R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-103-7 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-103 / Section 23-103-7
§ 23-103-7. Material violation  Corrective action plan.
Status: in_force

(a) A facility materially violates this chapter if the facility fails to:

(1) Comply with the requirements of § 23-103-2; or

(2) Publicize the facilitys standard charges in the form and manner required by §§ 23-103-3 and 23-103-4.

(b) If the commission determines that a facility has materially violated this chapter, the commission may issue a notice of material violation to the facility and request that the facility submit a corrective action plan. The notice shall indicate the form and manner in which the corrective action plan shall be submitted to the commission, and clearly state the date by which the facility shall submit the plan.

(c) A facility that receives a notice under subsection (b) of this section shall:

(1) Submit a corrective action plan in the form and manner, and by the specified date, prescribed by the notice of violation; and

(2) As soon as practicable after submission of a corrective action plan to the commission, act to comply with the plan.

(d) A corrective action plan submitted to the commission shall:

(1) Describe in detail the corrective action the facility will take to address any violation identified by the commission in the notice provided under subsection (b) of this section; and

(2) Provide a date by which the facility will complete the corrective action described by subsection (d)(1) of this section.

(e) A corrective action plan is subject to review and approval by the commission. After the commission reviews and approves a facilitys corrective action plan, the commission may monitor and evaluate the facilitys compliance with the plan.

(f) A facility is considered to have failed to respond to the commissions request to submit a corrective action plan if the facility fails to submit a corrective action plan:

(1) In the form and manner specified in the notice provided under subsection (b) of this section; or

(2) By the date specified in the notice provided under subsection (b) of this section.

(g) A facility is considered to have failed to comply with a corrective action plan if the facility fails to address a violation within the specified period of time contained in the plan.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-104-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-104 / Section 23-104-4
§ 23-104-4. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter:

(1) Clinician means a physician, physician assistant, dentist, or podiatrist who seeks and/or receives support from a health program defined in this chapter.

(2) Physician health program (PHP) means the Rhode Island physician health program, a confidential resource program established and administered by the Rhode Island Medical Society or a comparable organization to promote and support the physical and mental well-being of physicians, physician assistants, dentists, and podiatrists who may benefit from help to address physical and/or behavioral health concerns that may be affecting their personal and professional quality of life.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-33-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-33 / Section 23-33-5
§ 23-33-5. Permit to act as authorized inspector.
Status: in_force

The chief inspector may issue a permit to act as an authorized inspector to any person employed by: (1) an insurance company authorized to insure elevators in this state; or (2) any person, firm, or corporation engaged in the business of inspecting elevators in this state who holds a certificate of competency, having passed a written examination approved by the chief, or in lieu of such an examination, who holds a certificate of competency as an inspector of elevators from a state that has a standard of examination equal to that of this state. A permit to act as an authorized inspector shall empower the authorized inspector to make inspections.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-16 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-16
§ 23-17-16. Annual report of activities.
Status: in_force

The licensing agency shall prepare and publish an annual report of its activities and operations under this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-103-8 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-103 / Section 23-103-8
§ 23-103-8. Administrative penalty.
Status: in_force

(a) The commission may impose an administrative penalty on a facility in accordance with this chapter if the facility fails to:

(1) Respond to the commissions request to submit a corrective action plan; or

(2) Comply with the requirements of a corrective action plan submitted to the commission.

(b) The commission may impose an administrative penalty on a facility for a violation of each requirement of this chapter. The commission shall set the penalty in an amount sufficient to ensure compliance by facilities with the provisions of this chapter subject to the limitations prescribed by subsection (c) of this section.

(c) For a facility with one of the following total gross revenues as reported to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or to another entity designated by commission rule in the year preceding the year in which a penalty is imposed, the penalty imposed by the commission may not exceed:

(1) Ten dollars ($10.00) for each day the facility violated this chapter, if the facilitys total gross revenue is less than ten million dollars ($10,000,000);

(2) One hundred dollars ($100) for each day the facility violated this chapter, if the facilitys total gross revenue is ten million dollars ($10,000,000) or more and less than one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000); and

(3) One thousand dollars ($1,000) for each day the facility violated this chapter, if the facilitys total gross revenue is one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) or more.

(d) Each day a violation continues is considered a separate violation.

(e) In determining the amount of the penalty, the commission shall consider:

(1) Previous violations by the facilitys operator;

(2) The seriousness of the violation;

(3) The demonstrated good faith of the facilitys operator; and

(4) Any other matters as justice may require.

(f) An administrative penalty collected under this chapter shall be deposited to the credit of an account in the general revenue fund administered by the commission. Money in the account may be appropriated only to the commission.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-26 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-26
§ 23-17-26. Emergency health care.
Status: in_force

(a) Every healthcare facility that has an emergency medical-care unit, including freestanding emergency-care facilities, shall provide to every person prompt, life-saving, medical-care treatment in an emergency, and a sexual-assault examination for victims of sexual assault, without discrimination on account of economic status or source of payment, and without delaying treatment for the purpose of a prior discussion of the source of payment unless the delay can be imposed without material risk to the health of the person.

(b) Violations of this section shall be reported to the director of the state department of health who shall investigate the violations as the director deems appropriate.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-13-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-13 / Section 23-13-5
§ 23-13-5. Advice to parents concerning ophthalmia neonatorum.
Status: in_force

It shall be the duty of physicians, midwives, and any other persons that may be lawfully engaged in the practice of obstetrics or assisting at childbirths to inform parents or guardians of the serious nature and consequences of this disease and to advise the use of prophylactic measures designated by the department of health.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-48 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-48
§ 23-17-48. Labor disputes/actions.
Status: in_force

Health care facilities shall provide the licensing agency with prompt notice of pending and actual labor disputes/actions which would impact delivery of patient care services including, but not limited to, strikes, walk-outs, and strike notices. Health care facilities shall provide a plan, acceptable to the director, for continued operation of the facility, suspension of operations, or closure in the event of an actual or potential labor dispute/action. The director of health has the authority to promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-99-9 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-99 / Section 23-99-9
§ 23-99-9. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any section, clause, provision, or portion of this chapter is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, that holding shall not affect any other section, clause, or provision of this chapter which is not in and of itself unconstitutional.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-8.1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-8.1
§ 23-17-8.1. Curtailment of activities.
Status: in_force

Whenever the director determines that a health care facility licensed under this chapter is not being operated in conformance with all of the requirements established under this chapter, the director may, in lieu of suspension or revocation of the license of the facility, order the licensee to be placed on probationary status and set conditions with which the licensee must comply within a set period of time, order the licensee to admit no additional persons to the facility, to provide health services to no additional persons through the facility, to transfer all or some of the persons occupying the facility to other suitable accommodations, or to take any other corrective action necessary to secure compliance with the requirements established under this chapter. Notice of the order and any subsequent hearing that may be scheduled shall comply with the requirements of procedural due process stipulated in § 23-17-8. The director may act pursuant to this section only in those instances wherein the director determines that the continued operation of the facility will not result in undue hardship to its occupants.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-15-4.2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-15 / Section 23-15-4.2
§ 23-15-4.2. Exemption for research.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding the requirements of any other provisions of any general or public laws, capital expenditures by a health care facility related to research in basic biomedical or medical research areas that are not directly related to the provision of clinical or patient care services shall not require a certificate of need review and approval by the state agency.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-9-10 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-9 / Section 23-9-10
§ 23-9-10. Enforcement by sheriffs, sergeants, and constables.
Status: in_force

Every sheriff, deputy sheriff, town sergeant, and town constable shall carry the rules and regulations of the city or town council within his or her precinct into effect.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-11-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-11 / Section 23-11-3
§ 23-11-3. Compulsory treatment of infected persons.
Status: in_force

The department of health is empowered to require persons who are in an infectious condition with a sexually transmitted disease to report for treatment to a licensed physician and to continue treatment until cured of his or her infectious condition. Any person suffering from any sexually transmitted disease while in the infectious and contagious stage of that disease who refuses to report for treatment, or who refuses to continue treatment, shall be isolated and treated until that person has been pronounced by a licensed physician to be noninfectious and no longer a danger to the public health.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-19-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-19 / Section 23-19-5
§ 23-19-5. Definitions.
Status: in_force

The following words and phrases have the meanings ascribed to them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(1) Bonds and notes means bonds, including without limitation refunding bonds, notes, including without limitation renewal notes and bond anticipation notes, and other obligations or evidences of indebtedness of the corporation issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and the resolutions of the corporation.

(2) Central landfill means the central landfill located in Johnston.

(3) Corporation means the Rhode Island resource recovery corporation created and established pursuant to this chapter.

(4) Landfill revenues means the surplus, if any, of all tipping fees and other revenues received at the central landfill over the annual costs of the landfill, and a pro-rata share of the corporations administrative expenses.

(5) Municipal solid waste means that solid waste generated by the residents of a municipality in the course of their daily living, the disposal of which the governing body of that municipality has undertaken in the discharge of its duties to protect the health of the municipality. Municipal solid waste does not include solid waste generated by residents of a municipality in the course of their employment or that generated by any manufacturing or commercial enterprise.

(6) Municipal solid waste disposal arrangements means those arrangements entered into by a municipality which provide for the final disposal of wastes in a manner approved by the department of health, the department of environmental management, and the corporation; provided, however, that the disposal of wastes in transfer stations or facilities for interim storage shall not constitute final disposal of the wastes.

(7) Municipality means any town or city within the state.

(8) Person means any individual, firm, institution, partnership, association or corporation, public, or private, organized or existing under the laws of the state or other states including federal corporations, but excluding municipalities.

(9) Project means the design, acquisition, ownership, operation, construction, rehabilitation, improvement, development, sale, lease, or other disposition of, or the provision of financing for, any solid waste management facility or the industrial and/or business parks in the town of Johnston authorized by § 23-19-9(a)(7) and the highway access authorized by § 23-19-10.3.

(10) Recyclable materials means those materials separated from solid waste for reuse. The director of the department of environmental management through regulations shall specify those materials that are to be included within the definition of recyclables. The materials to be included may change from time to time depending upon new technologies, economic conditions, characteristics of the waste stream, environmental effects, or other factors.

(11) Recycling means the reuse of recovered resources in manufacturing, agriculture, power production, or other processes.

(12) Resource recovery means the processing of solid wastes in such a way as to produce materials or energy that may be used in manufacturing, agriculture, and other processes.

(13) Resource recovery system means the corporations integrated system of resource recovery consisting of a series of waste processing facilities designed to process a minimum of seventy percent (70%) of the municipal and commercial solid waste streams by employing an on-site waste separation technology for the purpose of recycling and/or reusing a minimum of seventy percent (70%) of the solid waste stream, and minimal use of landfills for the purpose of providing temporary backup or bypass landfill capacity and residue disposal from waste processing facilities and any other related facilities and services.

(14) Resource recovery system costs means all operating costs of the system; debt service and other financing costs related to the resource recovery system; the costs of recycling grants-in-aid and similar obligations of the corporation; allocations for extraordinary and unexpected costs; and a pro-rata share of the corporations administrative expenses.

(15) Resource recovery system revenues means all amounts received by the corporation as municipal tipping fees, non-municipal tipping fees, energy revenues, revenues from the sale of recyclable materials, and all other revenues received with respect to the resource recovery system, but shall not include any landfill revenues and any amounts received as a state subsidy.

(16) Revenues means monies or income received by the corporation in whatever form, including but not limited to fees, charges, lease payments, interest payments on investments, payments due and owing on account of an instrument, contract, or agreement between the corporation, any municipality, or person, gifts, grants, or any other monies or payments to which the corporation is entitled under the provisions of this chapter or any other law, or of any agreement, contract, or indenture.

(17) Segregated solid waste means material which has been separated from the waste stream at the generation source for the purpose of recovering and recycling the materials.

(18) Solid waste means garbage, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility and other discarded materials, including solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous material generated by residential, institutional, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sources but does not include solids or dissolved materials in domestic sewage.

(19) Solid waste management facility means any plant, structure, equipment, and other property, real, personal, or mixed, or the modification or replacement of any of the foregoing, for the receipt, storage, treatment, utilization, processing, transporting, or final disposition of or recovery of resources from solid waste other than segregated solid waste, or any facility which disposes of solid waste by reconstituting, converting, or otherwise recycling it into material which is not waste; or any property or system to be used in whole or in part for any of the previously mentioned purposes, whether or not another purpose is also served by it; or any other property or system incidental to, or which has to do with, or the end purpose of which, is any of the foregoing; or any combination of two (2) or more of the foregoing.

(20) Statewide resource recovery system development plan means that plan which will specify the location, size, and type of solid waste management facilities that may be required to develop an integrated statewide resource recovery system for the effective management of solid waste in Rhode Island. It will also specify a proposed schedule by which the component facilities will be phased into the statewide system, and it will provide for the administrative and financial requirements for implementing the plan.

(21) Waste management means actions taken to effectuate the receipt, storage, transportation, and processing for resource recovery and recycling, or for the ultimate disposal, of solid waste.

(22) Waste processing facility means a solid waste facility employing recycling based technology employing an on-site waste separation technology designed to process both nonsource separated and source separated solid waste for the purpose of recycling, and/or composting, and/or reusing a minimum of seventy percent (70%) of the municipal and commercial solid waste streams.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-100-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-100 / Section 23-100-2
§ 23-100-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

(1) Department means the Rhode Island department of health.

(2) Healthcare professional means physicians, physician assistants, dentists, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing assistants, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists, and any other licensees as defined by the department.

(3) Not currently working means unemployed-not looking for a job, unemployed and looking for a job, on extended leave, retired, or other.

(4) Principal specialty means the specialty the healthcare professional spends the most time practicing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-103-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-103 / Section 23-103-3
§ 23-103-3. List of standard charges required.
Status: in_force

(a) A facility shall:

(1) Maintain a list of all standard charges for all facility items or services in accordance with this section; and

(2) Ensure the list required under subsection (a)(1) of this section is available at all times to the public, including by posting the list electronically in the manner provided by this section.

(b) The standard charges contained in the list required to be maintained by a facility under subsection (a) of this section shall reflect the standard charges applicable to that location of the facility, regardless of whether the facility operates in more than one location or operates under the same license as another facility.

(c) The list required under subsection (a) of this section shall include the following items, as applicable:

(1) A description of each facility item or service provided by the facility;

(2) The following charges for each individual facility item or service when provided in either an inpatient setting or an outpatient department setting, as applicable:

(i) The gross charge;

(ii) The de-identified minimum negotiated charge;

(iii) The de-identified maximum negotiated charge;

(iv) The discounted cash price; and

(v) The payor-specific negotiated charge, listed by the name of the third-party payor and plan associated with the charge and displayed in a manner that clearly associates the charge with each third-party payor and plan; and

(3) Any code used by the facility for purposes of accounting or billing for the facility item or service, including the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code, the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code, the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) code, the National Drug Code (NDC), or other common identifier.

(d) The information contained in the list required under subsection (a) of this section shall be published in a single digital file that is in a machine-readable format.

(e) The list required under subsection (a) of this section shall be displayed in a prominent location on the home page of the facilitys publicly accessible internet website or accessible by selecting a dedicated link that is prominently displayed on the home page of the facilitys publicly accessible internet website. If the facility operates multiple locations and maintains a single internet website, the list required under subsection (a) of this section shall be posted for each location the facility operates in a manner that clearly associates the list with the applicable location of the facility.

(f) The list required under subsection (a) of this section shall:

(1) Be available:

(i) Free of charge;

(ii) Without having to establish a user account or password;

(iii) Without having to submit personal identifying information; and

(iv) Without having to overcome any other impediment, including entering a code to access the list;

(2) Be accessible to a common commercial operator of an internet search engine to the extent necessary for the search engine to index the list and display the list as a result in response to a search query of a user of the search engine;

(3) Be formatted in a manner prescribed by the commission;

(4) Be digitally searchable; and

(5) Use the following naming convention specified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, specifically:

(i) In prescribing the format of the list under subsection (f)(3) of this section, the commission shall:

(A) Develop a template that each facility shall use in formatting the list; and

(B) In developing the template under subsection (f)(5)(i)(A) of this section:

(I) Consider any applicable federal guidelines for formatting similar lists required by federal law or rule and ensure that the design of the template enables healthcare researchers to compare the charges contained in the lists maintained by each facility; and

(II) Design the template to be substantially similar to the template used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for purposes similar to those of this chapter, if the commission determines that designing the template in that manner serves the purposes of subsection (a) of this section and that the commission benefits from developing and requiring that substantially similar design.

(g) The facility shall update the list required under subsection (a) of this section at least once each year. The facility shall clearly indicate the date on which the list was most recently updated, either on the list or in a manner that is clearly associated with the list.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-19-13.5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-19 / Section 23-19-13.5
§ 23-19-13.5. Interim rates.
Status: in_force

The municipal tipping fee charged by the resource recovery corporation shall be as follows:

(1) Thirty-two dollars ($32.00) per ton from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2015, for any municipality that recycles between zero percent (0%) and twenty-four and ninety-nine hundredths percent (24.99%) of its solid waste at the Corporations material recycling facility (MRF) in Johnston.

(2) Thirty-one dollars ($31.00) per ton from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2015, for any municipality that recycles between twenty-five percent (25%) and twenty-nine and ninety-nine hundredths percent (29.99%) of its solid waste at the Corporations (MRF) in Johnston.

(3) Thirty dollars ($30.00) per ton from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2015, for any municipality that recycles between thirty percent (30%) and thirty-four and ninety-nine hundredths percent (34.99%) of its solid waste at the Corporations (MRF) in Johnston.

(4) Twenty-nine dollars ($29.00) per ton from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2015, for any municipality that recycles thirty-five percent (35%) or more of its solid waste at the Corporations (MRF) in Johnston.

(5) The Corporation shall issue a rebate not later than September 1 of each year to those municipalities qualifying for a year-end tipping fee adjustment according to the municipalitys actual recorded tonnage delivered to the MRF in Johnston, and in accordance with the provisions of the municipalitys current-year signed solid waste and recycling services agreement with the corporation.

(6) The corporation shall provide a rate plan with its proposed budget to be submitted to the state on or before October 1, 2014, in accordance with § 23-19-37.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-10 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-10
§ 23-17-10. Regulations, inspections, and investigations  Certain hospitals required to provide on-premises coverage by physician  Uniform reports  Data systems.
Status: in_force

(a)(1) The licensing agency, with the advice of the health services council, shall, after a public hearing pursuant to reasonable notice, adopt, amend, promulgate, and enforce rules, regulations, and standards with respect to each category of healthcare facility to be licensed under this chapter that may be designed to further the accomplishment of the purposes of this chapter in promoting safe and adequate treatment of individuals in healthcare facilities in the interest of public health, safety, and welfare. Provided, further, however, that all licensed medical, surgical, or obstetrical hospitals (excepting those hospitals as defined in § 23-17-2, as amended, which maintain an on-premises emergency room staffed by a licensed physician, resident, or intern at all times) and freestanding emergency-care facilities shall be required to protect their patients by providing on-premises coverage by a licensed physician, resident, or intern at all times.

(2) In developing regulations for home nursing-care providers and home-care providers, the director shall consider and adopt, where appropriate, standards of relevant, national accrediting bodies. The director shall make, or cause to be made, quality improvement and licensure inspections of each licensed, home nursing-care provider and home-care provider at a minimum of once in a twelve-month (12) period. These inspections shall include, but not be limited to: home visits, patient surveys, and employee interviews.

(b) The licensing agency shall make, or cause to be made, any inspections and investigations that it deems necessary, including medical records. The licensing agency, with the advice of the health services council, shall also adopt, amend, promulgate, and enforce rules and regulations to provide for a uniform system of reporting detailed financial and statistical data pertaining to the operation, services, and facilities of the healthcare facilities and the periodic reporting shall, in accordance with the rules and regulations, be concerned with, but not limited to, unit cost utilization charges of healthcare facility services, financial condition of healthcare facilities, and quality of healthcare facility care. The uniform reports shall also include institutional plans that shall be prescribed in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the licensing agency with the advice of the health services council. Each healthcare facility shall establish and maintain data systems to meet the requirements of any uniform system of periodic reporting that may be prescribed in accordance with the provisions of this section. The data shall be made available and be considered by the state agency concerned with the reimbursement and/or utilization of healthcare facility services.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-33-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-33 / Section 23-33-3
§ 23-33-3. Codes and rules available for public inspection.
Status: in_force

The chief inspector of the division of occupational safety shall have in his or her office, and open during business hours for public inspection, a copy of the codes and rules formulated and/or adopted by the commission, governing new installations of elevators or other devices, and a copy of the code of rules formulated and/or adopted by the commission governing the construction, inspection, maintenance, and operation of existing elevators or other devices.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-13-14 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-13 / Section 23-13-14
§ 23-13-14. Newborn screening program.
Status: in_force

(a) The physician, midwife, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant attending a newborn child shall cause that child to be subject to newborn screening tests for metabolic, endocrine, and hemoglobinopathy disorders, and other conditions for which there is a medical benefit to the early detection and treatment of the disorder, and an assessment for developmental risk. The department of health shall make rules and regulations pertaining to screenings, diagnostic, and treatment services as accepted medical practice shall indicate. The rules and regulations shall include, at a minimum, newborn screening tests for all disorders and conditions for which there is a medical benefit to the early detection and treatment of the disorder or condition listed in the current version of the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) issued by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and shall include newborn screening tests for all new disorders or conditions for which there is a medical benefit to the early detection and treatment of the disorder or condition added to the federal RUSP within two (2) years after the disorder or condition is added; provided, if the director of health determines in writing that it is not practicable to include a new disorder or condition within two (2) years, the time period may be extended for the shortest amount of time necessary, as determined by the director. The provisions of this section shall not apply if the parents of the child object to the tests on the grounds that those tests conflict with their religious tenets and practices.

(b) In addition, the department of health is authorized to establish by rule and regulation a reasonable fee structure for the newborn screening and disease control program, which includes but is not limited to, screening, diagnostic, and treatment services. The program shall be a covered benefit and be reimbursable by all health insurers, as defined in § 27-38.2-2, providing health insurance coverage in Rhode Island except for supplemental policies that only provide coverage for specific diseases, hospital indemnity Medicare supplements, or other supplemental policies. The department of human services shall pay for the program where the patient is eligible for medical assistance under the provisions of chapter 8 of title 40. The charges for the program shall be borne by the hospitals or other healthcare facilities where births occur in the absence of a third-party payor. Nothing in this section shall preclude the hospital or healthcare facility from billing the patient directly. The department of health is authorized to promulgate, by rule and regulation, requirements for the storage, access, and use of residual newborn screening specimens and classify data as protected health information. All personally identifiable information including records, correspondence, and documents specific to individual newborns and newborn screening specimens shall be used solely for purposes of the newborn screening program, such as medical intervention and counseling. Access to de-identified information shall be limited to the department and persons with a valid scientific interest and qualification as determined by the department, provided the department and such persons are engaged in demographic, epidemiologic, or other similar studies related to health and agree, in writing, to maintain the confidentiality of such information as prescribed in the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and chapter 37.3 of title 5 (Confidentiality of Health Care Information Act). Newborn screening specimens and newborn screening program information, records, reports, statements, notes, memoranda, or other data shall not be subjected to subpoena or discovery, nor shall it be admissible as evidence in any action of any kind in any court or before any other tribunal, board, agency, or person.

(c) There is created within the general fund a restricted receipt account to be known as the newborn screening account to implement the provisions of § 23-13-13 and this section. All funds received pursuant to § 23-13-13 and this section shall be deposited in the account. Funding dedicated exclusively to implement the provisions of § 23-13-13 and this section and received by the department of health from sources other than those identified in § 23-13-13 and this section may also be deposited in the newborn screening account. The general treasurer is authorized and directed to draw the general treasurers orders on the account upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers from the department of health.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-70-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-70 / Section 23-70-1
§ 23-70-1. Purpose of chapter.
Status: in_force

The legislature finds that:

(1) Osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease, is a major public health problem that, in many cases remains undiagnosed, resulting in fractures, pain, disability and immobility;

(2) Early detection and prevention are critical health care strategies for those at risk of osteoporosis; and

(3) It is in the public interest of this state to promote public awareness of the benefits and value of the early detection, prevention and appropriate treatment of osteoporosis.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-7-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-7 / Section 23-7-3
§ 23-7-3. Board established.
Status: in_force

There shall be established a state mosquito abatement board consisting of eleven (11) members. The board shall have the authority to approve, authorize, regulate, terminate and/or deny any and all mosquito abatement programs of any type within the state. The board shall have the authority to promulgate and enforce rules and regulations in accordance with chapter 35 of title 42 as may be deemed necessary by the board. Specifically, the board may prescribe or prohibit by regulation the use of materials, rates of application, methods, and timing to be used in the application of pesticides for mosquito control when necessary to protect health or property, or to prevent injury to plants and animals (including pollinating insects, birds, and aquatic life). In issuing its regulations, the board shall give due consideration to pertinent research findings, recommendations, and laws or regulations of other agencies of the state and of the federal government and to the best interests of the environment. Specifically, the director of environmental management, on behalf of the board, is authorized to enter or examine at any reasonable time those premises that the board considers necessary to carry out its responsibilities under §§ 23-7-1  23-7-15. The board may also provide technical assistance and educational information to any city, town, subdivision of any city or town, or any district in the development and implementation of a mosquito abatement program. The board shall draw staff support from the department of environmental management with the consent of the director.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-7 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-7
§ 23-17-7. Expiration and renewal of license.
Status: in_force

A license, unless sooner suspended or revoked, shall expire by limitation on the thirty-first (31st) day of December following its issuance and may be renewed from year to year. In the case of facilities that have not maintained federal certification, the license may be renewed after inspection, report, approval, and collection of fees by the licensing agency. The inspection shall be made any time prior to the date of expiration of the license. For those facilities that have maintained federal certification, no inspection shall be required. The report shall contain information in the form that the licensing agency shall prescribe by regulation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-74-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-74 / Section 23-74-4
§ 23-74-4. Prohibited conduct.
Status: in_force

The director may impose disciplinary action as described in this chapter against any unlicensed healthcare practitioner. The following conduct is prohibited and is grounds for disciplinary action:

(1) Conviction of a crime, including a finding or verdict of guilt, and admission of guilt, or a no contest plea, in any court in Rhode Island or any other jurisdiction in the United States, reasonably related to engaging in healthcare practices. Conviction, as used in this subdivision, includes a conviction of an offense that, if committed in this state, would be deemed a felony or misdemeanor, without regard to its designation elsewhere, or a criminal proceeding where a finding or verdict of guilty is made or returned, but the adjudication of guilt is either withheld or not entered.

(2) Engaging in sexual contact with an unlicensed healthcare client, engaging in contact that may be reasonably interpreted by a client as sexual or engaging in sexual exploitation of a client.

(3) Advertising that is false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading.

(4) Conduct likely to deceive, defraud, or harm the public or demonstrating a willful or careless disregard for the health or safety of an unlicensed healthcare client in which case, proof of actual injury need not be established.

(5) Adjudication as mentally incompetent or as a person who is dangerous to self or adjudicated as any of the following: chemically dependent, mentally ill, mentally ill and dangerous to the public, or as a sexual psychopathic personality or sexually dangerous person.

(6) Inability to engage in unlicensed healthcare practices with reasonable safety to unlicensed healthcare clients.

(7) Dependence upon controlled substances, habitual drunkenness or engaging in unlicensed healthcare practices while intoxicated or incapacitated by the use of drugs.

(8) Revealing a communication from, or relating to, an unlicensed healthcare client except when otherwise required or permitted by law.

(9) Failure to comply with an unlicensed healthcare clients request to furnish an unlicensed healthcare client record or report required by law.

(10) Splitting fees or promising to pay a portion of a fee to any other professional other than for services rendered by the other professional to the unlicensed healthcare client.

(11) Engaging in abusive or fraudulent billing practices, including violations of the federal Medicare and Medicaid laws or state medical assistance laws.

(12) Obtaining money, property, or services from an unlicensed healthcare client, other than reasonable fees for services provided to the client, through the use of undue influence, harassment, duress, deception, or fraud.

(13) Failure to provide an unlicensed healthcare client with a copy of the client bill of rights or violation of any provision of the client bill of rights.

(14) Violating any order issued by the director.

(15) Failure to comply with any provision of any rules adopted by the director.

(16) Failure to comply with any additional disciplinary grounds established by the director by rule.

(17) Revocation, suspension, restriction, limitation, or other disciplinary action against any healthcare license, certificate, registration, or right to practice of the unlicensed healthcare practitioner in this or another state or jurisdiction for offenses that would be subject to disciplinary action in this state or failure to report to the department that charges regarding the practitioners license, certificate, registration, or right of practice have been brought in this or another state or jurisdiction.

(18) False or misleading use of the title doctor, Dr., physician alone or in combination with any other words, letters, or insignia to describe the unlicensed healthcare practices the practitioner provides.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-25-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-25 / Section 23-25-5
§ 23-25-5. Misbranded.
Status: in_force

The term misbranded applies:

(1) To any pesticide or device designated under § 23-25-9(b)(4):

(i) If its labeling bears any statement, design, or graphic representation relative to it or to its ingredients which is false or misleading in any particular;

(ii) If it is an imitation of or is distributed under the name of another pesticide;

(iii) If any word, statement, or other information required to appear on the label or labeling is not prominently placed on it with any conspicuousness (as compared with other words, statements, designs, or graphic matter in the labeling) and in any terms as to render it unlikely to be read and understood by the ordinary individual under customary conditions of purchase and use.

(2) To any pesticide:

(i) If the labeling does not contain a statement of the EPA use classification under which the product is registered;

(ii) If the labeling accompanying it does not contain directions for use which are necessary for effecting the purpose for which the product is intended and, if complied with, together with any requirements imposed under § 3(d) of FIFRA, 7 U.S.C. § 136a(d), are not adequate to protect health and the environment;

(iii) If the label does not bear:

(A) Name, brand, or trademark under which the pesticide is distributed;

(B) An ingredient statement on that part of the immediate container (and on the outside container and wrapper of the retail package, if there is one, through which the ingredient statement on the immediate container cannot be clearly read) which is presented or displayed under customary conditions of purchase; provided, that the ingredient statement may appear prominently on another part of the container, as permitted pursuant to § 2(q)(2)(A) of FIFRA, 7 U.S.C. § 136(q)(2)(A), if the size or form of the container makes it impracticable to place it on the part of the retail package which is presented or displayed under customary conditions of purchase;

(C) A warning or caution statement which may be necessary and which, if complied with together with any requirements imposed under § 3(d) of FIFRA, 7 U.S.C. § 136a(d), would be inadequate to protect the health and environment;

(D) The net weight or measure of the content;

(E) The name and address of the manufacturer, registrant, or person for whom manufactured; and

(F) The EPA registration number assigned to each establishment in which it was produced and the EPA registration number assigned to the pesticide, if required by regulations under FIFRA.

(iv) If the pesticide contains any substance or substances in quantities highly toxic to humans, unless the label bears, in addition to other label requirements:

(A) The skull and crossbones;

(B) The word POISON in red prominently displayed on a background of distinctly contrasting color; and

(C) A statement of a practical treatment (first aid or otherwise) in case of poisoning by the pesticide.

(v) If the pesticide container does not bear a registered label.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-95-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-95 / Section 23-95-1
§ 23-95-1. Short title.
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Nondiscrimination in Access to Anatomical Gifts and Organ Transplants Act (Isaacs Law).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-11-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-11 / Section 23-11-4
§ 23-11-4. State laboratory facilities and treatment.
Status: in_force

The state department of health shall provide and/or make arrangements for laboratory tests for the diagnosis of sexually transmitted disease and shall provide and/or make arrangements for the clinical treatment of sexually transmitted diseases as determined by the director of health. In addition, the department of health is authorized to establish by rule and regulation a reasonable fee structure for these laboratory tests and clinical treatments.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-13-26 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-13 / Section 23-13-26
§ 23-13-26. Technology-dependent children  Definitions  Caretakers skills.
Status: in_force

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

(1) Advanced skills means familiarity and current experience with the following:

(i) Pediatric intensive care assessments skills;

(ii) Ventilator and respirator equipment;

(iii) Maintenance in oxygen therapy and pulse oximeter equipment;

(iv) Tracheostomy care  daily and emergency care;

(v) Respiratory suctioning and maintenance of suctioning equipment;

(vi) Administration of respiratory treatment and chest therapy;

(vii) Gastrostomy and naso-gastric care and gavage/pump feedings;

(viii) Administration and familiarity of multiple cardiopulmonary medications; and

(ix) Basic life support certification and periodic recertification.

(2) Medical devices or equipment include, but are not limited to, the following:

(i) Respirator;

(ii) Tracheostomy;

(iii) Oxygen;

(iv) Naso-gastric or gastrostomy tube;

(v) Indwelling catheter;

(vi) Intravenous device;

(vii) Total parenteral nutritional support; and

(viii) Peritoneal or hemodialysis.

(3) Technology-dependent children means:

(i) Children who have severe, chronic disabilities attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination of mental and physical impairments, which disability is manifested before the person attains the age of twenty-two (22), is likely to continue indefinitely, results in substantial functional limitations in three (3) or more of the following areas of major life activity:

(A) Self-care;

(B) Receptive and expressive language;

(C) Learning;

(D) Mobility;

(E) Self-direction;

(F) Capacity for independent living; or

(G) Economic self-sufficiency; and

(ii) Who requires medical devices or equipment to compensate for the chronic, persistent reduction or absence of a vital body function.

(b) Certified school nurse teachers, as defined in § 16-21-8, who provide direct care for technology-dependent children shall have advanced skills which include, but are not limited to, those skills in subsection (a)(1) of this section.

(c) The specific guidelines for the care of technology-dependent children in schools shall be included in the rules and regulations issued jointly by the director of the department of health and the board of regents for elementary and secondary education under the provisions of U.S. Public Law 108-446, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq., and chapter 24 of title 16 as part of the school health program.

(d) Nothing in § 16-11-2 shall be construed to prevent the board of regents from promulgating regulations requiring certified nurse teachers who provide direct care for technology-dependent children to obtain the advanced skills required under this section.

(e) The obligation of a school district to provide the services set forth in this section shall be determined in accordance with other applicable state and federal laws and regulations.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-64-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-64 / Section 23-64-2
§ 23-64-2. Purpose and findings.
Status: in_force

The general assembly has found and hereby declares that:

(1) Recent health data indicate that minority groups in Rhode Island, as in the United States, face excess rates of preventable disease compared to other nonminority populations.

(2) The mortality rate for minorities from such preventable diseases as heart disease, cancer and stroke is up to fifty (50) percent higher than non-minorities. Minorities also experience excess deaths from injury and excess morbidity due to low birth weight. All these health problems are amenable to reduction through lifestyle change.

(3) Minority populations in Rhode Island frequently encounter barriers to information and services which promote healthy lifestyles and prevent unnecessary disease.

(4) It is the intent of this chapter to establish a minority population health promotion program to provide health information, education and risk reduction activities to reduce the risk of premature death from preventable disease in minority populations.

(5) The minority health promotion program shall be funded by a tax imposed on smokeless tobacco, cigars and pipe tobacco  substances which have been determined by the United States surgeon general to be associated with preventable death and disease, particularly cancer of the mouth, oral cavity, and pharynx.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-25-28 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-25 / Section 23-25-28
§ 23-25-28. Penalties.
Status: in_force

(a) Civil penalties. (1) Any person who violates any provision of this chapter may be assessed a civil penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each offense. In addition to any civil penalty assessed in this subsection, the director may ban businesses or commercial applicators from providing pest control services to the state for a period of up to five (5) years when the director finds the business or commercial applicator has violated a provision of this chapter or the rules or regulations promulgated under this chapter with regard to the mixing or application of pesticides. (2) No penalty shall be assessed unless the person charged shall have been notified and given opportunity for a hearing before the director on the charge. In making the assessment, the director shall consider the size of the business, the ability of the person charged to continue in business, and the gravity of the violation.

(b) Criminal penalties. (1) Any person who knowingly violates any provision of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, on conviction, be fined not more than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or imprisoned for not more than sixty (60) days, or both. (2) Any person who, with intent to defraud, uses or reveals information relative to formulas of products acquired under authority of § 23-25-6 shall be fined not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or imprisoned for not more than three (3) years, or both.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-26-17 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-26 / Section 23-26-17
§ 23-26-17. Sterilization of second-hand as is articles  Contents of tag.
Status: in_force

No complete second-hand article of bedding, or piece of second-hand upholstered furniture, which has not been remade or renovated, shall be sold as is without first being sterilized by a process approved by the director of business regulation. The original tag shall be removed by the vendor who shall attach a tag stating that the article is second-hand  contents unknown; but this requirement shall not apply to articles sold at public auction, to the sale of antique furniture, or to a private sale from the home of the owner (not being a manufacturer or dealer in bedding) direct to the purchaser.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-62-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-62 / Section 23-62-1
§ 23-62-1. Disclosure required.
Status: in_force

All retail preparers of food, including but not limited to bakeries and restaurants, shall make available upon request a list of all preservatives and artificial ingredients added to food prepared on the premises. Excluded from these provisions are preservatives and artificial ingredients which are included in commercially available products such as dressings and other products used in the preparation of food.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-39 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-1 / Section 23-1-39
§ 23-1-39. Tattooing and/or body piercing.
Status: in_force

(a) The director shall promulgate rules and regulations which provide minimum requirements to be met by any person performing tattooing and/or body piercing upon any individual and for any establishment where tattooing and/or body piercing is performed. These requirements shall include, but not be limited to, general sanitation of premises wherein tattooing and/or body piercing is to be performed and sterilization of instruments. These rules and regulations shall place emphasis on the prevention of disease, specifically including, but not limited to, transmission of hepatitis B and/or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

(b) In addition, these rules and regulations shall establish procedures for registration with the department of health of all persons performing tattooing and/or body piercing, for registration of any establishment where tattooing and/or body piercing is performed, for regular inspections of premises where tattooing and/or body piercing is performed, for revocation of the registration of any person or establishment deemed in violation of the rules and regulations promulgated under this section. An annual registration fee in the amount as set forth in § 23-1-54 shall be paid by any person or establishment registered to perform tattooing and/or body piercing under this section. All fees shall be deposited by the department as general revenues.

(c) Body piercing of a minor is prohibited; provided, however, that body piercing will be allowed if the minor is accompanied by his or her parent or guardian, and the parent or guardian gives consent to the body piercing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-7-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-7 / Section 23-7-2
§ 23-7-2. Declaration of policy.
Status: in_force

Mosquitoes in Rhode Island do not pose a routine threat to the public health. There has rarely, if ever, been a case of mosquito-transmitted viral encephalitis recorded in this state. Mosquitoes are recognized to be a nuisance problem to the residents of this state. Specifically, it is declared to be the policy of the state that:

(1) Since large amounts of money have been spent by some individual cities and towns on mosquito control programs that have been ineffective, a combined effort by contiguous municipalities would be more economical and beneficial.

(2) The environment surrounding the areas within which mosquitoes live and breed shall remain in such condition that it will continue to sustain the full range of natural plant and animal life characteristic of that area while providing relief from that nuisance.

(3) Unwarranted and sometimes excessive spraying can irreversibly damage the environment. For this reason, pesticide use must be minimized.

(4) Water-level management is presently the best type of program suited for most areas of this state.

(5) Mosquito abatement programs should be accompanied by a public education campaign emphasizing individual citizens action for home and yard relief.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-74-13 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-74 / Section 23-74-13
§ 23-74-13. Additional remedies.
Status: in_force

(a) Cease and desist. (1) The director may issue a cease and desist order to stop a person from violating or threatening to violate a statute, rule, or order which the department has issued or is empowered to enforce. The cease and desist order must state the reason for its issuance and give notice of the persons right to request a hearing under the provisions of both this chapter and chapter 1 of title 23. If, within fifteen (15) days of service of the order, the subject of the order fails to request a hearing in writing, the order is the final order of the director and is not reviewable by a court or agency. (2) A hearing must be initiated by the department not later than thirty (30) days from the date of the departments receipt of a written hearing request. Within thirty (30) days of the hearing the director shall issue a final order modifying, vacating, or making permanent the cease and desist order, as the facts require. The final order remains in effect until modified or vacated by the director. (3) When a request for a stay accompanies a timely hearing request, the director may, in the directors discretion, grant the stay. If the director does not grant a requested stay, the director shall refer the request to the superior court within three (3) working days of receipt of the request. Within ten (10) days after receiving the request from the director, a superior court judge shall issue an order to grant or deny the stay. (4) In the event of noncompliance with a cease and desist order, the director may institute a proceeding in superior court to obtain injunctive relief or other appropriate relief, including a civil penalty payable to the department not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each separate violation.

(b) Injunctive relief. In addition to any other remedy provided by law, including the issuance of a cease and desist order under subsection (a) of this section, the director may in his or her own name, bring an action in superior court for injunctive relief to restrain an unlicensed health care practitioner from a violation or threatened violation of any statute, rule, or order which the director is empowered to regulate, enforce, or issue.

(c) Additional powers. The issuance of a cease and desist order or injunctive relief granted under this section does not relieve a practitioner from criminal prosecution by a competent authority or from disciplinary action by the director.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-16-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-16 / Section 23-16-4
§ 23-16-4. Powers of the director.
Status: in_force

The director of the state department of health is authorized and empowered to comply with or do any and all other acts or duties necessary or required to be done as a condition to receiving federal aid or grants with respect to the establishment, construction, maintenance, equipping, or operation for all the people of the state of adequate facilities and services as specified in § 23-16-2, including, but not limited to, the authority:

(1) To provide for an inventory of existing facilities or a particular category or categories of existing facilities, and to survey the need for additional facilities;

(2) To develop and administer a construction program or programs which, in conjunction with existing facilities, will afford adequate facilities to serve the people of the state;

(3) To provide methods of administration, including personnel standards, on a merit basis, and to require reports, make investigations, and prescribe regulations;

(4) To provide for priority of projects or facilities;

(5) To provide to applicants an opportunity for a fair hearing before the state department of health;

(6) To procure in the directors discretion the temporary or intermittent services of experts or consultants or organizations of experts or consultants by contract, when the services are to be performed on a part-time or fee-for-service basis and do not involve the performance of administrative duties; and

(7) To prescribe and require compliance with standards of maintenance and operation applicable to those facilities that are reasonably necessary to protect the public health, welfare, and safety.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-5.2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-1 / Section 23-1-5.2
§ 23-1-5.2. Office of private well water contamination.
Status: in_force

There is created the office of private well water contamination within the department of health.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-95-6 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-95 / Section 23-95-6
§ 23-95-6. Insurance.
Status: in_force

(a) As used in this section, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) Covered person means a policyholder, subscriber, enrollee, member, or individual covered by a health benefit plan.

(2) Health benefit plan means a policy, contract, certificate, or agreement entered into, offered, or issued by a health insurer to provide, deliver, arrange for, pay for, or reimburse any of the costs of healthcare services. Health benefit plan shall not include a plan providing coverage for excepted benefits and short-term policies that have a term of less than twelve (12) months.

(3) Health insurer means an entity subject to the insurance laws and regulations of this state, or subject to the jurisdiction of the Rhode Island health insurance commissioner, that contracts or offers to contract to provide, deliver, arrange for, pay for, or reimburse any of the costs of healthcare services, including through a health benefit plan as defined in this section, and shall include a sickness and accident insurance company, a health maintenance organization, a preferred provider organization, or any similar entity, or any other entity providing a plan of health insurance or health benefits.

(b) A health insurer that provides coverage for anatomical gifts, organ transplants, or related treatment and services shall not:

(1) Deny coverage to a covered person solely on the basis of the persons disability;

(2) Deny to a patient eligibility, or continued eligibility, to enroll or to renew coverage under the terms of the health benefit plan, solely for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of this section;

(3) Penalize or otherwise reduce or limit the reimbursement of an attending provider, or provide monetary or nonmonetary incentives to an attending provider, to induce the provider to provide care to an insured or enrollee in a manner inconsistent with this section; or

(4) Reduce or limit coverage benefits to a patient for the medical services or other services related to organ transplantation performed pursuant to this section as determined in consultation with the attending physician and patient.

(c) In the case of a health benefit plan maintained pursuant to one or more collective bargaining agreements between employee representatives and one or more employers, any plan amendment made pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement relating to the plan that amends the plan solely to conform to any requirement imposed pursuant to this section shall not be treated as a termination of the collective bargaining agreement.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be deemed to require a health insurer to provide coverage for a medically inappropriate organ transplant.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-63-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-63 / Section 23-63-3
§ 23-63-3. Environmental impact statement  Necessity  Approval of director.
Status: in_force

No export of tires for burning shall be permitted to a facility which has not submitted to the satisfaction of the director, in accordance with reasonable rules and regulations, an environmental impact statement conforming to the United States environmental protection agency standards. Upon the filing of a satisfactory environmental impact statement, the director shall conduct a public hearing seeking public comment prior to granting final approval of the statement and approval of the export of the tires. The environmental impact statement shall be required regardless of whether it is required at the facility site by the United States environmental protection agency regulations.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-8-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-8 / Section 23-8-2
§ 23-8-2. Authority of the governor to authorize immunization programs.
Status: in_force

Whenever it shall be determined by the governor that a voluntary mass immunization program is necessary to protect the health and welfare of the people, he or she may issue a proclamation authorizing the program, and a copy of the proclamation shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state. All individuals or public or private agencies that participate in the authorized mass immunization projects shall not be liable to any person who experiences or purports to experience adverse effects arising from the immunization or attendant procedures; provided, however, that informed consent is obtained. Nothing in this chapter shall exempt from liability for gross negligence any individual or public or private agency participating in an authorized mass immunization project, nor shall the provisions of this chapter exempt any drug manufacturer from any liability, regardless of the degree of negligence for any drug or vaccine used in the projects.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-53 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-1 / Section 23-1-53
§ 23-1-53. Cost of legal fees.
Status: in_force

(a) The director is hereby authorized and may in his or her discretion recover the reasonable cost of legal services provided to the department of health by attorneys of the office of legal counsel or attorneys under contract to perform attorney functions and activities for the department of health pursuant to chapters 15 and 17.14 of this title and §§ 23-17-14.3 and 23-17-14.4. Nothing in this section shall limit the power of the director to retain legal counsel and to recover the costs of such legal counsel pursuant to other provisions of the general laws.

(b) There is created within the general fund a restricted receipt account to be known as the health systems reimbursement account. All funds deposited in the account shall be utilized by the department of health to implement the provisions of this section incurred by the department pursuant to chapters 15 and 17.14 of this title and §§ 23-17-14.3 and 23-17-14.4. All funds received for the department pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the health system reimbursement account. The general treasurer is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders on the account upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers from the department of health.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-76-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-76 / Section 23-76-2
§ 23-76-2. Determination of need.
Status: in_force

Upon a determination by the director of the department of health that there is clear evidence that adverse and avoidable health outcomes from a preventable and acute communicable disease are expected to affect identifiable categories of high-risk individuals throughout Rhode Island and that assistance with the administration of vaccine is warranted due to a vaccine shortage to protect or treat those individuals, the director shall be authorized to implement the provisions contained in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-33-21 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-33 / Section 23-33-21
§ 23-33-21. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any provision of this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the sections, and the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-25-19 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-25 / Section 23-25-19
§ 23-25-19. Storing and disposal of pesticides and pesticide containers.
Status: in_force

No person shall transport, store, or dispose of any pesticide or pesticide containers in such a manner as to cause injury to humans, vegetation, crops, livestock, wildlife, beneficial insects or to pollute any waterway or water body in a way harmful to any wildlife in the waterway or waterbody. The director shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the storing and disposal of those pesticides or pesticide containers. These standards shall be consistent with any regulations promulgated pursuant to § 19 of FIFRA, 7 U.S.C. § 136q, or any acts cited therein.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-93-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-93 / Section 23-93-3
§ 23-93-3. Exemption for multi-practice facilities.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding the requirements of any other provisions of any general or public laws, the following circumstances shall not require a certificate of need review and approval by the state agency:

(1) The merger of an existing, currently licensed multi-practice physician ambulatory surgery center or multi-practice podiatry ambulatory surgery center (as such terms are defined in § 23-17-2) with another such center; or

(2) An existing, currently licensed multi-practice physician ambulatory surgery center or multi-practice podiatry ambulatory surgery center (as such terms are defined in § 23-17-2) expanding its operation to add an additional operating room in excess of two (2) operating rooms.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-19-15 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-19 / Section 23-19-15
§ 23-19-15. Short term notes.
Status: in_force

(a) Money borrowed by the corporation for the purpose of providing temporary financing of a project or projects or combination of projects pending the issuance of bonds or other notes shall be evidenced by notes or other obligations.

(b) The principal and interest of all notes or other obligations of the corporation issued under the provisions of this section shall be payable from the following:

(1) From the proceeds of bonds subsequently issued; or

(2) From the proceeds of subsequent borrowings which comply with the provisions of this section; or

(3) From general revenues of the corporation, the lien on which may be equal and proportionate with, but not superior to, that securing outstanding bonds or bonds subsequently issued.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, all the notes shall be deemed to be negotiable instruments under the laws of the state subject only to the provisions for registration contained therein.

(d) The notes or other obligations or any issue thereof shall be in a form and contain any other provisions that the corporation may determine, and the notes or resolutions or proceedings authorizing the notes or other obligations or any issue thereof may contain, in addition to any provisions, conditions, covenants, or limitations authorized by this chapter, any provisions, conditions, covenants, or limitations which the corporation is authorized to include in any resolution or resolutions authorizing bonds or notes or in any trust indenture relating bonds or notes.

(e) The corporation may issue notes or other obligations in a manner either publicly or privately on terms that it may determine to be in its best interests.

(f) The notes or other obligations may be issued under the provisions of this chapter without obtaining the consent of any department, division, commission, board, body, or agency of the state, without any other proceedings or the happening of any conditions or things other than those proceedings, conditions, or things which are specifically required by this chapter, and by the provisions and resolutions authorizing the issuance of the notes or obligations.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-75-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-75 / Section 23-75-5
§ 23-75-5. Unsafe childrens products  Child care.
Status: in_force

(a) A child day care center may not use or have on the premises, on or after January 1, 2004, an unsafe childrens product as described in § 23-75-3. This subsection does not apply to an antique or collectible childrens product if it is not used by, or accessible to, any child in the child care facility.

(b) The department of children, youth and families shall notify child day care centers, on an ongoing basis, of the provisions of this section and the Childrens Product Safety Act and of unsafe childrens products, as determined in accordance with this chapter, in plain, non-technical language that will enable each child day care center to effectively inspect childrens products and identify unsafe childrens products.

(c) The department of children, youth and families shall adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

(d) Each child day care center shall, as part of the licensing, licensing renewal, or periodic update process conducted by the department of children, youth and families certify in writing that it has reviewed each of the bulletins and notices issued by the department of health regarding unsafe childrens products, and that there are no unsafe products in the facility.

(1) The department of children, youth and families shall prepare a certification form, and shall require each facility to complete the certification form in the process of licensing, renewal, or periodic update.

(2) The department of children, youth and families shall retain the certification form completed by each facility in each respective facilitys licensing file.

(e) Each child day care center shall maintain a file containing all bulletins, notices, or both issued by the department of health and/or the department of children, youth and families regarding unsafe childrens products, and shall make the file accessible to the facility staff members and to parents of the children who attend the day care center.

(f) The department of children, youth and families may revoke or refuse to renew the license of any child day care center or refuse to issue full license to the holder of a permit should the licensee or holder of a permit not comply with any section of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-63-4.8 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-63 / Section 23-63-4.8
§ 23-63-4.8. Pecuniary penalties for deficiencies.
Status: in_force

If any part of the deficiency for which a deficiency determination is made is due to negligence or intentional disregard of the provisions of this chapter, a penalty of ten percent (10%) of the amount of the determination shall be added thereto. If any part of the deficiency for which a deficiency determination is made is due to fraud or an intent to evade the provisions of this chapter, a penalty of fifty percent (50%) of the amount of the determination shall be added thereto.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-18-12 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-18 / Section 23-18-12
§ 23-18-12. Vandalism in cemetery  Civil penalties.
Status: in_force

Any person who shall be convicted of vandalism of cemetery property shall, in addition to any fine or penalty imposed by the court, pay treble damages to the agency whose cemetery sustained the damage. In the event the convicted offender is a minor, the family court may, if it determines that the juvenile is unable to pay treble damages, require the offender to perform specified work at the cemetery site where the damage was sustained for a period of time that in the courts opinion will equal treble the damages inflicted at the cemetery.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-26-22 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-26 / Section 23-26-22
§ 23-26-22. Contents of inspection stamps.
Status: in_force

Inspection stamps shall bear the seal of the state of Rhode Island and such other matter as the director may require.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-45 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-45
§ 23-17-45. Quality standards for volume related tertiary services.
Status: in_force

The director is authorized to establish through regulation quality and volume related standards to be achieved and maintained for specific tertiary health care services offered by individual licensed health care facilities where peer reviewed medical and health literature establishes significant relationships between desired quality related outcomes and volume of services provided. The standards shall include time frames for achieving stipulated volumes of services. In developing the standards the director shall seek input from affected providers and the public at large. The director may accept in regulation the standards of and the accreditation from recognized national accrediting entities in lieu of standards and assessments otherwise developed pursuant to this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-99-8 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-99 / Section 23-99-8
§ 23-99-8. Accountability and audit.
Status: in_force

(a) The board shall be responsible for establishing accountability standards, reporting standards, and outcome measurements for all of its expenditures, including all investments and grants.

(b) The board and the hub shall comply with provisions of chapter 155 of title 42 (quasi-public corporations accountability and transparency act).

(c) In addition to the requirements pursuant to the provisions of subsection (b) of this section and § 42-155-7, the books and records of the hub shall be audited by an outside audit firm selected and paid for by the hub, in accordance with § 35-7-13 at least on an annual basis, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and generally accepted government auditing standards.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-72-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-72 / Section 23-72-2
§ 23-72-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

Department means the department of health.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-72-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-72 / Section 23-72-4
§ 23-72-4. Mercury consumers guide.
Status: in_force

(a) The department of health shall prepare a consumers guide to mercury and other health advisories. The department of health shall make copies available to the department of environmental management, division of fish and wildlife, at no charge, for distribution to private and public entities designated to issue fishing licenses.

(b) The department shall update the consumers guide as necessary, and shall make copies of the guide available to other members of the public upon request. The guide shall be printed in large type in English, Spanish and other languages used in the state. The guide shall also list the telephone number that consumers may call for further information about the health advisories.

(c) The department of environmental management shall require that a copy of the consumers guide be distributed to all applicants for a fishing license at the time the license is issued. The department of environmental management shall include on each fishing license issued in Rhode Island one hundred eighty (180) days after the effective date of this act [July 13, 2001] the telephone number established that residents may call for further information about the health advisories.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-59-17 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-59 / Section 23-59-17
§ 23-59-17. Penalties.
Status: in_force

Any person who willfully and knowingly violates any provision of this chapter, or any rule, regulation, or order issued under this chapter, shall be subject to payment of a fine in the sum of one thousand dollars ($1,000).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-46 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-1 / Section 23-1-46
§ 23-1-46. Insurers.
Status: in_force

(a) Beginning January 1, 2016, a portion of the amount collected pursuant to §42-7.4-3, up to the actual amount expended or projected to be expended by the state for vaccines for children that are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and/or mandated by state law, less the federal share determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less any amount collected in excess of the prior years funding requirement as indicated in subsection (b) (the child immunization funding requirement) shall be deposited into the childhood immunization account described in §23-1-45(a). These funds shall be used solely for the purposes of the childhood immunization programs described in §23-1-44, and no other. Beginning January 1, 2016, a portion of the amount collected from the healthcare services funding method described in §42-7.4-3, up to the actual amount expended or projected to be expended by the state for adult immunizations recommended by ACIP and/or mandated by state law, less the federal share determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less any amount collected in excess of the prior years funding requirement as indicated in subsection (b) (the adult immunization funding requirement) shall be deposited into the adult immunization account described in §23-1-45(c). These funds shall be used solely for the purposes of the adult immunization programs described in §23-1-44 and no other.

(b) The department of health shall submit to the general assembly an annual report on the immunization programs and costs related to the programs, on or before February 1 of each year.

Any funds collected in excess of funds needed to carry-out ACIP recommendations, taking into account a reasonable annual carry forward surplus, shall be deducted from the subsequent years funding requirements.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-75-6 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-75 / Section 23-75-6
§ 23-75-6. Retrofits.
Status: in_force

(a) An unsafe childrens product, as determined pursuant to § 23-75-3, may be retrofitted if the retrofit has been approved by the agency of the federal government issuing the recall or warning or the agency responsible for approving the retrofit is different from the agency issuing the recall or warning. A retrofitted childrens product may be sold if it is accompanied at the time of sale by a notice declaring that it is safe to use for a child under six (6) years of age. The commercial user is responsible for ensuring that the notice is present with the retrofitted product at the time of sale. The notice shall include:

(1) A description of the original problem which made the recalled product unsafe;

(2) A description of the retrofit which explains how the original problem was eliminated and declaring that it is now safe to use for a child under six (6) years of age;

(3) The name and address of the commercial user who accomplished the retrofit certifying that the work was done along with the name and model number of the product retrofitted.

(b) A retrofit is exempt from this chapter if:

(1) The retrofit is for a childrens product that requires assembly by the consumer, the approved retrofit is provided with the product by the commercial user, and the retrofit is accompanied at the time of sale by instructions explaining how to apply the retrofit; or

(2) The seller of a previously unsold product accomplishes the repair, approved or recommended by an agency of the federal government, prior to sale.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-45_23-1-45 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-1 / Section 23-1-45_23-1-45
§ 23-1-45. Immunization account. [As amended by P.L. 2024, ch. 424, § 1.]23-1-45. Immunization account. [As amended by P.L. 2024, ch. 423, § 2; See Compilers Note.]
Status: in_force

(a) There is created within the general fund a restricted receipt account to be known as the childhood immunization account. All money in the account shall be utilized by the department of health to effectuate the provisions of § 23-1-44 that relate to the childhood immunization program. All money received pursuant to §§ 23-1-46 and 23-1-47 for the childhood immunization program shall be deposited in the childhood immunization account. Funding dedicated exclusively to effectuate the provisions of § 23-1-44 and this subsection received by the department of health from sources other than those identified in §§ 23-1-46 and 23-1-47 may also be deposited in the childhood immunization account. Up to 15% of the annual revenues from this account may be used to support costs associated with childhood immunization program administrative and quality assurance services and KIDSNET. The general treasurer is authorized and directed to draw the general treasurers orders on the account upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers from the department of health. Provided that for FY 2025 only, the department shall use up to eight hundred fifty thousand dollars ($850,000) of available resources from the account to effectuate coverage for the following services: the existing PediPRN and MomsPRN information lines together with any additional information line, referral service, or hotline that is available to providers or residents in the state, and that is funded pursuant to regulation adopted by the director of the department of health. The department must submit a report to the speaker of the house and senate president no later than March 1, 2025, regarding use of these funds as well as recommendations for support beyond FY 2025.

(b) There is created within the general fund a restricted receipt account to be known as the pandemic medications and equipment account for the purposes of funding pandemic medications and equipment. There shall be an expenditure in FY 2007 not to exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000) for pandemic influenza medications and equipment. Funding dedicated exclusively to effectuate the provisions of this subsection and received by the department of health from sources other than those identified in §§ 23-1-45, 23-1-46 and 23-1-47 may also be deposited in the pandemic medications and equipment account. The general treasurer is authorized and directed to draw the general treasurers orders on the account upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers from the department of health.

(c) There is created within the general fund a restricted receipt account to be known as the adult immunization account. All funds in the account shall be utilized by the department of health to effectuate the provisions of § 23-1-44 that relate to the adult immunization program. All funds received for adult immunization programs pursuant to §§ 23-1-46 and 23-1-47 shall be deposited in the adult immunization account. Funding dedicated exclusively to effectuate the provisions of this subsection and received by the department of health from sources other than those identified in §§ 23-1-46 and 23-1-47 may also be deposited in the adult immunization account. The general treasurer is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders on the account upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers from the department of health. Provided that for FY 2025 only, the department shall use up to eight hundred fifty thousand dollars ($850,000) of available resources from the account to effectuate coverage for the following services: the existing PediPRN and MomsPRN information lines together with any additional information line, referral service, or hotline that is available to providers or residents in the state, and that is funded pursuant to regulation adopted by the director of the department of health. The department must submit a report to the speaker of the house and senate president no later than March 1, 2025, regarding use of these funds as well as recommendations for support beyond FY 2025.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-94-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-94 / Section 23-94-3
§ 23-94-3. Conversion therapy efforts for minors prohibited  Violations and enforcement.
Status: in_force

(a) No licensed professional shall advertise for or engage in conversion therapy efforts with or relating to a patient(s) under the age of eighteen (18).

(b) Any conversion therapy practiced by a licensed professional, as defined in § 23-94-2, on a patient under the age of eighteen (18) shall be considered unprofessional conduct and shall subject them to discipline by the department, which discipline may include suspension and revocation of the professionals license.

(c) The department is hereby authorized to initiate proceedings for violations of this section.

(d) The department shall promulgate rules in accordance with the provisions of this section. These rules and regulations shall include, but not be limited to, a clear distinction between conversion therapy and other types of medically or clinically recognized therapies and practices, including, but not limited to, those practices referenced in § 23-94-2(1)(ii).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-74-12 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-74 / Section 23-74-12
§ 23-74-12. Licensed or regulated practitioners.
Status: in_force

If a practitioner investigated under this chapter is licensed or registered by the director of health or a health-related licensing board, is subject to the jurisdiction of the director, and the director determines that the practitioner has violated any provision of this chapter, the director in addition to taking disciplinary action under this section:

(1) May, if the practitioner is licensed or regulated in another capacity by the director, take further disciplinary action against the practitioner in that capacity; or

(2) Shall, if the practitioner is licensed or registered in another capacity by a health-related licensing board, report the directors findings under this section, and may make a nonbinding recommendation that the board take further action against the practitioner in that capacity.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-60-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-60 / Section 23-60-2
§ 23-60-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter:

(1) Consumer means an individual who purchases a vehicle battery for use, consumption, or any use other than resale;

(2) Dealer means every person in this state who engages in the sale of vehicle batteries;

(3) Director means the director of the department of environmental management;

(4) Distributor means every person who engages in the sale of vehicle batteries to a dealer in this state including any manufacturer who engages in such sales;

(5) Manufacturer means a person who manufactures vehicle batteries;

(6) Person means any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, or organization of any kind whatsoever;

(7) Vehicle means every vehicle which is self-propelled and designed for carrying persons or property or which is used for the transportation of persons, including, but not limited to, buses, automobiles, truck, boats, motorcycles, farm, lawn and garden equipment, and snowmobiles;

(8) Vehicle battery means batteries used in any vehicle, or of a capacity of six (6) volts or more, and of one hundred fifty (150) pounds or less in weight, and like batteries in stationary uses.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-7-9 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-7 / Section 23-7-9
§ 23-7-9. Right to appeal board decisions.
Status: in_force

Any decision of the state mosquito abatement board on a proposed mosquito abatement program may be appealed to the director of environmental management. Appeal proceedings shall be in accordance with chapter 35 of title 42.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-57 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-57
§ 23-17-57. Podiatry ambulatory-surgery center  Accreditation, survey, complaint investigation, and exemptions.
Status: in_force

(a) Accreditation from a national organization acceptable to the director may be required, at the discretion of the director, in lieu of an annual survey by the department.

(b) The provisions of subsection (a) shall not limit in any way the prerogatives of the director to inspect any podiatry ambulatory-surgery center at any reasonable time, whether for purpose of general survey or for complaint investigation. The director has access to all records of the licensed podiatry ambulatory-surgery center including medical records.

(c) Single practice podiatry ambulatory-surgery centers as defined in § 23-17-2(18) are exempt from the requirements of chapter 15 of this title.

(d) Single practice podiatry ambulatory-surgery centers as defined in § 23-17-2(18) are exempt from the provisions of §§ 23-17-14.3 and 23-17-14.4 with respect to initial licensure under this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-69-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-69 / Section 23-69-4
§ 23-69-4. Compact administrator.
Status: in_force

The compact administrator for this state as required by article VI of this compact shall be the director of health.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-37-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-37 / Section 23-37-3
§ 23-37-3. Injuring property of fire company.
Status: in_force

Any person who shall wantonly or maliciously cut or otherwise injure any hose or apparatus belonging to or used by any fire department, company, association, or other organization organized for the purpose of and engaged in the suppression of fires, whether incorporated or not, shall be subject to a fine of not less than twenty dollars ($20.00) nor more than two hundred dollars ($200), or shall be imprisoned for a term of not more than thirty (30) days, either or both, at the discretion of the court.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-26-18 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-26 / Section 23-26-18
§ 23-26-18. Sterilization and tagging of articles exposed to contagious disease.
Status: in_force

Nothing in this chapter shall authorize the sale of an article of bedding that has been exposed to infectious or contagious disease and which, after the exposure, has not been sterilized and approved for use. If the director shall find any article of bedding or filling material which has been used by or about any person having an infectious or contagious disease, the director shall tag the article of bedding or material with a tag bearing the word unclean in conspicuous letters. The tag shall not be removed except by the director.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-97-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-97 / Section 23-97-4
§ 23-97-4. Provider responsibilities.
Status: in_force

To use an assessment mechanism to conduct an eye assessment or to generate a prescription, a person shall be an actively licensed provider acting within their scope of practice, and the provider shall:

(1) Conform to the standard of eye health care expected of traditional in-person clinical settings as appropriate to the patients age and presenting condition, including when the standard of care requires the use of diagnostic testing and performance of a physical examination, which may be carried out through the use of peripheral devices appropriate to the patients condition.

(2) Not use the data or information obtained from an eye assessment as the sole basis for issuing a prescription.

(3) Read and interpret the diagnostic information and data, including any photographs and scans, gathered by the assessment mechanism.

(4) Verify the identity of the patient requesting treatment via the assessment mechanism.

(5) Verify the patient is at least eighteen (18) years of age.

(6) For issuing prescriptions for visual aid glasses, verify that the patient has received an in-person comprehensive eye examination by a provider within the previous twenty-four (24) months.

(7) For issuing prescriptions for contact lenses, verify that the patient has received an in-person comprehensive eye health examination by a provider:

(i) For the initial prescription and one follow-up or first renewal of the initial prescription; or

(ii) Within twenty-four (24) months after the follow-up or first renewal of the initial prescription, and every twenty-four (24) months thereafter.

(8) Create and maintain a medical record for each patient, which is for use during the ongoing treatment of a patient, and complies with all state and federal laws regarding maintenance and accessibility.

(9) Provide a handwritten or electronic signature, along with their Rhode Island state license number, certifying their diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, prescription, or consultation recommendations of the patient.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-77-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-77 / Section 23-77-1
§ 23-77-1. Legislative findings and purpose.
Status: in_force

Research shows that the application of information technology such as electronic medical records, computer-based physician order entry and electronic data interchange, has significant potential for improving healthcare quality and safety and obtaining efficiencies in the healthcare delivery system. The healthcare system has been slower than other sectors of the economy to use advances in information technology to achieve improvements in efficiencies and quality. Hospitals and healthcare providers face barriers in accessing the capital needed to make investments in information technology. Government, which pays for about one-third ( ) of the nations healthcare cost, has a substantial interest in obtaining cost efficiencies by promoting investment in healthcare information technology and infrastructure. There is a need for coordination and collaboration among healthcare payers, providers, consumers and government in designing and implementing a statewide interoperable healthcare information infrastructure that includes standards for administrative data exchange, clinical support programs, quality performance measures and the maintenance of the security and confidentiality of individual patient data. It is the intent of the legislature to promote the implementation of healthcare information technology and the development of an interoperable statewide healthcare information infrastructure by creating a special fund to be used to supplement any funds which would otherwise be available for these purposes.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-11-11 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-11 / Section 23-11-11
§ 23-11-11. Power to examine suspected cases  Right of suspect to own physician.
Status: in_force

For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this chapter, the state department of health is empowered to make examinations of persons reasonably suspected of having sexually transmitted disease; provided, however, that any person so examined shall have the right to have present at that examination, at his or her own expense, a physician selected by him or her. The state department of health shall inform him or her of this right and afford him or her a reasonable opportunity to exercise that right; and at the trial of any person being prosecuted under the provisions of § 23-11-12, the prosecution must prove that he or she was so informed and was afforded that opportunity. Persons under eighteen (18) years of age may give legal consent for examination and treatment for any sexually transmitted disease. For the purposes of this section, physical examination and treatment by a licensed physician or his or her designated representative upon the person of a minor who has given consent shall not constitute an assault or an assault and battery upon the person.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-10-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-10 / Section 23-10-4
§ 23-10-4. Register of tubercular cases.
Status: in_force

It shall be the duty of the state department of health to keep a register of all persons in this state known to be affected with tuberculosis. The state department of health shall have sole, exclusive control of that register and shall not permit its inspection nor disclose any of its personal particulars except to officials authorized under the laws of this state to receive that information.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-3-6 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-3 / Section 23-3-6
§ 23-3-6. Local registrars.
Status: in_force

The town clerks of the several towns or any person whom the city council of any city or the town council of any town may appoint for that purpose shall be known as the local registrar, and he or she shall perform the duties provided for in § 23-3-7.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-13-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-13 / Section 23-13-3
§ 23-13-3. Appropriations by cities and towns.
Status: in_force

Any city or town may annually appropriate a sum to be expended for the promotion of the welfare and hygiene of maternity and infancy in that city or town, under the supervision of and in cooperation with the state department of health, and that city or town may provide that any appropriation may be expended by the state department of health or under the joint supervision of the department and an officer or agent appointed by that city or town to co-operate with the department in carrying out the purposes of the appropriation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-42 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-42
§ 23-17-42. Home nursing care providers  Uncompensated care provisions.
Status: in_force

The director shall establish minimum level of uncompensated care on an annual basis to be provided by licensed home nursing care providers. These minimal levels shall be reasonable and shall be based upon historical levels of uncompensated care with the exclusion of bad debt. Failure to meet this standard shall be grounds for action pursuant to §§ 23-17-8 and 23-17-8.1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-24-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-24 / Section 23-24-1
§ 23-24-1. Short title.
Status: in_force

This chapter may be cited as the Hazardous Substances Act.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-21-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-21 / Section 23-21-2
§ 23-21-2. License required  Issuance and expiration of license.
Status: in_force

No person shall maintain within this state any recreation facility or use until that person shall have obtained a license for a facility or use from the department. The director, upon receipt of an application for a recreation facility or use shall cause the facility or use to be inspected and, if the facility or use is found to comply with the provisions of this chapter and the regulations adopted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, shall issue a license upon receipt of a fee as set forth in § 23-1-54. In order to set the license renewal dates so that all activities for each establishment can be combined on one license instead of on several licenses, the license renewal date shall be set by the department of health. The license period shall be for twelve (12) months, commencing on the license renewal date, unless sooner suspended or revoked for violation of the provisions of this chapter or the regulations adopted in accordance with this chapter, and the license fee shall be at the full annual rate regardless of the date of application or the date of issuance of license. If the license renewal date is changed, the department may make an adjustment to the fees of licensed establishments, not to exceed the annual license fee, in order to implement the change in license renewal date.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-33-12 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-33 / Section 23-33-12
§ 23-33-12. Inspection  Reinspection  Examination and Licensee fee  Renewal.
Status: in_force

(a)(1) For every original inspection made by the inspectors under the provisions of this chapter, the owner shall pay to the division the required fee which shall include the cost of the certificate. The fee shall be paid in the amount of amounts as set forth as follows:

(2) A fee in the amount of one percent (1%) of the contract price shall accompany each application for a permit to install or modernize any device subject to the provisions of this chapter.

(b) The inspection fee shall be paid immediately upon the conclusion of the inspection and before a certificate is issued, provided, however, that no inspection fees shall be paid by any city, town, or fire district, or state agency, or by any religious or charitable society, association, or church.

(c) A delinquent payment fee shall be due and payable on all invoices received more than thirty (30) days past the billing date.

(d) All certificates shall be renewable annually except for those certificates issued to locations with full maintenance contracts. Such locations shall be issued certificates valid for a period of two (2) years, unless the contract becomes null and void, in which case the certificate shall become annually renewable. All certificates shall be valid until revoked.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-103-9 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-103 / Section 23-103-9
§ 23-103-9. Legislative recommendations.
Status: in_force

The commission may propose to the legislature recommendations for amending this chapter, including recommendations in response to amendments by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to 45 C.F.R. Part 180.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-10.4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-10.4
§ 23-17-10.4. Rehabilitation special care unit and sub-acute special care unit disclosure by facilities.
Status: in_force

Any nursing facility which offers to provide or provides care for patients or residents by means of a rehabilitation special care unit or sub-acute special care unit shall be required to disclose the form of care or treatment provided, in addition to that care and treatment required by the rules and regulations for the licensing of nursing facilities. That disclosure shall be made to the licensing agency and to any person seeking placement in a rehabilitation special care unit or sub-acute special care unit of a nursing facility. The licensing agency shall develop a standard disclosure form and shall review the information provided on the disclosure form by the nursing facility to verify the accuracy of the information provided on it. Any significant changes in the information provided by the nursing facility will be reported to the licensing agency at the time the changes are made.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-15-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-15 / Section 23-15-4
§ 23-15-4. Review and approval of new health care equipment and new institutional health services.
Status: in_force

(a) No health care provider or health care facility shall develop or offer new health care equipment or new institutional health services in Rhode Island, the magnitude of which exceeds the limits defined by this chapter, without prior review by the health services council and approval by the state agency; except that review by the health services council may be waived in the case of expeditious reviews conducted in accordance with § 23-15-5, and except that health maintenance organizations which fulfill criteria to be established in rules and regulations promulgated by the state agency with the advice of the health services council shall be exempted from the review and approval requirement established in this section upon approval by the state agency of an application for exemption from the review and approval requirement established in this section which contain any information that the state agency may require to determine if the health maintenance organization meets the criteria.

(b) No approval shall be made without an adequate demonstration of need by the applicant at the time and place and under the circumstances proposed, nor shall the approval be made without a determination that a proposal for which need has been demonstrated is also affordable by the people of the state.

(c) No approval of new institutional health services for the provision of health services to inpatients shall be granted unless the written findings required in accordance with § 23-15-6(b)(6) are made.

(d) Applications for determination of need shall be filed with the state agency on a date fixed by the state agency together with plans and specifications and any other appropriate data and information that the state agency shall require by regulation, and shall be considered in relation to each other no less than once a year. A duplicate copy of each application together with all supporting documentation shall be kept on file by the state agency as a public record.

(e) The health services council shall consider, but shall not be limited to, the following in conducting reviews and determining need:

(1) The relationship of the proposal to state health plans that may be formulated by the state agency;

(2) The impact of approval or denial of the proposal on the future viability of the applicant and of the providers of health services to a significant proportion of the population served or proposed to be served by the applicant;

(3) The need that the population to be served by the proposed equipment or services has for the equipment or services;

(4) The availability of alternative, less costly, or more effective methods of providing services or equipment, including economies or improvements in service that could be derived from feasible cooperative or shared services;

(5) The immediate and long term financial feasibility of the proposal, as well as the probable impact of the proposal on the cost of, and charges for, health services of the applicant;

(6) The relationship of the services proposed to be provided to the existing health care system of the state;

(7) The impact of the proposal on the quality of health care in the state and in the population area to be served by the applicant;

(8) The availability of funds for capital and operating needs for the provision of the services or equipment proposed to be offered;

(9) The cost of financing the proposal including the reasonableness of the interest rate, the period of borrowing, and the equity of the applicant in the proposed new institutional health service or new equipment;

(10) The relationship, including the organizational relationship of the services or equipment proposed, to ancillary or support services;

(11) Special needs and circumstances of those entities which provide a substantial portion of their services or resources, or both, to individuals not residing within the state;

(12) Special needs of entities such as medical and other health professional schools, multidisciplinary clinics, and specialty centers; also, the special needs for and availability of osteopathic facilities and services within the state;

(13) In the case of a construction project:

(i) The costs and methods of the proposed construction,

(ii) The probable impact of the construction project reviewed on the costs of providing health services by the person proposing the construction project; and

(iii) The proposed availability and use of safe patient handling equipment in the new or renovated space to be constructed.

(14) Those appropriate considerations that may be established in rules and regulations promulgated by the state agency with the advice of the health services council;

(15) The potential of the proposal to demonstrate or provide one or more innovative approaches or methods for attaining a more cost effective and/or efficient health care system;

(16) The relationship of the proposal to the need indicated in any requests for proposals issued by the state agency;

(17) The input of the community to be served by the proposed equipment and services and the people of the neighborhoods close to the health care facility who are impacted by the proposal;

(18) The relationship of the proposal to any long-range capital improvement plan of the health care facility applicant.

(19) Cost impact statements forwarded pursuant to subsection 23-15-6(e).

(f) In conducting its review, the health services council shall perform the following:

(1) Within one hundred and fifteen (115) days after initiating its review, which must be commenced no later than thirty-one (31) days after the filing of an application, the health services council shall determine as to each proposal whether the applicant has demonstrated need at the time and place and under the circumstances proposed, and in doing so may apply the criteria and standards set forth in subsection (e) of this section; provided however, that a determination of need shall not alone be sufficient to warrant a recommendation to the state agency that a proposal should be approved. The director shall render his or her decision within five (5) days of the determination of the health services council.

(2) Prior to the conclusion of its review in accordance with § 23-15-6(e), the health services council shall evaluate each proposal for which a determination of need has been established in relation to other proposals, comparing proposals with each other, whether similar or not, establishing priorities among the proposals for which need has been determined, and taking into consideration the criteria and standards relating to relative need and affordability as set forth in subsection (e) of this section and § 23-15-6(f).

(3) At the conclusion of its review, the health services council shall make recommendations to the state agency relative to approval or denial of the new institutional health services or new health care equipment proposed; provided that:

(i) The health services council shall recommend approval of only those proposals found to be affordable in accordance with the provisions of § 23-15-6(f); and

(ii) If the state agency proposes to render a decision that is contrary to the recommendation of the health services council, the state agency must render its reasons for doing so in writing.

(g) Approval of new institutional health services or new health care equipment by the state agency shall be subject to conditions that may be prescribed by rules and regulations developed by the state agency with the advice of the health services council, but those conditions must relate to the considerations enumerated in subsection (e) and to considerations that may be established in regulations in accordance with subsection (e)(14).

(h) The offering or developing of new institutional health services or health care equipment by a health care facility without prior review by the health services council and approval by the state agency shall be grounds for the imposition of licensure sanctions on the facility, including denial, suspension, revocation, or curtailment or for imposition of any monetary fines that may be statutorily permitted by virtue of individual health care facility licensing statutes.

(i) No government agency and no hospital or medical service corporation organized under the laws of the state shall reimburse any health care facility or health care provider for the costs associated with offering or developing new institutional health services or new health care equipment unless the health care facility or health care provider has received the approval of the state agency in accordance with this chapter. Government agencies and hospital and medical service corporations organized under the laws of the state shall, during budget negotiations, hold health care facilities and health care providers accountable to operating efficiencies claimed or projected in proposals which receive the approval of the state agency in accordance with this chapter.

(j) In addition, the state agency shall not make grants to, enter into contracts with, or recommend approval of the use of federal or state funds by any health care facility or health care provider which proceeds with the offering or developing of new institutional health services or new health care equipment after disapproval by the state agency.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-18-14 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-18 / Section 23-18-14
§ 23-18-14. Records of disposition.
Status: in_force

(a) Agencies, as defined in § 23-18-1, are responsible for the proper maintenance of all records of disposition of human remains, and all burials shall be accompanied with appropriate records or combination of records giving location and name of deceased, date of burial, record of property owner, and a geographic schematic indicating the specific location of final disposition. The agencies have the ability to cross reference this material as the agencies deem necessary as long as the records insure the accuracy and quality control of the location and name of the deceased.

(b) The agencies shall supply this information to the general public upon reasonable request.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-63-7 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-63 / Section 23-63-7
§ 23-63-7. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any clause, sentence, paragraph, or part of this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstance shall, for any reason, be adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remainder of this chapter or its application to other persons or circumstances.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-1 / Section 23-1-2
§ 23-1-2. Inquiries to local authorities and physicians.
Status: in_force

The director of health shall make inquiry, from time to time, of the city and town clerks and practicing physicians, in relation to the prevalence of any disease, or knowledge of any known or generally believed source of disease or causes of general ill health, and also in relation to acts for the promotion and protection of the public health, and also in relation to diseases among domestic animals in their several cities and towns; and those city and town clerks and practicing physicians shall give information, in reply to the inquiries, of those facts and circumstances that have come to their knowledge.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-22-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-22 / Section 23-22-2
§ 23-22-2. Rules and regulations.
Status: in_force

The department of health shall make any rules and regulations, not inconsistent with this chapter, that it may deem advisable with reference to the design, equipment, condition, and maintenance of swimming pools for the purpose of insuring the health and safety of its users, and with reference to the submission of samples of water to the department for the purpose of the analysis as required in this chapter. The department may also make any rules and regulations, not inconsistent with this chapter, as it may deem advisable, requiring and regulating the display of the licenses provided for in § 23-22-7, and as to any and all matters pertaining to the administration of this chapter, and may from time to time rescind, modify, and amend the rules and regulations made by it pursuant to this section. The department shall upon request furnish to any person owning or maintaining a swimming pool or applying for a license to maintain a swimming pool a copy of the rules and regulations made by it pursuant to this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-75-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-75 / Section 23-75-2
§ 23-75-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

In this chapter:

(1)(i) Childrens product means a product, including, but not limited to, a full-size crib, non-full-size crib, toddler bed, bed, car seat, chair, high chair, booster chair, hook-on chair, bath seat, gate or other enclosure for confining a child, play yard, stationary activity center, carrier, stroller, walker, or infant or baby swing, that meets the following criteria:

(A) The product is designed or intended for the care of, or use by, children under six (6) years of age or is designed or intended for the care of, or use by, both children under six (6) years of age and children six (6) years of age or older; and

(B) The product is designed or intended to come into contact with the child while the product is used.

(ii) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a product is not a childrens product for purposes of this chapter if:

(A) It may be used by or for the care of a child under six (6) years of age, but it is designed or intended for use by the general population or segments of the general population and not solely or primarily for use by or the care of a child; or

(B) It is a medication, drug, or food or is intended to be ingested.

(2) Commercial user means any person who deals in childrens products or who otherwise by ones occupation holds oneself out as having knowledge or skill peculiar to childrens products, or any person who is in the business of remanufacturing, retrofitting, selling, leasing, subletting, or otherwise placing in the stream of commerce childrens products.

(3) Person means a natural person, firm, corporation, limited liability company, or association, or an employee or agent of a natural person or an entity included in this definition.

(4) Infant means any person less than thirty-five (35) inches tall and less than three (3) years of age.

(5) Crib means a bed or containment designed to accommodate an infant.

(6) Full-size crib means a full-size crib as defined in 16 CFR 1508.3 regarding the requirements for full-size cribs.

(7) Non-full-size crib means a non-full-size crib as defined in 16 CFR 1509.2 regarding the requirements for non-full-size cribs.

(8) Place in the stream of commerce means to sell, offer for sale, give away, offer to give away, or allow the use of.

(9) Child day care center means any person, firm, corporation, association or agency who, on a regular or irregular basis, receives any child under the age of sixteen (16) years, for the purpose of care and/or supervision, not in a home or residence, apart from his or her parent or guardian for any part of a twenty-four (24) hour day irrespective of compensation or reward. It shall include child care programs that are offered to employees at the worksite. It does not include nursery schools or other programs of educational services subject to approval by the commissioner of education.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-18-7 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-18 / Section 23-18-7
§ 23-18-7. Re-interment of bodies in structure becoming health menace.
Status: in_force

Whenever a mausoleum, vault, crypt, or similar structure previously or hereafter erected and containing one or more deceased human bodies, shall, in the opinion of the city or town where the structure is located, become a menace to public health, and the owner or owners of the structure fail to repair or remove the structure to the satisfaction of the city or town, any court of competent jurisdiction may order the person, association, or other agency owning the structure to remove the body or bodies for interment in some suitable cemetery at the expense of the person, association, or other agency owning the mausoleum, vault, crypt, or similar structure. When no person, association, or any representative of any agency can be found in the county where the mausoleum, vault, crypt, or similar structure is located, then the removal and interment shall be at the expense of the cemetery or other agency where the mausoleum, vault, crypt, or similar structure may be located.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-19-32 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-19 / Section 23-19-32
§ 23-19-32. Grants-in-aid.
Status: in_force

Funds shall be provided by the corporation for a period no longer than three (3) years after a community enters the recycling program to offset reasonable collection and hauling costs required by instituting separation of recyclables, and for the purposes of offsetting reasonable administrative costs of the department of environmental management, as approved by the department of administration. The department of environmental management, in conjunction with the corporation and with the approval of the department of administration, shall determine reasonable costs, and the corporation shall reimburse cities and towns from funds so provided, following the same rules and regulations established by the department of administration under § 45-13-9. The provisions of this section shall be in lieu of those required under §§ 45-13-7  45-13-10 that shall not apply to this program.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-25-23 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-25 / Section 23-25-23
§ 23-25-23. Records.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person issued a pesticide dealers license under the provisions of this chapter shall be required by the director to keep accurate records containing the following information:

(1) The delivery, movement, or holding of any restricted use or state limited use pesticide, including the quantity;

(2) The date of shipment and receipt;

(3) The name of consignor and name and certification number of the consignee; and

(4) Any other information necessary for the enforcement of this chapter as prescribed in regulations adopted by the director.

(b) The director or his or her agent shall have access to the records at any reasonable time to copy or make copies of the records for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this chapter. Unless required for the enforcement of this chapter, that information shall be confidential and, if summarized, shall not identify an individual person.

(c) The director shall require certified applicators to maintain records with respect to applications of restricted use and state limited use pesticides and may require those records on all pesticides. Any relevant information that the director may deem necessary may be specified by regulation. The records shall be kept for a period of at least two (2) years from the date of the application to which the records refer, and the director shall, upon a request in writing, immediately be furnished with a copy of the records by the certified applicator.

(d) The director may require licensed commercial applicators to maintain records with respect to applications of all pesticides. Any relevant information that the director may deem necessary may be specified by regulation. The records shall be kept for a period of two (2) years from the date of the application to which the records refer, and the director shall, upon a request in writing, immediately be furnished with a copy of the records by the licensed commercial applicator.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-74-10 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-74 / Section 23-74-10
§ 23-74-10. Hearings.
Status: in_force

(a) If the director proposes to take action against the practitioner as described in this chapter and pursuant to § 23-1-22, the director must first notify the practitioner against whom the action is proposed to be taken and provide the practitioner with an opportunity to request a hearing. If the practitioner does not request a hearing by notifying the director within thirty (30) days after service of the notice of the proposed action, the director may proceed with the action without a hearing. If a hearing is requested, a hearing shall be scheduled by the director as soon as is practicable. The director shall, issue a notice of a hearing of the charges, which shall specify the time and place of the hearing and notify the accused that he or she may file with the director a written response within twenty (20) days of the date of service. The notice shall also notify the accused that a stenographic record of the proceedings will be kept, that he or she will have the opportunity to appear personally and to have counsel present with the right to produce witnesses and evidence in his or her own behalf, to cross examine witnesses, to examine any documentary evidence that may be produced against him or her and to have subpoenas issued by the director.

(b) The director may at the directors discretion reinstate the right to practice and may impose any disciplinary measure listed under this chapter. Provided, the time limits set forth in this chapter shall control over any inconsistent or contrary provisions in § 23-1-22.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-3-27 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-3 / Section 23-3-27
§ 23-3-27. Duties to furnish information relative to vital events.
Status: in_force

Any person having knowledge of the facts shall furnish information that he or she may possess regarding any birth, death, fetal death, marriage, or divorce, upon demand of the state registrar of vital records.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-7-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-7 / Section 23-7-5
§ 23-7-5. Vacancies, quorum and removal for cause.
Status: in_force

(a) Any vacancy which may occur in the board shall be filled by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate for the remainder of the unexpired term. A member shall be eligible to succeed himself or herself.

(b) Six (6) members of the board shall constitute a quorum.

(c) Members of the board shall be removable by the governor pursuant to § 36-1-7 of the general laws and for cause only, and removal solely for partisan or personal reasons unrelated to capacity or fitness for the office shall be unlawful.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-3-25.1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-3 / Section 23-3-25.1
§ 23-3-25.1. Veterans exemption for fees for copies and searches.
Status: in_force

Any veteran who served honorably in the military or naval service of the United States shall be processed without a charge or fee when making a request for vital statistics regarding a request for his or her own personal records.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-26-24 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-26 / Section 23-26-24
§ 23-26-24. Inspection powers  Confiscation.
Status: in_force

Every place, where articles of bedding are made, remade, or renovated, or materials therefore are prepared or sterilized, or where the articles or materials are sold, shall be subject to inspection by the director who shall have the power to inspect the manufacture and sale or delivery of all articles or materials covered by this chapter, and power to destroy or to seize and hold for evidence any article of bedding, in whole or in part, which is made or sold in violation of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-14 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-1 / Section 23-1-14
§ 23-1-14. Vouchers for disbursements.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding the provisions of any general law, public law, or resolution which may provide for the personal approval of the director of health, the state controller is authorized to make payment for all expenditures of the department of health upon receipt of duly authenticated vouchers from that department.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-25-34 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-25 / Section 23-25-34
§ 23-25-34. Prior liability.
Status: in_force

The enactment of this chapter shall not have the effect of terminating, or in any way modifying, any liability, civil or criminal, which shall already be in existence on May 28, 1976.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-10-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-10 / Section 23-10-5
§ 23-10-5. Transmission of reports to local agencies.
Status: in_force

The state department of health shall be authorized to submit reports of cases of tuberculosis which it receives and has on file in its register to city and town health departments and to other community agencies, voluntary and official, properly organized to receive those reports, capable of maintaining an adequate system of tuberculosis control within their respective communities.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-24-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-24 / Section 23-24-4
§ 23-24-4. Prohibited acts.
Status: in_force

The following acts and the causing of the acts are prohibited:

(1) The introduction or delivery for introduction into intrastate commerce of any misbranded hazardous substance or banned hazardous substance;

(2) The alteration, mutilation, destruction, obliteration, or removal of the whole or any part of the label of, or the doing of any other act with respect to, a hazardous substance, if that act is done while the substance is in intrastate commerce or while the substance is held for sale (whether or not the first sale) in the state, and results in the hazardous substance being a misbranded hazardous substance or banned hazardous substance;

(3) The receipt in intrastate commerce of any misbranded hazardous substance or banned hazardous substance and the delivery or proffered delivery of them for pay or otherwise;

(4) The giving of a guarantee or undertaking referred to in § 23-24-5(b)(2) which guarantee or undertaking is false, except by a person who relied upon a guarantee or undertaking to the same effect signed by, and containing the name and address of, the person residing in the state from whom he or she received in good faith the hazardous substance;

(5) The failure to permit entry or inspection as authorized by § 23-24-11(b) or to permit access to and copying of any record as authorized by § 23-24-12;

(6) The introduction or delivery for introduction into intrastate commerce, or the receipt in intrastate commerce and subsequent delivery or proffered delivery for pay or otherwise, of a hazardous substance in a reused food, drug, or cosmetic container, or in a container which, though not a reused container, is identifiable as a food, drug, or cosmetic container by its labeling or by other identification. The reuse of a food, drug, or cosmetic container as a container for a hazardous substance shall be deemed to be an act which results in the hazardous substance being a misbranded hazardous substance. As used in this subdivision, the terms food, drug, and cosmetic, shall have the same meaning as in the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, chapter 31 of title 21;

(7) The use by any person to his or her own advantage, or revealing other than to the consumer protection unit or employees of the consumer protection unit or to the courts when relevant in any judicial proceeding under this chapter of any information acquired under authority of § 23-24-11 concerning any method or process which as a trade secret is entitled to protection.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-93-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-93 / Section 23-93-5
§ 23-93-5. Moratorium  Statewide health plan  Inventory of healthcare facilities, equipment and services.
Status: in_force

(a) The health services council shall not review, and applicable state licensing agencies shall not issue, any approvals for new healthcare equipment or new institutional health services prior to July 1, 2015; provided, however, that any review by the health services council and approval by state agencies may be conducted during the moratorium period in the case of an emergency circumstance; a certificate of need not previously approved; a certificate of need request made pursuant to the nursing home culture change beds as defined in §23-17-44(d); a certificate of need request made by a hospital or by a healthcare facility under common ownership with a hospital; a change in ownership with respect to an institutional health service; a change in the effective control of a hospital or other licensed facility; upgrades or improvements of services related to prior changes in effective control; or a compelling circumstance affecting the quality of life with respect to a certain geographic area or subpopulation such as, but not limited to, pain management delivered to the home. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any certificate of need application pending at the time of passage of this chapter shall continue to be reviewed pursuant to the provisions of chapter 15 of title 23; and shall not be subject to the moratorium provisions of this chapter.

(b) During the moratorium period provided in subsection (a) above, the department of health (for purposes of this section referred to as the department) shall conduct, and shall conduct on a biennial basis thereafter, a statewide healthcare utilization and capacity study. Such study may include, but not be limited to, an assessment of:

(1) The current availability and utilization of acute hospital care, hospital emergency care, specialty hospital care, outpatient surgical care, home care and hospice agencies, assisted daily living and nursing homes, long-term care facilities, primary care and specialty and clinic care, behavioral and mental health care, and substance abuse care and services;

(2) The geographic areas and subpopulations that may be underserved or have reduced access to specific types of healthcare services; and

(3) Other factors that the department deems pertinent to healthcare utilization including, but not limited to, the number of magnetic resonance imaging facilities and physician ambulatory surgi-centers. Not later than November 1 of the year in which the study is conducted, the department shall report to the governor, the general assembly, and the healthcare planning and accountability advisory council (council) on the findings of the study. Such report may also include the departments recommendations for addressing identified gaps in the provision of health services and institutional health services; recommendations concerning a lack of access to health services and institutional health services; and duplicative and/or redundant services.

(c)(1) The department, in consultation with the council and such other state agencies as it deems appropriate, shall establish and maintain a statewide health plan. Such plan may include, but not be limited to:

(i) An assessment of the availability of acute hospital care, hospital emergency care, specialty hospital care, outpatient surgical care, home care and hospice agencies, primary care and clinic care, behavioral and mental health care, and substance abuse care and services;

(ii) An evaluation of the unmet needs of persons at risk and vulnerable populations as determined by the department and the council;

(iii) A projection of future demand for health services and institutional health services and the impact that technology may have on the demand, capacity, or need for such services; and

(iv) Recommendations for the expansion, reduction, or modification of healthcare facilities, health services, or institutional health services. The department, in consultation with healthcare providers, healthcare facilities, and the council, shall develop a process that requires, as a condition of licensure, that healthcare providers and healthcare facilities incorporate the state wide health plan into their long-range planning and shall facilitate communication between appropriate state agencies concerning innovations or changes that may affect future health planning. Information needed for the development of the state health plan shall be gathered through systematic methods designed to include local, regional, and statewide perspectives. The department, in conjunction with the council, shall update the statewide health plan not less than once every two (2) years.

(2) The state health plan shall identify:

(i) Major statewide health concerns;

(ii) The availability and use of current health resources of the state, including resources associated with information technology; capacity provided by existing healthcare physicians; and providers of service and institutions of higher education; and

(iii) Future health service, information technology, and facility needs of the state.

(3) The state health plan shall:

(i) Propose strategies for the correction of any deficiencies in the state health delivery system;

(ii) Propose strategies for incorporating information technology in the health service and institutional health service delivery system;

(iii) Propose strategies for involving state-supported institutions of higher education in providing health services and for coordinating those efforts with health and human services agencies; and

(iv) Provide proposals for the states legislative and executive decision-making processes to consider implementing the strategies proposed by the plan.

(d)(1) For purposes of conducting the statewide healthcare utilization and capacity study and preparing the statewide health plan, and in order to identify the location, distribution, and nature of all healthcare resources in the state, the department shall establish and maintain an inventory of all healthcare facilities, health services, and institutional health services in the state and the equipment located in such healthcare facilities. The statewide inventory of all healthcare services and equipment shall also include, without limitation, current stock, anticipated need, and geographical distribution of health services and institutional health services throughout the state. The department and the council shall develop an inventory questionnaire to obtain, at a minimum, the following information:

(i) The name and location of the healthcare provider and healthcare facility;

(ii) The type of facility;

(iii) The hours of operation;

(iv) The type of services provided at that location including, but not limited to, translation and transportation services;

(v) The total number of clients, the race, ethnicity and primary language spoken in the home of the clients, treatments, patient visits, procedures performed, or scans performed in a calendar year;

(vi) The total number of the uninsured population in the state; and

(vii) Such other information as the department deems appropriate. The inventory shall be completed biennially by healthcare facilities and healthcare providers, and such healthcare facilities and healthcare providers shall not provide patient-specific data.

(2) The inventory and all related information shall be maintained in a form usable by the general public in a designated office of the department, shall constitute a public record, and shall be coordinated with information collected by the department and the council under other provisions of law; provided, however, that any item of information that is confidential or privileged in nature shall not be regarded as a public record under this section or the general laws.

(e) The department and the council shall publish analyses, reports, and interpretations of information collected under this section in order to further public knowledge concerning the distribution and nature of health services and institutional health services in the state. The department may require healthcare providers and healthcare facilities to provide information for the purposes of this section and may prescribe, by regulation, uniform reporting requirements. In prescribing such regulations, the department shall strive to make any reports required under this section of mutual benefit to those providing, as well as those using, such information and shall avoid placing any burdens on such providers that are not reasonably necessary to accomplish the purposes of this section.

(f) Agencies of the state that collect cost or other data concerning health services and institutional health services shall cooperate with the department in coordinating such data with information collected under this section.

(g) In the performance of its duties under this section, the department, subject to appropriation, may enter into such contracts with agencies of the federal government, the state or its political subdivisions, and public or private bodies, as it deems necessary.

(h) The department shall provide a progress report on healthcare inventory and statewide health plan no later than February 2015.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-90-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-90 / Section 23-90-1
§ 23-90-1. Purpose.
Status: in_force

The purposes of this chapter are:

(1) To establish a system for the collection, recycling, and reuse for discarded mattresses in Rhode Island.

(2) To develop a comprehensive strategy, with the participation of state agencies, producers, retailers, and consumers for waste prevention and reduction of discarded mattresses in the state, which addresses the collection, recycling and reuse of mattresses in a safe and environmentally sound manner;

(3) To promote the development of infrastructure for the reuse and recycling of discarded mattresses;

(4) To minimize costs incurred by Rhode Island municipalities to collect, dispose of, or recycle mattresses discarded by residents; and

(5) To eliminate waste generated in the state from the disposal of discarded mattresses from landfill and other forms of disposal.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-3-22 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-3 / Section 23-3-22
§ 23-3-22. Reproduction of records.
Status: in_force

To preserve original documents, the state registrar of vital records is authorized to prepare typewritten, photographic, or other reproductions of original records and files in his or her office. These reproductions, when certified by him or her, shall be accepted as the original record.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-59-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-59 / Section 23-59-5
§ 23-59-5. Annual disclosure statements.
Status: in_force

(a) Within four (4) months following the end of the providers fiscal year, each provider shall file with the department and make available by written notice to each resident at no cost an annual disclosure statement which shall contain the information required for the initial disclosure statement set forth in § 23-59-3.

(b) The annual disclosure statement shall also be accompanied by a narrative describing any material differences between:

(1) The prior fiscal years pro forma income statement, and

(2) The actual results of operations during that fiscal year.

(c) The annual disclosure statement shall describe the disposition of any real property acquired by the provider from residents of the facility.

(d) In addition to filing the annual disclosure statement, the provider shall amend its currently filed disclosure statement at any other time if, in the opinion of the provider, an amendment is necessary to prevent the disclosure statement from containing any material misstatement of fact or failing to state any material fact required to be stated therein. Any amendment or amended disclosure statement shall be filed with the department before it is delivered to any resident or prospective resident and is subject to all the requirements of this chapter and the provider shall notify each resident of the existence of the amendment or amended disclosure statement.

(e) If the department determines that the disclosure statement does not comply with the provisions of this chapter, it shall have the right to take action pursuant to § 23-59-16.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-33-6 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-33 / Section 23-33-6
§ 23-33-6. Reexamination of applicant for permit after failure to pass.
Status: in_force

If an applicant for a permit to act as an authorized inspector fails to pass the examination (testing the competency of the applicant to act as an authorized inspector) which examination shall be given by the chief inspector, the applicant may apply again for an examination after three (3) months have elapsed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-25-38 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-25 / Section 23-25-38
§ 23-25-38. Pesticide applications and notification of pesticide applications at pre-schools and child care centers.
Status: in_force

(a) On and after July 1, 2003, no application of pesticide may be made by any person other than a certified or licensed commercial applicator as defined in § 23-25-4 in any building or on the grounds of any pre-school, child day care center, group/family day care home or family day care home, during regular business hours. No child enrolled at such center or home may enter an area where pesticides have been applied until it is safe to do so according to the provisions on the pesticide label. For purposes of this section, emergency shall mean a sudden need to mitigate or eliminate a pest which threatens the health or safety of a student or staff member. This section shall not apply to the use of germicides, disinfectants, sanitizers, deodorizers, antimicrobal agents, insecticidal gels, non-volatile insect or rodent bait in a tamper resistant container, insect repellants, insecticidal disks, or the application of a pesticide classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as an exempt material under 40 CFR part 152.25.

(b) On and after July 1, 2002, notice of any pesticide application at any such center or home shall be given, by any means practicable, to the parents or guardians of any child enrolled at the center or home not later than twenty-four (24) hours before the application. The notice shall include: (1) the common or trade name and the name of the active ingredient; (2) the EPA registration number as listed on the pesticide label; (3) the target pest; (4) the exact location of the application on the property; (5) the date of the application; and (6) the name of the pre-school or child care center owner/operator or their designee.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-11-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-11 / Section 23-11-1
§ 23-11-1. Diseases declared contagious  Exposure of another to infection.
Status: in_force

Sexually transmitted diseases shall include, but not be limited to, syphilis, gonorrhea, chancroid, granuloma inguinale, and lymphogranuloma venereum and other diseases that the director of health may by regulation determine to constitute a sexually transmitted disease. Sexually transmitted diseases are declared to be contagious, infectious, communicable, and dangerous to the public health. It shall be unlawful for anyone knowingly, while in the infectious condition with these diseases, or any of them, to expose another person to infection. Any person found guilty of violating the provisions of this section shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars ($100) or imprisoned for not more than three (3) months.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-63-4.2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-63 / Section 23-63-4.2
§ 23-63-4.2. Allocation of funds.
Status: in_force

The funds deposited into the tire site remediation account shall be used for the following activities:

(1) No less than ninety percent (90%) of all funds shall be used for the cleanup, recycling and disposal of tires in existing tire piles and for the overall investigation of, and design of remedial actions for properties of economic concern pursuant to chapter 19.14 of title 23;

(2) No more than ten percent (10%) of all funds shall be used to assist cities and towns with the collection and proper disposal of waste tires in their respective communities;

(3) All amounts in the tire site remediation account, fees, and any other revenues, assessments, fines, forfeitures, and other funds collected or received pursuant to this chapter for deposit into the tire site remediation account shall be deemed to be trust funds to be held and applied solely as provided in this chapter and chapter 19.14 of title 23.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-15.1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-15.1
§ 23-17-15.1. Reports public.
Status: in_force

Copies of survey reports from the joint commission on accreditation of health care organizations and the American Osteopathic Association and any other reports from other accrediting organizations incorporated by reference in the reports, provided to the licensing agency by hospitals shall be public records as defined in chapter 2 of title 38.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-49 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-49
§ 23-17-49. Surgical procedures  General provisions.
Status: in_force

(a) The director shall determine through regulation categories of patients that shall be permitted to receive surgical services in free standing ambulatory surgical facilities, podiatry ambulatory surgery centers and physician ambulatory surgery centers providing surgical treatment based upon criteria including, but not limited to:

(1) Risks related to patient characteristics;

(2) The type of and risks associated with the anesthesia required; and

(3) As appropriate, the complexity of the surgical procedure and the expected duration of the surgical procedure.

(b) Further, the director shall determine through regulation categories of patients that are prohibited from receiving surgical services in free standing ambulatory surgical facilities, physician ambulatory surgery centers, podiatry ambulatory surgery centers, and physician offices not licensed under this chapter based upon criteria including, but not limited to:

(1) Risks related to patient characteristics;

(2) The type of and risks associated with the anesthesia required; and

(3) As appropriate, the complexity of the surgical procedure.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-92-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-92 / Section 23-92-1
§ 23-92-1. Military spouse licensure.
Status: in_force

(a) Each health related board shall establish a procedure to expedite the issuance of a license, certification or permit to perform professional services regulated by each such board to a person:

(1) Who is certified or licensed in another state to perform professional services in a state other than Rhode Island;

(2) Whose spouse is a member of the armed forces of the United States;

(3) Whose spouse is the subject of a military transfer to Rhode Island; and

(4) Who left employment to accompany the persons spouse to Rhode Island.

(b) The procedure shall include:

(1) Issuing the person a license, certificate or permit, if, in the opinion of the board, the requirements for certification or licensure of such other state are substantially equivalent to that required in this state; or

(2) Developing a method to authorize the person to perform professional services regulated by the board in this state by issuing the person a temporary permit for a limited period of time to allow the person to perform professional services while completing any specific requirements that may be required in this state that were not required in the state in which the person was licensed or certified.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-37-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-37 / Section 23-37-1
§ 23-37-1. Police authority of fire company officers at fire  Right of entry.
Status: in_force

The chief, chief engineer, assistant engineer, captain, lieutenant, or any other executive officer of any volunteer fire company, association, fire district company, or any other organization organized or created for the purpose of extinguishing fires and preventing fire hazards, whether it is incorporated or not, and whether it is a paid department or not, when on duty at a fire in the city or town where the fire headquarters or station of the company, association, or organization is located or in response to an alarm for such a fire shall, in the absence of the chief of police, have the power to suppress any tumult or disorder and to command from the inhabitants of the city or town all needful assistance for the suppression of fires and in the preservation of property exposed to fire; the officers above enumerated shall also have authority to go onto and enter any property or premises and to do whatever may reasonably be necessary in the performance of their duties while engaged in the work of extinguishing any fire or performing any duties incidental thereto.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-9-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-9 / Section 23-9-5
§ 23-9-5. Sentinel to order ships into quarantine.
Status: in_force

The city or town council may appoint a sentinel, who shall be paid by the city or town and stationed in some convenient place on shore, or in some properly situated boat or vessel, to hail all ships or vessels which may arrive in that river, bay, or harbor; and if the sentinel shall find that any ship or vessel is subject to quarantine, he or she shall direct the commander of that ship or vessel to come to anchor within the limits of that quarantine ground, and remain there until visited by the health officer, and to place a signal in the shrouds of the vessel in a manner as to be seen at a proper distance.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-18-8.1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-18 / Section 23-18-8.1
§ 23-18-8.1. Perpetual care funds.
Status: in_force

(a) All funds paid to or held by an agency for the purpose of funding the perpetual care of cemetery lots, crypts, or niches shall be maintained in a separate perpetual care fund, and shall not be commingled with any other funds of the agency; and

(b) Not less than twenty percent (20%) of the sale price of a cemetery lot, crypt, or niche sold with perpetual care shall be deposited by the agency in the perpetual care fund.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-26-3.1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-26 / Section 23-26-3.1
§ 23-26-3.1. Sale prohibition.
Status: in_force

(a) Beginning on January 1, 2020, no manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer may manufacture, knowingly sell, offer for sale, or distribute for use in this state any residential upholstered bedding or furniture that contains one thousand parts per million (1,000 ppm) or greater of any non-polymeric organohalogen flame retardant chemical. This class includes any chemical containing the element bromine or chlorine bonded to carbon that is added to a plastic, foam, fabric, or textile.

(b) Internal electric and electronic components of residential upholstered furniture or bedding or residential furniture or bedding sold for use in commercial or public spaces are not subject to the restrictions in this section.

(c) A manufacturer of products that are banned from sale under this section must notify persons or entities that sell the manufactured products in this state about the provisions of this section no less than ninety (90) days prior to the effective date of the ban.

(d) The prohibition and any related regulations shall not apply to products sold or in use prior to January 1, 2020.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-14.1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-14.1
§ 23-17-14.1. Immunity for council members.
Status: in_force

No member of the health services council while acting in his or her capacity as a council member shall be liable for any civil damages as a result of individual or collective actions or recommendations as a member of the council.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-71-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-71 / Section 23-71-1
§ 23-71-1. Legislative findings and purpose.
Status: in_force

(a) Cigarette smoking presents serious public health concerns to the state and to the citizens of the state. The surgeon general has determined that smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease and other serious diseases, and that there are hundreds of thousands of tobacco related deaths in the United States each year. These diseases most often do not appear until many years after the person in question begins smoking.

(b) Cigarette smoking also presents serious financial concerns for the state. Under certain health care programs, the state may have a legal obligation to provide medical assistance to eligible persons for health conditions associated with cigarette smoking, and those persons may have a legal entitlement to receive the medical assistance.

(c) Under these programs, the state pays millions of dollars each year to provide medical assistance for these persons for health conditions associated with cigarette smoking.

(d) It is the policy of the state that financial burdens imposed on the state by cigarette smoking be borne by tobacco product manufacturers rather than by the state to the extent that those manufacturers either determine to enter into a settlement with the state or are found culpable by the courts.

(e) On November 23, 1998, leading United States tobacco product manufacturers entered into a settlement agreement, entitled the Master Settlement Agreement, with the state. The Master Settlement Agreement obligates these manufacturers, in return for a release of past, present, and certain future claims against them as described in the settlement agreement, to pay substantial sums to the state (tied in part to their volume of sales); to fund a national foundation devoted to the interests of public health; and to make substantial changes in their advertising and marketing practices and corporate culture, with the intention of reducing underage smoking.

(f) It would be contrary to the policy of the state if tobacco product manufacturers who determine not to enter into a settlement could use a resulting cost advantage to derive large, short term profits in the years before liability may arise without ensuring that the state will have an eventual source of recovery from them if they are proven to have acted culpably. It is thus in the interest of the state to require that the manufacturers establish a reserve fund to guarantee a source of compensation and to prevent the manufacturers from deriving large, short term profits and then becoming judgment proof before liability may arise.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-87-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-87 / Section 23-87-2
§ 23-87-2. Legislative findings.
Status: in_force

It is hereby found and declared as follows:

(1) Lupus is an urgent national health issue. Lupus is the result of an immune system that is unbalanced which can become destructive to any organ or tissue in the body. Lupus is unpredictable and potentially fatal, yet no satisfactory treatment exists. Its health consequences include heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and organ failure.

(2) The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. estimates that more than 1.5 million Americans live with some form of lupus, including an estimated five thousand two hundred (5,200) people with lupus in Rhode Island.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-33-22.1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-33 / Section 23-33-22.1
§ 23-33-22.1. Warning signs near elevators in nursing homes.
Status: in_force

A conspicuous warning sign stating In Case of Fire Do Not Use Elevator shall be placed next to the places of ingress or egress to every elevator used for conveying persons or goods in any building used primarily as a nursing home or as a home for the elderly and/or people with disabilities.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-19-10.3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-19 / Section 23-19-10.3
§ 23-19-10.3. Highway construction  Eminent domain.
Status: in_force

Subject to the limitations set forth in § 23-19-10.2(b)(2), the corporation shall have the right to acquire any land, or any interest in the land, by the exercise of the power of eminent domain, whenever it shall be determined by the corporation that the acquisition of the land, or interest, is necessary for development and construction of highway access from route 295 to Scituate Avenue, or the development of an industrial/business park pursuant to § 23-19-35.1(c), such exercise of the power of eminent domain to be in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 23-19-10.2(c).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-8-20 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-8 / Section 23-8-20
§ 23-8-20. Expense of quarantine and suppression of disease.
Status: in_force

The state department of health, with the approval of the governor, may incur all necessary expenses for preventing and restricting the prevalence of epidemic diseases and of carrying out the provisions of §§ 23-8-18 and 23-8-19, and the state controller shall draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of those expenses out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated, upon receipt of itemized bills for those expenses approved by the governor.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-65-12 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-65 / Section 23-65-12
§ 23-65-12. Disciplinary actions.
Status: in_force

The board may revoke, suspend or otherwise discipline the holder of a certificate issued under this chapter when it is found that the individual performed his or her duties in a negligent manner that produced a supply below the standards normal for the particular facility operated; or that he or she has practiced fraud or deception; or that reasonable care, judgment or the application of this knowledge or ability was not used in the performance of his or her duties or that an individual is incompetent or unable to perform his or her duties properly or performed duties in violation of chapter 13 of title 46 or regulations promulgated under chapter 13 of title 46. The board must grant a hearing to any operator prior to deliberations regarding or decision of revocation. Appeal from the decision may be made as provided under chapter 35 of title 42.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-4-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-4 / Section 23-4-4
§ 23-4-4. Jurisdiction.
Status: in_force

The office of state medical examiners shall have the authority to make postmortem examinations, to undertake inquests, and to perform autopsies where there may be in its judgment a reasonable belief that the manner of death could be pronounced as:

(1) Death by a homicide, suicide, or casualty;

(2) Death due to a criminal abortion;

(3) Death due to an accident involving lack of due care on the part of a person other than the deceased;

(4) Death which is the immediate or remote consequences of any physical or toxic injury incurred while the deceased person was employed;

(5) Death due to the use of addictive or unidentifiable chemical agents; or

(6) Death due to an infectious agent capable of spreading an epidemic within the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-15-9 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-15 / Section 23-15-9
§ 23-15-9. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any provision of this chapter or the application of any provision of this chapter to any person or circumstances shall be held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect the provisions or application of this chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of the chapter are declared to be severable.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-65-8 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-65 / Section 23-65-8
§ 23-65-8. Applications.
Status: in_force

(a) Application for certification shall be made on forms supplied by the board.

(b) The board shall review applications and supporting documents, determine the eligibility of the applicant for examination and notify the applicant of the same.

(c) The fee will not be returned upon failure to pass the examination.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-21 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-1 / Section 23-1-21
§ 23-1-21. Immediate compliance order.
Status: in_force

Whenever the director determines that there exists a violation of any law, rule, or regulation within the jurisdiction of the director which requires immediate action to protect the health, welfare, or safety of the public or any member of the public, the director may, without prior notice of violation or hearing, issue an immediate compliance order stating the existence of the violation and the action he or she deems necessary. The compliance order shall become effective immediately upon service or within the time specified by the director in the order. No request for a hearing on an immediate compliance order may be made.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-14.2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-14.2
§ 23-17-14.2. Compensation.
Status: in_force

The chairperson and vice chairperson of the health services council and no other member of the council while serving on business of the council shall receive compensation for the discharge of their official duties.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-3
§ 23-17-3. Purpose of provisions.
Status: in_force

The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the development, establishment, and enforcement of standards:

(1) For the care and treatment of individuals in health care facilities;

(2) For the maintenance and operation of health care facilities which in the light of advancing knowledge, will promote appropriate access and safe and adequate treatment for individuals receiving health care facility services; and

(3) For the encouragement of quality improvement in all aspects of the operations of health care facilities.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-4
§ 23-17-4. License required for healthcare facility operation.
Status: in_force

(a) No person acting severally or jointly with any other person shall establish, conduct, or maintain a healthcare facility in this state without a license under this chapter; provided, however, that any person, firm, corporation, or other entity that provides volunteer, registered and licensed practical nurses to the public shall not be required to have a license as a healthcare facility.

(b) Each location at which a healthcare facility provides services shall be licensed; provided, however, that a hospital or organized ambulatory-care facility shall be permitted to provide, solely on an ambulatory basis, limited physician services, other limited, professional healthcare services, and/or other limited, professional mental-healthcare services in conjunction with services provided by and at community health centers, community mental-health centers, organized ambulatory-care facilities or other licensed healthcare facilities, physicians offices, and facilities operated by the department of corrections without establishing such locations as additional licensed premises of the hospital or organized ambulatory-care facility; provided, that a healthcare facility licensed as an organized ambulatory-care facility in the state, may provide services at other locations operated by that licensed organized ambulatory-care facility, without the requirement of a separate, organized ambulatory-care facility license for such other locations. For purposes of this section, an organized ambulatory-care facility or other licensed healthcare facility shall not include a freestanding emergency-care facility. The department is further authorized to adopt rules and regulations to accomplish the purpose of this section, including, but not limited to, defining limited physician services, other limited, professional healthcare services, and/or other limited, professional mental-healthcare services.

(c) The reimbursement rates for the services rendered in the settings listed in subsection (b) shall be subject to negotiations between the hospitals, organized, ambulatory-care facilities, and the payors, respectively, as defined in § 23-17.12-2.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-103-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-103 / Section 23-103-4
§ 23-103-4. Consumer-friendly list of shoppable services.
Status: in_force

(a) Except as provided by subsection (c) of this section, a facility shall maintain and make publicly available a list of the standard charges described by § 23-103-3(c)(2)(ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) for each of at least three hundred (300) shoppable services provided by the facility. The facility may select the shoppable services to be included in the list, except that the list shall include:

(1) The seventy (70) services specified as shoppable services by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; or

(2) If the facility does not provide all of the shoppable services described by subsection (a)(1) of this section, as many of those shoppable services as the facility does provide.

(b) In selecting a shoppable service for purposes of inclusion in the list required under subsection (a) of this section, a facility shall:

(1) Consider how frequently the facility provides the service and the facilitys billing rate for that service; and

(2) Prioritize the selection of services that are among the services most frequently provided by the facility.

(c) If a facility does not provide three hundred (300) shoppable services, the facility shall maintain a list of the total number of shoppable services that the facility provides in a manner that otherwise complies with the requirements of subsection (a) of this section.

(d) The list required under subsection (a) or (c) of this section, as applicable, shall:

(1) Include:

(i) A plain-language description of each shoppable service included on the list;

(ii) The payor-specific negotiated charge that applies to each shoppable service included on the list and any ancillary service, listed by the name of the third-party payor and plan associated with the charge and displayed in a manner that clearly associates the charge with the third-party payor and plan;

(iii) The discounted cash price that applies to each shoppable service included on the list and any ancillary service or, if the facility does not offer a discounted cash price for one or more of the shoppable or ancillary services on the list, the gross charge for the shoppable service or ancillary service, as applicable;

(iv) The de-identified minimum negotiated charge that applies to each shoppable service included on the list and any ancillary service;

(v) The de-identified maximum negotiated charge that applies to each shoppable service included on the list and any ancillary service; and

(vi) Any code used by the facility for purposes of accounting or billing for each shoppable service included on the list and any ancillary service, including the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code, the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code, the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) code, the National Drug Code (NDC), or other common identifier; and

(2) If applicable:

(i) State each location at which the facility provides the shoppable service and whether the standard charges included in the list apply at that location to the provision of that shoppable service in an inpatient setting, an outpatient department setting, or in both of those settings, as applicable; and

(ii) Indicate if one or more of the shoppable services specified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is not provided by the facility.

(e) The list required under subsection (a) or (c) of this section, as applicable, shall be:

(1) Displayed in the manner prescribed by § 23-103-3(e) for the list required under that section;

(2) Available:

(i) Free of charge;

(ii) Without having to register or establish a user account or password;

(iii) Without having to submit personal identifying information; and

(iv) Without having to overcome any other impediment, including entering a code to access the list;

(3) Searchable by service description, billing code, and payor;

(4) Updated in the manner prescribed by § 23-103-3(g) for the list required under that section;

(5) Accessible to a common commercial operator of an internet search engine to the extent necessary for the search engine to index the list and display the list as a result in response to a search query of a user of the search engine; and

(6) Formatted in a manner that is consistent with the format prescribed by the commission under § 23-103-3(f)(3).

(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a facility is considered to meet the requirements of this section if the facility maintains, as determined by the commission, an internet-based price estimator tool that:

(1) Provides a cost estimate for each shoppable service and any ancillary service included on the list maintained by the facility under subsection (a) of this section;

(2) Allows a person to obtain an estimate of the amount the person will be obligated to pay the facility if the person elects to use the facility to provide the service; and

(3) Is:

(i) Prominently displayed on the facilitys publicly accessible internet website; and

(ii) Accessible to the public:

(A) Without charge; and

(B) Without having to register or establish a user account or password.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-1-43 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-1 / Section 23-1-43
§ 23-1-43. Minority population health promotion.
Status: in_force

The director of health shall establish a minority population health promotion program to provide health information, education, and risk reduction activities to reduce the risk of premature death from preventable disease in minority populations.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-65-13 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-65 / Section 23-65-13
§ 23-65-13. Penalty for violation.
Status: in_force

Any person who shall be found guilty of violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or any rules and regulations adopted under this chapter shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment for not more than thirty (30) days, or both by fine or imprisonment, and every person shall be deemed guilty of a separate and distinct offense for each day during which the violation is repeated or continued.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-60-1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-60 / Section 23-60-1
§ 23-60-1. Legislative findings and policy.
Status: in_force

The general assembly finds and declares that vehicle batteries are potentially harmful if improperly disposed of, and that it is necessary to adopt a special plan to control disposal and promote recycling of such batteries. This chapter sets forth a comprehensive plan for disposal of vehicle batteries.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-26-6 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-26 / Section 23-26-6
§ 23-26-6. Sterilization and tagging of material exposed to contagious disease.
Status: in_force

No person shall make or sell any article of bedding, or any material used in the making thereof, which has been used by or about any person having an infectious or contagious disease, unless the article or material shall have been sterilized and is tagged as provided in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-39-11 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-39 / Section 23-39-11
§ 23-39-11. Fees.
Status: in_force

(a) The director, in consultation with the board, shall establish a schedule of reasonable fees for licenses, and for renewal of licenses for respiratory care practitioners.

(b) The initial application fee shall be as set forth in § 23-1-54.

(c) A biennial license renewal fee shall be established in an amount as set forth in § 23-1-54.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-21-8 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-21 / Section 23-21-8
§ 23-21-8. Penalties for violations.
Status: in_force

Any person who shall be guilty of violating any of the provisions of this chapter or the regulations adopted in accordance with this chapter may for the first offense be punished by a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100) or be imprisoned for a term not exceeding three (3) months; for the second offense may be punished by a fine not exceeding two hundred dollars ($200) or be imprisoned for a term not exceeding six (6) months; and for a third or subsequent offense may be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) or be imprisoned for a term not exceeding one year or by both this fine and imprisonment, or have its license suspended or revoked.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-68-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-68 / Section 23-68-2
§ 23-68-2. Legislative findings.
Status: in_force

The legislature finds that:

(1) Various physical complications may arise from frequent and unsupervised use of tanning facilities such as exposure to ultraviolet radiation which can cause severe sunburn and eye injury including cataracts and corneal damage; and

(2) Repeated exposure to ultraviolet light in tanning facilities may also cause premature aging of the skin, skin cancers and abnormal skin sensitivity in persons who may be using certain drugs including some tranquilizers, diuretics, antibiotics, high blood pressure medicines and birth control pills.

(3) It is therefore desirable that citizens are protected against any problems which may result from improperly functioning equipment in tanning facilities, and, given the potential for harm that is presented by establishments using artificial suntan sources, it is imperative that effective minimum safety standards in this health area be established.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-74-11 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-74 / Section 23-74-11
§ 23-74-11. Suspension.
Status: in_force

(a) Penalties in suspension. In addition to any other remedy provided by law, the director may, acting through a person to whom the director has delegated this authority and without a hearing, suspend the right of an unlicensed health care practitioner to practice if the directors delegate finds that the practitioner has violated a statute or rule that the director is empowered to enforce and continued practice by the practitioner would create an immediate risk of harm to others. The suspension is in effect upon service of a written order on the practitioner specifying the statute or rule violated. The order remains in effect until the director issues a final order in the matter after a hearing or upon agreement between the director and the practitioner. Service of the order is effective if the order is served on the practitioner or counsel of record personally or by first class mail. Within ten (10) days of service of the order, the director shall hold a hearing. Within five (5) working days after the hearing, the director shall issue an order.

(b) All findings in hearings under this chapter shall be made by clear and convincing evidence.

(c) Any practitioner aggrieved by an order of the director may appeal the order pursuant to the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act, chapter 35 of title 42.

(d) Automatic suspension. The right of an unlicensed health care practitioner to practice is automatically suspended if: (1) a guardian of an unlicensed health care practitioner is appointed by order of a court of competent jurisdiction; or (2) the practitioner is committed by order of a court. The right to practice remains suspended until the practitioner is restored to capacity by a court and upon petition by the practitioner; the director terminates the suspension after a hearing or upon agreement between the director and the practitioner.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-17-12.2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-17 / Section 23-17-12.2
§ 23-17-12.2. Time for correction of defects.
Status: in_force

(a) Every corporation or person who will be inspected or investigated under § 23-17-12 will begin to correct health, sanitation, nursing care, and dietary defects immediately upon notice by the director of health that the defects exist. The notification will be made by certified or registered letter return receipt requested from the director of health to the person or corporation so inspected.

(b) However, every defect will be fully and wholly corrected within thirty (30) days from the time of notice unless an extension is granted for good cause shown, but no extension will exceed fifteen (15) days.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-97-3 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-97 / Section 23-97-3
§ 23-97-3. Assessment mechanisms.
Status: in_force

An assessment mechanism to conduct an eye assessment or to generate a prescription for contact lenses or visual aid glasses in Rhode Island shall:

(1) Provide synchronous or asynchronous interaction between the patient and the provider;

(2) Collect the patients medical history, previous prescription for corrective eyewear, and length of time since the patients most recent in-person comprehensive eye health examination;

(3) Disclose to patients and require acceptance in advance as a term of use that:

(i) This assessment is not a replacement of an in-person comprehensive eye health examination;

(ii) This assessment cannot be used to generate an initial prescription for contact lenses or a follow-up or first renewal of the initial prescription;

(iii) This assessment may only be used if the patient has had an in-person comprehensive eye health examination within the previous twenty-four (24) months if the patient is conducting an eye assessment or receiving a prescription for visual aid glasses; and

(iv) The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises contact lens wearers to visit an eye doctor one time a year or more often if needed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-9-7 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-9 / Section 23-9-7
§ 23-9-7. Council order to anchor in quarantine.
Status: in_force

The city or town council may order a ship or vessel to be anchored on the quarantine ground, at the expense of the owners, master, or commanding officer of the ship or vessel, to remain there until legally discharged from the quarantine ground.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-9-18 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-9 / Section 23-9-18
§ 23-9-18. Disinfection of imported goods.
Status: in_force

The city or town council of a city or town where a vessel as described in this chapter arrives shall appoint suitable persons to take effectual care that all goods, wares, and merchandise imported in that vessel which they think may hold and communicate the infection or contagion are landed in some suitable place to be appointed by the council and cleansed in the manner directed by the council before they are permitted to be brought into any house, shop, or warehouse, other than that in which they are cleansed.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-77-5 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-77 / Section 23-77-5
§ 23-77-5. Annual report.
Status: in_force

The director of the department of health shall prepare and issue an annual report not later than January 30th of each year outlining in specific detail the amount of funds spent from the fund in the previous year, a status report on the projects funded, progress to date in implementing a statewide healthcare information infrastructure, and recommendations for future investments and projects.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-19-11.1 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-19 / Section 23-19-11.1
§ 23-19-11.1. Initial resource recovery system development plan.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding the provisions of § 23-19-11, in view of current solid waste disposal needs in the state, the corporation shall implement a solid waste processing system as soon as possible conforming to the following criteria:

(1) The system shall consist of a waste processing facility that may be either publicly or privately owned with a nameplate capacity not to exceed one thousand (1,000) tons per day.

(2) The facilities shall be located at the central landfill in Johnston.

(3) Any energy revenues which may be generated by the facilities may inure to the benefit of either the corporation or the vendor or both.

(4) The corporation shall select through competitive bidding, vendors to construct, operate, maintain, and/or own these facilities.

(5) The state auditor general shall review and evaluate the reasonableness and fairness of all contracts and agreements related to the construction, operation, and maintenance of the facilities. The corporation shall test residue of facilities at least semi-annually.

(6) In choosing vendors for the facilities, preference shall be given to vendors who:

(i) Provide private financing and privately own the facilities with minimal or no financial risk to the corporation or state;

(ii) Provide a waste processing facility technology that on-site separates, recovers for recycling and composting the highest percentage of the waste stream and lowest amount of residue;

(iii) Demonstrate the highest number of primary and secondary markets for materials recovered from the waste stream and alternative material uses in the event a material market fails or becomes economically infeasible;

(iv) Can provide the greatest degree of flexibility in the type of materials outputted from the facility in order to adjust to changing markets for recovered materials; and

(v) Guarantee a fixed rate tipping fee and/or fixed escalation rate of tipping fees for the longest time periods.

(7) In an effort to reduce energy costs and resulting tipping fees at the facilities, the corporation may consider the use of a natural gas cogeneration unit as an integral part of the facility provided that the maximum output of the cogeneration unit does not exceed twenty-five (25) megawatts. The inclusion or addition of a gas cogeneration component shall not delay the permitting, construction and operation of the facilities and the gas cogeneration components may be added to the facilities after construction or operation of the facilities begins.

(8) In addition to any source separation programs for household hazardous waste, the facilities shall have the capacity to separate household hazardous wastes and hazardous wastes from the waste stream and it shall be the responsibility of the corporation to provide for proper disposal of those hazardous wastes at a licensed facility. The corporation may enter an agreement with the facility vendor to provide for proper disposal.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-84-2 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-84 / Section 23-84-2
§ 23-84-2. Legislative findings.
Status: in_force

It is hereby found and declared by the general assembly as follows:

(1) Climate change impacts have already arrived in Rhode Island. Average temperatures in the state have increased by one point five degrees Fahrenheit (1.5Â° F) since 1970 and mean winter temperatures in the state are up by four degrees Fahrenheit (4Â° F). The annual mean surface temperature of Narragansett Bay has increased two point seven degrees Fahrenheit (2.7Â° F) since the 1960s. Droughts are becoming longer and more frequent, storms cause worse flooding, and the sea level is measurably rising over eight inches (8") since 1930 at an accelerated rate. Gases released by the consumption of fossil fuels explain most of these trends very well; since these gases stay in the atmosphere and trap heat for decades, the residents of Rhode Island are being locked into serious disruptions in their way of life.

(2) If emissions continue at the current high rate, the annual number of days over ninety degrees Fahrenheit (90Â° F) is expected to grow sharply from about five (5) per year today to about fifty (50) to sixty (60) per year at the end of the century. Rhode Island is expected to experience roughly twenty-five (25) days over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (100Â° F) every summer if we continue on a high emissions pathway. Under these scenarios, Rhode Islands summer heat index in 2100 will resemble Georgias current summers. Such scenarios could see Rhode Island seas rise three (3) to five (5) feet by 2100. Increased flooding and droughts are widely recognized in climate models to dominate Rhode Islands expected weather patterns as the potential for more intense storms increases.

(3) Rhode Islands residents and the ecosystems that sustain us face three (3) main types of increasing risks: (i) Rising temperatures (which put stress on human health and ecosystems); (ii) More extreme weather (bringing more frequent heavy thunderstorms and flooding, heat waves and more intense coastal storms and hurricanes); and (iii) Flooding and damage to homes, businesses, public infrastructure and coastal habitats along the states over four hundred (400) miles of coastline by storm surges and rising sea levels.

(4) While Rhode Island has taken leadership in developing and adopting a sea level rise policy and draft guidelines, identifying climate issues within the states coastal program and its special area management plans and compiling existing research on various trends associated with climate change, there is no comprehensive state-wide assessment of projected impacts of climate change to human health and safety, economic and natural resources of the state. Many states in the region have begun to develop commission and statewide strategies for climate change.

(5) Communities around the United States and the world are beginning to address these increased risks by adjusting their building codes, improving and updating their emergency plans, identifying their greatest vulnerabilities and prioritizing actions to address them and incorporating climate change projections in planning for long-term infrastructure investments. Rhode Island can learn from and build upon these efforts. Some communities are even discovering opportunities in this crisis to address longstanding vulnerabilities, and the potential to develop new industries to supply adaptation technology and advice to communities.

(6) Natural ecosystems and habitats, both coastal and upland, provide critical ecosystem services including, fisheries habitat, drinking water, and flood protection. These resources play an important role in minimizing risks and hazard exposure to climate change impacts such as coastal and riverline flooding. Forested watersheds provide increased protection from the impacts of both flooding and droughts, absorbing water during storm events, and releasing it slowly over time.

(7) Tree canopy cover is a cost-effective adaptation to climate change, particularly in the urban environment. In particular, increasing urban tree canopy cover has been found to reduce summer high temperatures, reduce energy consumption, have a positive impact on stormwater management and air quality, and improve groundwater quality. Increasing tree canopy cover will also help the state achieve its goal of mitigating carbon dioxide emissions by enhancing biotic sequestration and reducing energy consumption.

(8) An October 2008 study by the National Research Council found that some of the benefits of green infrastructure include a reduction of stormwater runoff, surface water discharge, stormwater pollution and stormwater flows.

(9) While increasing the urban tree canopy is critical to reducing the urban heat island effect, strategies incorporating other forms of green infrastructure, including green roofs and walls, hold significant cooling potential; a 2007 study in Bioscience revealed that if the city of Toronto greened fifty percent (50%) of its roof space, the temperature of the entire city would drop by two degrees Fahrenheit (2Â° F), and because there is more wall space than roof space, green facades and living walls are ideal supplements.

(10) Existing federal programs and potential federal climate change legislation may provide significant funding and other resources to help states and localities begin planning and taking adaptation actions. To receive these funds, state governments may be required to complete climate change response plans; this chapter seeks to assist the state in beginning the process of preparing such a plan.

(11) This chapter seeks to protect the historic culture, heritage, economy, public infrastructure, natural resources and the current and future well-being of the population of the State of Rhode Island while helping move the state to an active response to climate change impacts by identifying some of the most critical issues that will have to be addressed, and by investigating and implementing cost-effective solutions and/or adaptation strategies for the state and its municipalities.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-63-4 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-63 / Section 23-63-4
§ 23-63-4. Licensing of tire recyclers.
Status: in_force

The director shall license any person to engage in the vehicle tire recycling or recovery business if the director finds that the person has the proper equipment and facilities to properly recycle or recover the materials of vehicle tires. The license shall be annually renewable on January 1 of each year upon application by the licensee. The director may revoke the license at any time or refuse to renew the license upon a finding that the licensee has not operated the business to safely and properly recycle and recover vehicle tires in a manner causing the lease practicable pollution of the environment. The initial license fee shall be fifty dollars ($50.00) and the fee for annual renewal shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00). Other than as set forth in this chapter, the license shall be subject to the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act, chapter 35 of title 42.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-15-11 — RI Code / Title 23 / Chapter 23-15 / Section 23-15-11
§ 23-15-11. Reports, use of experts, all costs and expenses.
Status: in_force

The state agency may in effectuating the purposes of this chapter engage experts or consultants including, but not limited to, actuaries, investment bankers, accountants, attorneys, or industry analysts. Except for privileged or confidential communications between the state agency and engaged attorneys, all copies of final reports prepared by experts and consultants, and all costs and expenses associated with the reports, shall be public. All costs and expenses incurred under this provision shall be the responsibility of the applicant in an amount to be determined by the director as he or she shall deem appropriate. No application made pursuant to the requirements of this chapter shall be considered complete unless an agreement has been executed with the director for the payment of all costs and expenses in accordance with this section. The maximum cost and expense to an applicant for experts and/or consultants that may be required by the state agency shall be twenty thousand dollars ($20,000); provided however, that the maximum amount shall be increased by regulations promulgated by the state agency on or after January 1, 2008 by the most recently available annual increase in the federal consumer price index as determined by the state agency.