Title 36, Title 36 Officers and Employees

Notwithstanding any other provision of the law to the contrary, an employee of the state of Rhode Island who retires under the provisions of title 36 of the Rhode Island general laws with a disability pension benefit shall receive only the following state-sponsored health care an…

In accordance with the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-514), amending § 162(k) of the Federal Internal Revenue Code, 26 U.S.C. § 162(k), in the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), 42 U.S.C. § 403, a general revenue receipt account is created to be used…

For purposes of fulfilling any employer obligations under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), 42 U.S.C. § 403 et seq., a domestic partner shall be deemed a dependent of an employee as defined herein.

Commencing January 1, 2014, a state employee’s family health plan shall not provide coverage to a former spouse unless the former spouse was covered by said plan in accordance with § 27-20.4-1 as of December 31, 2013.

Payments for hospital care and surgical-medical services, rights, and benefits of dependents of employees may be deducted from the state payroll as provided in §§ 36-6-12 and 36-6-13. Payments for surgical-medical services, rights, and benefits of all persons in the service of th…

(a) Non-Medicare-eligible retired employees who retired on or before September 30, 2008. Any retired employee who retired on or before September 30, 2008, shall be entitled, until attaining Medicare eligibility, to be covered under §§ 36-12-1 — 36-12-5 for himself and herself and…

(a) The director of the department of administration shall ensure retired employees access to Medicare-eligible retiree healthcare insurance. Under this program, the state will establish a health reimbursement account (HRA) funded by state contributions for each Medicare-eligible…

The general assembly shall annually appropriate a sum sufficient to carry out the purposes of §§ 36-12-1—36-12-5. The state controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of the sum, or so much thereof as may be r…

(a) The director of administration, or any employee of the department of administration designated by the director as his or her agent, is hereby authorized, empowered, and directed to contract with one or more insurance companies duly licensed by this state for the purchase of o…

(a) All persons in the service of the state on and after July 1, 1960, whether elected, appointed or employed, who elect to participate in an insurance contract or contracts shall be eligible to participate therein. The director, however, with the consent of the insurance company…

(a) The director is hereby authorized and directed to establish a life insurance plan for employees of the state as herein provided, which, subject to the conditions and limitations contained in §§ 36-12-6 — 36-12-14, and in the regulations promulgated pursuant to the authority v…

(a) The policy or policies issued hereunder shall include a provision prescribing the conditions under which an insured employee may designate and change the beneficiary or beneficiaries to receive insurance payable upon the death of the employee. (b) If, at the death of any empl…

(a) The state or any city, town, or other political subdivision may, by contract, agree with any employee to defer, in whole or in part, any portion of that employee’s compensation, and may subsequently contract with financial institutions for the purchase of government securitie…

The state investment commission shall, from time to time, select the financial institutions and/or entities in which the state shall invest the funds under the deferred compensation plan for employees in the state plan.

The chief administrative officer of any city or town or director of administration of the state of Rhode Island is hereby authorized to enter into contractual agreements with employees of that particular state agency, department, board, commission, or institution on behalf of the…

The administration of the deferred compensation program within each state agency, department, board, commission, or institution shall be under the direction of the director or principal officer of that particular agency, department, board, commission, or institution. Each city, t…

For the purposes of this chapter, “employee” means any person, whether appointed, elected or under contract, providing services for the state, county, city, town, or other political subdivision, for which compensation is paid.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, those persons designated to administer the deferred compensation program are hereby authorized to make payments for the purchase of government securities, mutual funds, fixed or variable life insurance, or annuity contra…

The deferred compensation program established by this chapter shall exist and serve in addition to retirement, pension, or benefit systems established by the state, county, city, town, or other political subdivision, and no deferral of income under the deferred compensation progr…

(a) Except as designated in this section, any sum deferred under the deferred compensation program shall not be subject to taxation until distribution is actually made to the employee. (b) Subsection (a) of this section shall not apply where the deferred compensation program incl…

The financial liability of the state, city, town, or other political subdivision under a deferred compensation program shall be limited in each instance to the value of the particular fixed or variable life insurance or annuity contract or contracts purchased on behalf of any emp…

If any provision of this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter, which can be given effect without the invalid provisions or application, and to this end t…

It is the policy of the state of Rhode Island that public officials and employees must adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct, respect the public trust and the rights of all persons, be open, accountable, responsive, avoid the appearance of impropriety, and not use th…

(a) The commission is hereby empowered to establish and implement an educational program for the purpose of educating public officials and employees and the general public about the ethical standards embodied in the Rhode Island code of ethics in government, which program may inc…

The commission shall periodically provide a continuing education program on the Rhode Island code of ethics and related laws for major state decision-makers. The program shall be provided at least twice annually and shall consist of continuing education units as established by co…

(a) The commission is hereby empowered to issue, at the request of any person covered by the Rhode Island code of ethics in government, advisory opinions on the requirements of this chapter. (b) Any advisory opinion rendered pursuant to this section must be approved, prior to iss…

(a) The commission is hereby empowered to investigate allegations of violations of the provisions of this chapter and, in furtherance of any investigation, the commission shall have the power to: (1) Compel the attendance of witnesses and require the production of evidence; and (…

(a) The commission is hereby empowered to adjudicate the merits of allegations of violations of the Rhode Island code of ethics. (1) At such a hearing the commission shall have the power to compel the attendance of witnesses, require the production of evidence, and take oral or w…

(a) The commission is hereby empowered to remove from office any state or municipal elected official or any state or municipal appointed official not subject to impeachment in accordance with the provisions of subsections (b) through (d) of this section. (b) Any state or municipa…

Any action by the commission made pursuant to this chapter shall be subject to review pursuant to chapter 35 of title 42.

(a) On or before the last Friday in April of each year, the following officials and employees subject to this code of ethics shall file with the commission a financial statement complying with the requirements of this chapter: (1) All state elected officials; (2) All state-appoin…

(a) The financial statement required herein shall be on a form prescribed by the commission and shall include the account of the financial activity of the person required to file the statement by this chapter, the financial activity of his or her spouse (if not estranged), and an…

(a) Every person who is required to file a financial statement pursuant to this chapter and who has, acquires, or divests him or herself of ten percent (10%) or greater equity interest or five thousand dollars ($5,000) or greater cash value interest in a business entity which is …

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…

As used in this chapter: (1) “Any person within his or her family” means a spouse and any dependent children of any public official or public employee as well as a person who is related to any public official or public employee, whether by blood, adoption or marriage, as any of t…

The provisions of this chapter shall be construed to be in addition to and not in substitution of any other provision of law not inconsistent herewith.

If any provision of this chapter, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of the chapter and the application of the provisions to other persons and circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

Sections 36-14-4 — 36-14-7 shall constitute the Rhode Island code of ethics in government.

The following persons shall be subject to the provisions of the Rhode Island code of ethics in government: (1) State and municipal elected officials; (2) State and municipal appointed officials; and (3) Employees of state and local government, boards, commissions, and agencies.…

(a) No person subject to this code of ethics shall have any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect, or engage in any business, employment, transaction, or professional activity, or incur any obligation of any nature, which is in substantial conflict with the proper …

Any person subject to this code of ethics who, in the discharge of his or her official duties, is or may be required to take an action, make a decision, or refrain therefrom that will or can reasonably be expected to directly result in an economic benefit to the person, or spouse…

(a) A person subject to this code of ethics has an interest which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of his or her duties or employment in the public interest and of his or her responsibilities as prescribed in the laws of this state, if he or she has reason to …

(a) There is hereby established an independent and nonpartisan Rhode Island ethics commission composed of nine (9) members appointed by the governor. The president of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the majority leader o…

(a) The commission is hereby empowered to: (1) Engage the services of an executive director and of other legal, secretarial, and investigative employees, who shall be bound by the prohibitions contained in § 36-14-8(f), and to make such other expenditures as are necessary for the…

(a) No state agency, department of government, commission, board, authority, public corporation, governmental or quasi-governmental body, autonomous or otherwise, which is created by authority of the general assembly, executive order, or state law, shall enter into any contract o…

Any contract or other agreement which is made contrary to or in violation of the provisions of § 36-16-1 shall be null and void and have no force or effect.