for a period of not less than four (4) years, any records that may be prescribed and in the manner required by the administrator or the International Fuel Tax Agreement, as are reasonably necessary to substantiate t…

(a) The administrator may, in the enforcement of this chapter, hold hearings and take testimony, and for those purposes may issue subpoenas and compel attendance of witnesses, and may conduct investigations which the administrator deems necessary. (b) The tax administrator is aut…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Promotion of Biofuels Act of 2011.”

(a) Membership. There is hereby established a special study commission to study the feasibility and effectiveness of various forms of incentives to promote the development and use of advanced biofuels in the state including, but not limited to: production credits, the production …

(a) The biofuels study commission established pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall explore the possibility of developing and entering into, to the extent possible, an agreement among those states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, for the purpose…

(a) In addition to the preceding provisions of this chapter, the biofuels study commission shall investigate and develop a strategy to increase the use of advanced biofuels as alternatives to conventional carbon-based fuels by the state, its agencies and political subdivisions an…

(a) The summons and complaint to be issued to an offending operator shall contain any information, and be in any form that may be required by the rules of procedure promulgated by the chief magistrate of the traffic tribunal. Every summons shall provide notice of: (1) The charge …

All violations within this title which are in the jurisdiction of the traffic tribunal or of a municipal court shall by operation of law, after three (3) years, following adjudication of the violation and after expiration of any mandatory state or federal record-retention period,…

(a) The traffic tribunal shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over the adjudication of charges under § 31-27-2.1(c)(1) (Refusal to submit to chemical test first violation). (b) The district court shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over the adjudication of charges un…

Any member of the state police, or any member of the police department of any city or town and any other duly authorized law enforcement officer who charges any person with an offense as set out in § 31-41.1-4 shall, in addition to issuing a summons for the offense, provide the o…

If the offending operator elects to dispose of the charge without personally appearing before the traffic tribunal, he or she shall execute the form indicated and return it to the traffic tribunal not later than twenty (20) days from the date of the summons, either by mailing or …

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of §§ 31-41.1-2 or 31-41.1-3, any person who receives a third (3rd) summons after two (2) guilty adjudications for traffic offenses within twelve-month (12) period of time cannot plea or dispose of the charge by mail, but must appear in person b…

(a) The penalties for violations of the enumerated sections, listed in numerical order, correspond to the fines described. However, those offenses for which punishments may vary according to the severity of the offense, or punishment that requires the violator to perform a servic…

(a) In the event the person charged with a violation does not pay the fine administratively in accordance with the provisions of § 31-41.1-3, then he or she shall have waived his or her right to dispose of the offense without personal appearance, and the person charged with the v…

(a) Every hearing for the adjudication of a traffic violation, as provided by this chapter, shall be held before a judge or magistrate of the traffic tribunal or a judge of the municipal court, where provided by law. The burden of proof shall be upon the state, city, or town and …

(a) Any person who has had a motor vehicle operator’s license for more than three (3) years, and who has been issued traffic violations which are his or her first violations within the preceding three (3) years, may request a hearing seeking a dismissal of the violations based up…

(a) Appeals panels. The chief magistrate of the traffic tribunal shall establish one or more appeals panels, each consisting of three (3) members of the traffic tribunal, and shall select a presiding member for each appeals panel from the members so appointed. No member of the tr…

(a) Right of appeal. Any person who is aggrieved by a determination of an appeals panel may appeal the determination pursuant to the provisions of this section. (b) Time limitations. No appeal shall be reviewed if it is filed more than ten (10) days after notice was given of the …

This act shall be cited as the “Rhode Island Automated Traffic Violation Monitoring System Act of 2005.”

It is hereby found and declared that the effective and efficient enforcement of traffic laws, rules and regulations will assist in insuring safe travel on the streets and highways of this state. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the state of Rhode Island to authorize and …

(a) The state department of transportation and the municipalities of this state are hereby authorized to install and operate automated traffic violation detection systems. Such systems shall be limited to systems which monitor and detect violations of traffic control signals. For…

(a) The implementing jurisdiction(s) shall post a warning sign at each system location where a traffic control signal monitoring system is located. (b) Such warning signs shall conform to appropriate, federally accepted standards for traffic control signs. (c) Sign signage shall …

(a) Except as expressly provided in this chapter, all prosecutions based on evidence produced by an automated traffic-violation-detection system shall follow the procedures established in chapter 41.1 of this title; chapter 18 of title 8, except the provisions providing for payme…

Evidence from an automated traffic violation detection system shall be considered substantive evidence in the prosecution of all civil traffic violations. Evidence from an automated traffic violation detection system approved by the director of transportation shall be admitted wi…

(a) The registered owner of the motor vehicle shall be primarily responsible in all prosecutions brought pursuant to the provisions of this chapter except as otherwise provided in this section. (b) In all prosecutions of civil traffic violations based on evidence obtained from an…

Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the use of evidence produced by an automated traffic violation detection system in a criminal or private civil proceeding provided that the admissibility of such evidence shall follow the applicable laws and rules of procedure and rules of e…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law: (a) No violation for which a civil penalty is imposed under this chapter shall be considered a moving violation, nor shall be included on the driving record of the person on whom the liability is imposed, nor shall it be used for insura…

(a) The recorded images produced by an automated traffic violation detection system shall not be deemed “public records” subject to disclosure pursuant to subsection 38-2-2(4)(i). (b) All recorded images that do not identify a violation shall be destroyed within ninety (90) days …