Title 42, Title 42 Affairs and Government

The twelve-meter (12 m.) yacht “COURAGEOUS” is designated the Rhode Island state yacht.

This chapter may be cited as the “Budgeting, Appropriation, and Receipt of Federal Monies Act.”

(a) It is the purpose of this chapter to clarify the roles of the state executive and legislative branches in budgeting and appropriating federal monies received by the state to: (1) Assure adherence to state policies and priorities established by statute or executive orders purs…

As used in this chapter: (a) “Agency” means all state offices, departments, divisions, institutions, boards, commissions, councils, committees, or other entities of the executive branch, offices of the judicial branch, and offices of the legislative branch of state government. (b…

Pursuant to § 35-3-7, the budget officer shall henceforth include all federal monies received or anticipated by state agencies as a part of the budget request, showing for each budgetary category the amount of state monies requested by funding the amount of federal monies anticip…

(a) No agency shall establish new, or expand existing programs including any program involving federal or other nonstate monies, beyond the scope of those already established, recognized, and appropriated for by the general assembly until the program and the availability of money…

(a) Any federal monies which are received by a state agency after July 1, 1992, which are not otherwise appropriated to that state agency by the annual appropriation acts of the regular session of the general assembly, are hereby appropriated for that state agency for the purpose…

(a) Federal funds receipted by “self supporting” or “proprietary” state agencies that derive all their financing from sources other than the general fund are exempt from the provisions of §§ 42-41-5 and 42-41-6. Colleges and universities under the control of the board of governor…

(a) Every state department and agency that receives federal assistance funds subject to the provisions of the uniform administrative requirements for grants-in-aid to state and local governments shall set aside an amount equal to one-tenth of one percent (.1%) of the funds receiv…

(a) The auditor general may enter into agreements or contracts with the federal government or its agencies, or with state departments, agencies, commissions, and state-created authorities, acting in behalf thereof for the purpose of conducting financial and compliance audits of p…

(a) As used in this chapter, a category one memorial item shall include a structure, sculpture, inscription, or icon, or similar item, which meets the following criteria: (1) Has attained a secular traditional, cultural, or community recognition and/or value; (2) Is located on pr…

(a) There is hereby established a permanent commission, to be known as the category one memorial designation commission, to consist of five (5) members; two (2) of whom shall be appointed by the speaker from a list of nominations provided by the chairperson of the Rhode Island hi…

The general assembly finds that the historical, architectural, and cultural heritage of the state of Rhode Island should be preserved as a part of our life to enrich the experience of present and future generations, and that the continued expansion of urban development threatens …

(a) There is hereby created as a separate fund within the treasury the “historical preservation revolving fund” which shall be administered by the general treasurer in accordance with the same laws and fiscal procedures as the general funds of the state. The fund shall consist of…

There are hereby transferred to the department of administration: (1) Those functions of the historical preservation commission that were administered through or with respect to commission programs in the performance of strategic planning as defined in § 42-11-10(c); (2) All offi…

(a) There is hereby created within the executive department an historical preservation and heritage commission consisting of fifteen (15) members as follows: (1) Ten (10) members shall represent the public and shall be appointed by the governor as herein provided. Of the ten (10)…

The commission shall annually elect from its members a chairperson and secretary. Six (6) voting members of the commission shall constitute a quorum, and no vacancy in the membership of the commission shall impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the rights and perform all o…

The members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable actual expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties.

(a) The commission shall: (1) Establish criteria for evaluating historical, architectural, or cultural sites, buildings, places, landmarks, or areas so as to determine their value in terms of national, state, or local importance and to adjudge their worthiness for inclusion in th…

The general assembly shall annually appropriate such sums as it may deem necessary to enable the commission to carry out its assigned purposes; and the state controller is hereby authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of such …

The historical preservation and heritage commission shall appoint an executive director, who shall not be subject to the provisions of chapter 4 of title 36; and shall set the executive director’s compensation and terms of employment. The executive director, through a vote of the…

The governor shall designate a state historic preservation officer to serve at the governor’s pleasure and until the officer’s successor is appointed and qualified. The state historic preservation officer for the national park service shall also serve as state historic preservati…

It is hereby provided that the general treasurer establish a “historic preservation easement fund” for the purpose of receiving fees charged for acceptance of conservation easements. The historical preservation and heritage commission shall assess fees for acceptance of conservat…

All monies received as provided by § 42-45-9.1 shall be paid to the general treasurer who shall keep the funds in the historic preservation easement fund. The general treasurer may invest the funds in accordance with chapter 10 of title 35, until the funds are required for paymen…

It is essential to the maintenance of a democratic society that public business be performed in an open and public manner and that the citizens be advised of and aware of the performance of public officials and the deliberations and decisions that go into the making of public pol…

If any provision of this chapter, or the application of this chapter to any particular meeting or type of meeting, is held invalid or unconstitutional, the decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions or the other applications of this chapter.

Every year the attorney general shall prepare a report summarizing the complaints received pursuant to this chapter, which shall be submitted to the legislature and which shall include information as to how many complaints were found to be meritorious and the action taken by the …

The attorney general shall prepare a notice providing concise information explaining the requirements of this chapter and advising citizens of their right to file complaints for violations of this chapter. The notice shall be posted in a prominent location in each city and town h…

(a) All public bodies, to comply with the nondiscrimination on the basis of disability requirements of R.I. Const., Art. I, § 2 and applicable federal and state nondiscrimination laws (29 U.S.C. § 794, chapter 87 of this title, and chapter 24 of title 11), shall develop a transit…

In all actions brought under this chapter, the burden shall be on the public body to demonstrate that the meeting in dispute was properly closed pursuant to, or otherwise exempt from the terms of this chapter.

As used in this chapter: (1) “Meeting” means the convening of a public body to discuss and/or act upon a matter over which the public body has supervision, control, jurisdiction, or advisory power. As used herein, the term “meeting” expressly includes, without limiting the genera…

Every meeting of all public bodies shall be open to the public unless closed pursuant to §§ 42-46-4 and 42-46-5.

(a) By open call, a public body may hold a meeting closed to the public upon an affirmative vote of the majority of its members. A meeting closed to the public shall be limited to matters allowed to be exempted from discussion at open meetings by § 42-46-5. The vote of each membe…

(a) A public body may hold a meeting closed to the public pursuant to § 42-46-4 for one or more of the following purposes: (1) Any discussions of the job performance, character, or physical or mental health of a person or persons provided that the person or persons affected shall…

(a) All public bodies shall give written notice of their regularly scheduled meetings at the beginning of each calendar year. The notice shall include the dates, times, and places of the meetings and shall be provided to members of the public upon request and to the secretary of …

(a) All public bodies shall keep written minutes of all their meetings. The minutes shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) The date, time, and place of the meeting; (2) The members of the public body recorded as either present or absent; (3) A record by individual members…

(a) Any citizen or entity of the state who is aggrieved as a result of violations of the provisions of this chapter may file a complaint with the attorney general. The attorney general shall investigate the complaint and if the attorney general determines that the allegations of …

The provisions of this chapter shall be in addition to any and all other conditions or provisions of applicable law and are not to be construed to be in amendment of or in repeal of any other applicable provision of law, except § 16-2-29, which has been expressly repealed.

The governor is authorized to perform all acts necessary to establish and implement little state houses throughout the state of Rhode Island.

The little state houses shall: (1) Hear complaints from individual citizens and entertain suggestions for improving functions of government; (2) Work to remedy complaints and to implement suggestions, where feasible; (3) Provide information and direct citizens to the appropriate …

The little state houses shall be situated to serve natural centers of business and population, so far as is possible, to provide easy access for the citizens of Rhode Island.

The governor is empowered to appoint the personnel necessary for the orderly function of the little state houses, and to provide the training, support, and compensation necessary to ensure that these personnel are skilled in human relations techniques and have a wide knowledge of…

Each department of the state government shall assign one or more persons to act as liaison to the little state house staff. All departments and agencies of state government shall furnish advice, service, and information, documentary and otherwise, and cooperate fully and speedily…

(a) Diverse ethnic and linguistic communities have contributed to the social and economic prosperity of Rhode Island. (b) It is the welcomed responsibility and opportunity of Rhode Island to respect and facilitate the efforts of all cultural, ethnic, and linguistic segments of th…

There is established within the executive department a permanent commission to be known as the “governor’s commission on disabilities,” hereinafter referred to as “the commission.”

The commission shall establish a state coordinating committee on disability rights to advise and assist the commission to implement self-evaluation and compliance plans as required by federal and state laws protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. The committee sha…