Title 5, Title 5 and Professions

Pursuant to the compact, the governor is authorized and empowered to designate an officer who shall be the compact administrator and who, acting jointly with like officers of other party states, shall promulgate rules and regulations to more effectively carry out the terms of the…

The compact administrator is authorized and empowered to enter into supplementary agreements with appropriate officials of other states pursuant to the compact. In the event that a supplementary agreement shall require or contemplate the use of any institution or facility of this…

It is found and declared as follows: (1) Individuals and corporations sometimes establish joint ventures and other business arrangements to offer various diagnostic and therapeutic healthcare services and items to patients. While some of these arrangements assist in providing app…

As used in this chapter: (1) “Director” means the director of the Rhode Island department of health. (2) “Facility” means any healthcare facility licensed by the department of health or the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals under the pr…

(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully solicits or receives any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe, or rebate) directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind: (1) In return for referring an individual to a person for the furnishing, or arranging for the fur…

(a) All regulations adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services specifying payment practices that are not treated as a criminal offense under § 1128B(b) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b), and do not serve as the basis for exclusion under § 1128(b)(7) o…

In addition to any penalty provided by this chapter for violation of the provisions of § 5-48.1-3, noncompliance or violation of the provisions of this chapter or the regulations adopted under it shall constitute grounds to revoke or suspend the license of, or discipline, a licen…

The purpose of this chapter is to establish and codify prevailing standards and procedures for licensing speech-language pathologists and audiologists in Rhode Island.

(a) Hospital-based newborn hearing screeners and school-based hearing screeners shall be trained by a licensed audiologist working in the newborn hearing or school screening program according to training guidelines established by the programs. (b) Supervision shall include a meth…

(a) On or before the thirtieth day of June of even years, every person licensed to practice speech-language pathology and/or audiology within Rhode Island shall complete not less than twenty (20) clock hours of continuing education within the preceding two (2) years and be able t…

An audiologist who engages in the dispensing and/or selling of hearing aids shall comply with any and all federal and state laws and regulations governing the sale of hearing aids.

All hearings and reviews required under the provisions of the act shall be held in accordance with the provisions of the rules and regulations regarding practices and procedures before the department of health.

This chapter hereby adopts and incorporates the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s “American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Code of Ethics” (2016) by reference, not including any further editions or amendments thereof and only to the extent that the provisions th…

As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings, except where the context clearly indicates otherwise: (1) “Accredited/approved” means that an institution/program holds regional accreditation from one of six (6) regional accrediting bodies…

(a) No person shall practice as, advertise as, or use the title of speech-language pathologist or audiologist unless licensed in accordance with the provisions of the act and this section. The provisions of the act and this section shall not apply to individuals specifically exem…

(a) Audiologists. In addition to the requirements set forth in § 5-48-7.2, persons seeking initial licensure as an audiologist providing in-person or telepractice services shall meet the following requirements: (1) Submit an official transcript indicating possession of an earned …

(a) The department shall issue a license as an audiologist or speech-language pathologist, or renewal thereof, for a period of two (2) years. The license, unless sooner suspended or revoked, shall expire on the first day of July, two (2) years following its issuance, and may be r…

The board is authorized to suspend or revoke any license to practice speech-language pathology and/or audiology upon a finding by the board that the person is guilty of conduct as set forth in § 5-48-11, and in addition: (1) Violating any provision of the act, any lawful order gi…

(a) A speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) for speech-language pathologists shall meet the following requirements: (1) Possess at minimum a: (i) Two-year (2) speech-language pathology assistant program degree from an accredited institution; or (ii) Bachelor’s degree in comm…

(a)(1) A supervising professional must be a speech-language pathologist or audiologist who is licensed under this chapter; and who has been actively working in the field for twenty-four (24) months after completion of the postgraduate professional experience; and must be responsi…

(a) The purpose of this chapter is to establish participation in a compact to facilitate interstate practice of audiology and speech language pathology with the goal of improving public access to audiology and speech-language pathology services. The practice of audiology and spee…

(a) The commission shall exercise its rulemaking powers pursuant to the criteria set forth in this chapter and the rules adopted thereunder. Rules and amendments shall become binding as of the date specified in each rule or amendment. (b) If a majority of the legislatures of the …

(a) Dispute resolution. (1) Upon request by a member state, the commission shall attempt to resolve disputes related to the compact that arise among member states and between member and non-member states. (2) The commission shall promulgate a rule providing for both mediation and…

(a) The compact shall come into effect on the date on which the compact statute is enacted into law in the tenth member state. The provisions, which become effective at that time, shall be limited to the powers granted to the commission relating to assembly and the promulgation o…

This chapter and compact shall be liberally construed so as to effectuate the purposes thereof. The provisions of this compact shall be severable and if any phrase, clause, sentence, or provision of this compact is declared to be contrary to the constitution of any member state o…

(a) Nothing herein prevents the enforcement of any other law of a member state that is not inconsistent with the compact. (b) All laws in a member state in conflict with the compact are superseded to the extent of the conflict. (c) All lawful actions of the commission, including …

As used in this chapter, and except as otherwise provided, the following definitions shall apply: (1) “Active duty military” means full-time duty status in the active uniformed service of the United States, including members of the National Guard and Reserve on active duty orders…

(a) A license issued to an audiologist or speech-language pathologist by a home state to a resident in that state shall be recognized by each member state as authorizing an audiologist or speech-language pathologist to practice audiology or speech-language pathology, under a priv…

(a) To exercise the compact privilege under the terms and provisions of this chapter, the audiologist or speech-language pathologist shall: (1) Hold an active license in the home state; (2) Have no encumbrance on any state license; (3) Be eligible for a compact privilege in any m…

Member states shall recognize the right of an audiologist or speech-language pathologist, licensed by a home state in accordance with § 5-48.3-3 and under rules promulgated by the commission, to practice audiology or speech-language pathology in any member state via telehealth un…

Active duty military personnel, or their spouse, shall designate a home state where the individual has a current license in good standing. The individual may retain the home state designation during the period the service member is on active duty. Subsequent to designating a home…

(a) In addition to the other powers conferred by state law, a remote state shall have the authority, in accordance with existing state due process law, to: (1) Take adverse action against an audiologist’s or speech-language pathologist’s privilege to practice within that member s…

(a) The compact member states hereby create and establish a joint public agency known as the audiology and speech-language pathology compact commission. (1) The commission is an instrumentality of the compact states. (2) Venue is proper and judicial proceedings by or against the …

(a) The commission shall provide for the development, maintenance, and utilization of a coordinated database and reporting system containing licensure, adverse action, and investigative information on all licensed individuals in member states. (b) Notwithstanding any other provis…

The following words and phrases as used in this chapter have the following meanings unless a different meaning is required by the context: (1) “Charitable organization” means any organization soliciting for a charitable purpose or any organization holding themselves out as such. …

No person shall act as a professional solicitor in the employ of a professional fundraiser required to register pursuant to § 5-53.1-8 before he or she has registered with the director or after the expiration or cancellation of the registration. Applications for registration and …

(a) Any professional fundraiser, fundraising counsel, or professional solicitor having his, her, or its principal place of business outside of this state or organized under the laws of a foreign state, who or that shall solicit contributions or act as a fundraising counsel in thi…

(a) Any written solicitation used by or on behalf of any charitable organization shall provide a description of the programs and activities for which it has expended or will expend contributions it receives from the solicitation or shall include therein a statement that, upon wri…

Prior to orally requesting a contribution, or contemporaneously with a written request for a contribution, the following shall be clearly and conspicuously disclosed: (a) The name of the professional solicitor and professional fundraiser, and the fact that the solicitation is bei…

(a) No person shall, for the purpose of soliciting contributions from persons in this state, use the name of any other person, as one who has sponsored or endorsed the charitable organization or its activities without the written consent of that other person. (b) A person shall b…

(a) Whenever the department, upon its own motion or upon complaint of any person, has reason to believe that any person is violating any of the provisions of this chapter, it may, if warranted, take any of the following actions: (1) Revoke, suspend, or deny a registration of a ch…

(a) Any person who willfully and knowingly violates any provisions of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction, shall be sentenced for the first offense to pay a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or undergo imprisonment for not more than one…

All fees, required to be paid pursuant to this chapter, shall be paid to the state treasurer.

The director may promulgate rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.

If any provision of this chapter or the application of any provision to any person or circumstance is for any reason held invalid, the remainder of the chapter and the application of that provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected by that invalidity.

(a) Every charitable organization, except as otherwise provided in § 5-53.1-3, that acts, operates, transacts business in this state, or intends to solicit contributions from persons in this state by any means whatsoever, shall, prior to any solicitation, file with the director u…