Title 42, Title 42 Affairs and Government

(a) General powers and duties. The department of health shall implement and put into full force and effect the powers, duties, and responsibilities assigned to it by this chapter, and shall serve as the lead state agency for lead hazard mitigation, planning, education, technical …

(a) In order to achieve the purposes of this chapter, a statewide, multifaceted, ongoing educational program designed to meet the needs of tenants, property owners, realtors and real estate agents, insurers and insurance agents, local building officials, and health providers and …

The housing resources commission shall adopt, no later than April 1, 2003, rules: (1) For housing constructed prior to 1978, which require property owners to certify at the time of transfer that the dwelling and/or premises meet the requirements for lead hazard mitigation or lead…

(a) Property owners of pre-1978 rental dwellings, which have not been made lead safe or have not been lead hazard abated shall comply with all the following requirements: (1) Learn about lead hazards by taking a lead hazard awareness seminar, themself or through a designated pers…

(a) The department of business regulation shall, by January 1, 2003, establish a uniform policy with regard to exclusion for lead poisoning and shall adopt any rules and requirements that may be necessary to assure the availability of insurance coverage for losses and damages cau…

The general assembly finds and declares that: (1) The availability of affordable housing is a critical concern to the current well-being and the future prosperity of the people of Rhode Island; (2) All towns in Rhode Island, with an obligation to do so, have adopted affordable ho…

The purposes of this chapter are to facilitate implementation of local and state plans for the provision of affordable housing and to optimize the use of public resources, including proceeds from bond issues, by providing expedited processing by state agencies of applications for…

As used in this chapter, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings: (1) “Affordable housing plan” means a component of a housing element, as defined in subsection 45-22.2-4(33), to meet housing needs in a cit…

A person may apply to the executive office of housing and request that a project be classified as a project of critical housing concern. Said request shall contain a description of how the project is consistent with applicable provisions of state plans pertaining to affordable ho…

A person shall file the certificate of critical concern with the appropriate state agency that has licensing or permitting authority over the project. A person must file the certificate of critical concern at the time of filing the necessary permit application(s) required for the…

(a) Within three (3) months of the submission of a substantially complete application, the state agency must render a written report on the status of the application. The report shall contain information, which will enable the person to make a sound business decision as to whethe…

The issuance of and the filing of a certificate of critical housing concern does not constitute, and shall not be considered, a waiver of any element, rule, regulation, or statute upon which the license or permit is granted.

The executive office of housing shall promulgate rules and regulations in accordance with chapter 35 of this title to implement this chapter, including, but not limited to, provisions to define an application and criteria to determine the significance of any application in meetin…

This chapter shall be known as “Housing Incentives for Municipalities.”

There is hereby established a housing incentive for municipalities program to be administered as set forth in § 42-128-2.1, in consultation with the division of statewide planning and the Rhode Island housing and mortgage finance corporation.

The executive office of housing is authorized and empowered to carry out the program for the following purposes: (1) To foster and maintain strong collaborations with municipalities in the state. (2) To support and assist municipalities in promoting housing production that adequa…

As used in this chapter: (1) “Eligible locations” means an area designated by the executive office of housing as a suitable site for a housing incentive district by virtue of its infrastructure, existing underutilized facilities, or other advantageous qualities, including (i) Pro…

(a) In its zoning ordinance, a city or town may adopt a housing incentive district in any eligible location. (b) The adoption, amendment, or repeal of such ordinance shall be in accordance with the provisions of chapter 24 of title 45. (c) A housing incentive district shall compl…

The executive office of housing is authorized and empowered, at its discretion, to provide all manner of support and assistance to municipalities in connection with fostering local housing production, including, but not limited to: (1) Providing technical assistance for the prepa…

(a) The executive office of housing is hereby authorized to promulgate rules and regulations as are necessary to fulfill the purposes of this chapter, including, but not limited to, provisions relating to: application criteria; eligible locations for housing incentive districts; …

Program integrity being of paramount importance, the executive office of housing shall establish procedures to ensure ongoing compliance with the terms and conditions of the program established herein, including procedures to safeguard the expenditure of public funds and to ensur…

Any department, agency, council, board, or other public instrumentality of the state shall cooperate with the executive office of housing in relation to the implementation, execution, and administration of the program created under this chapter.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as “The Rhode Island Lobbying Reform Act.”

(a) On the secretary’s own motion or the sworn complaint of any person under the pains and penalty of perjury, the secretary may initiate a preliminary investigation into the activities of any person who has allegedly been engaged in lobbying without registration or who may be in…

The secretary shall have the authority to perform any duties that are necessary to implement the provisions of this chapter. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the secretary is authorized and empowered to: (1) Develop forms for the required lobbying reports. (2) De…

Any person who knowingly and willfully violates the provisions of this chapter shall, in addition to the civil penalties provided herein, be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) and/or imprisonment for no longer than one year…

If any provision of this chapter is held to be invalid for any reason, that invalidity shall not be construed to affect the validity of any other provisions in the chapter.

(a) The preservation of responsible government requires that the people of the state be afforded the fullest opportunity to petition their government officials and to express their opinions. (b) Public confidence in the integrity of our government is strengthened by the identific…

(a) For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply: (1) “Appointed” or “engaged” means receiving compensation from another for lobbying. (2) “Compensation” means any remuneration or earnings received or to be received for services rendered as a lobbyist, includ…

(a) The secretary shall maintain an online register of lobbyists. The online register shall be in a format, and shall contain such information as the secretary may direct, and shall be maintained as a public document. (b) Every lobbyist shall cause the following information to be…

(a) The secretary shall maintain an online register of persons that engage the services of a lobbyist or lobbying firm. The online register shall be in a format, and contain such information as the secretary may direct, and shall be maintained as a public document. (b) Every pers…

(a) Every registered lobbyist shall file with the secretary a report listing, for the indicated reporting period, the following information related to said lobbyist, together with all updates to said information upon each subsequent applicable filing: (1) All compensation that th…

(a) Every person who engages the services of a lobbyist or lobbying firm shall file with the secretary a report listing, for the indicated reporting period, the following information related to said person, together with all updates to said information upon each subsequent applic…

No person shall pay or accept any compensation for lobbying that is based in whole or in part on the degree to which such lobbying is or was successful in influencing any government action.

(a) The secretary shall inspect the reports required by this chapter, and if it appears in the secretary’s reasonable discretion that any such report was not filed or does not conform to the provisions of this chapter, the secretary shall notify that person in writing. If said pe…

This chapter shall be known as “The Rhode Island Energy Efficiency and Resources Management Council Act.”

It is hereby found and declared: (a) Rhode Island has experienced an energy cost crisis during 2005 and 2006 and faces the prospect of fluctuating and increasing energy prices in the future. (b) Energy conservation and energy efficiency have enormous, untapped potential for contr…

(a) There is hereby authorized, created, and established a council to be known as “The Rhode Island Energy Efficiency and Resources Management Council” with the powers and duties set forth in this chapter. (b) The purposes of this council are to: (1) Evaluate and make recommendat…

(a) The council shall consist of fifteen (15) members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate; eleven (11) members shall be voting members, and the governor shall give due consideration to appointing persons with knowledge of: (1) Energy regulation and…

The council shall have the power to: (1) Develop and recommend for implementation plans, programs, and standards for energy conservation, energy efficiency, and diversification of energy resources. (2) Monitor and evaluate plans and programs for energy conservation, energy effici…

In order to effectuate its powers and duties the council has the following powers: (1) To make any studies of conditions, activities, or problems related to the state’s energy needs, usage, and supplies to carry out its responsibilities. (2) To adopt and amend bylaws, to establis…

It is hereby found and declared that: (1) Distributed generation can if well implemented, contribute to electric system reliability and efficiency and have system benefits including, but not limited to, reduced congestion, improved management of system peak demands through demand…

(a) The office of energy resources shall support and facilitate a stakeholder-led study of issues pertaining to distributed generations and barriers that impede the implementation of distributed generation and the realization of the societal benefits thereof. This study shall aug…

The energy efficiency and resources management council is hereby authorized and directed to monitor the implementation of distributed generation and to report its findings and recommendations biennially on or before February 1, commencing in 2009 and ending in 2015.

(a) There is hereby authorized, created, and established an advisory commission to be known as “The Rhode Island petroleum savings and independence advisory commission” with the powers and duties set forth in this chapter. (b) The purposes of this commission are to: (1) To reduce…

(a) The commission shall consist of seventeen (17) voting members as follows: (1) The director of the department of environmental management, or designee; (2) The administrator of the office of energy resources, or designee; (3) The director of the department of transportation, o…