R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-2
§ 39-12-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter:

(1) Administrator means the public utilities administrator.

(2) Certificate means a certificate of public convenience and necessity issued under this chapter or by any corresponding provisions of earlier laws to a common carrier by motor vehicle.

(3) Common carrier means any person who or that undertakes, whether directly or by any other arrangements, to transport property, or any class or classes of property, by motor vehicle between points within this state, for the general public for compensation, over the publicly used highways of this state, whether over regular or irregular routes.

(4) Contract carrier means any person who or that engages in transportation by motor vehicle of property in intrastate commerce, for compensation (other than transportation referred to in the preceding paragraph), under continuing contracts with one person or an unlimited number of persons for the furnishing of transportation services of a special and individual nature required by the shipper and not generally provided by common carriers.

(5) Driveaway-towaway operations means any operation in which any motor vehicle or motor vehicles, new or used, constitute the commodity being transported, when one set or more of wheels of any motor vehicle or motor vehicles are on the highway during the course of transportation, whether or not any motor vehicle furnishes the automotive power.

(6) Driver means any person operating a motor vehicle used for the transportation of property, that he or she owns or is operating with the express or implied consent of its owner.

(7) Interstate carrier means any person who or that operates motor vehicles for the transportation of property of others for compensation over the publicly used highways of this state in interstate commerce authorized or certified by the Interstate Commerce Commission.

(8) Interstate commerce means commerce between any place in this state and any place in another state or between places in this state through another state.

(9) Interstate permit means an interstate carrier permit issued by the administrator to an interstate common or contract carrier by motor vehicle operating for compensation over the publicly used highways of this state.

(10) Intrastate commerce means any commerce wholly within this state by motor vehicle between points having a point of origin and a point of destination within this state.

(11) Irregular route means a route or routes within the territory as set forth in the carriers certificate, but not over a specified route or routes between fixed termini.

(12) Motor carrier means a common carrier by motor vehicle, a contract carrier by motor vehicle, or an interstate carrier by motor vehicle.

(13) Motor vehicle means any vehicle, machine, truck, tractor-trailer, or semi-trailer propelled or drawn by any mechanical power and used upon the highways in the transportation of property, but does not include any vehicle or car operated on a rail or rails whether on or off the publicly used highways.

(14) Natural subdivision means a group of persons engaged in the motor trucking industry that, by the nature and similarity of the service performed, has operating interests peculiar to the groups and that by reason thereof requires distinct and separate regulations.

(15) Permit means a permit issued under this chapter or corresponding provisions of earlier laws to a contract carrier by motor vehicle.

(16) Person means any individual, firm, co-partnership, corporation, company, association, or joint stock association, and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or personal representative thereof; and, where the context requires shall include driver, as defined in this section.

(17) Private carrier means any person, other than a common carrier or a contract carrier or an interstate carrier who or that transports in intrastate or interstate commerce by motor vehicle, property of which the person is the owner, lessee, or bailee, when the transportation is for the purpose of sale, lease, rent, or bailment, or in the furtherance of any commercial enterprise. The private carrier shall be exempted from the provisions of this chapter.

(18) Publicly used highways means all public ways, roads, highways, streets, avenues, alleys, boulevards, parks, squares, and bridges and approaches thereto, within this state.

(19) Regular route means a specified route or routes, between fixed termini, as set forth in the carriers certificate.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-27.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-27.1
§ 39-12-27.1. Advertisements by transporters of household goods.
Status: in_force

(a) Every motor carrier engaged in the transportation of household goods between points within the state including a carrier providing a service incidental to or part of the intrastate transportation shall include and shall require each of its agents to include in every advertisement as defined in this section, the name or trade name of the motor carrier under whose operating authority the advertised service will originate and the certificate of public convenience number or permit number issued to the operating authority by the public utilities commission.

(b) As used in this section, advertisement shall mean any written or printed communication to the public in connection with an offer or sale of any intrastate transportation service but not including the name, address, and telephone number of the carrier.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-5-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-5 / Section 39-5-3
§ 39-5-3. Findings of commission.
Status: in_force

The findings of the commission on questions of fact shall be held to be prima facie true and as found by the commission, and the supreme court shall not exercise its independent judgment nor weigh conflicting evidence. An order or judgment of the commission made in the exercise of administrative discretion shall not be reversed unless the commission exceeded its authority or acted illegally, arbitrarily, or unreasonably.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-3.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-3.1
§ 39-3-3.1. Petition for certificate by water carrier  Notice of pendency.
Status: in_force

A petition in writing for the issuance of a certificate under § 39-3-3 shall first be filed with the division of public utilities and carriers by the common carrier desiring to obtain such certificate. Upon receipt of the petition, the division shall fix a time and place of hearing thereon and shall give notice as it may prescribe of the pendency of the petition and of the time and place of a hearing thereon to the petitioner, to the mayor and also any city manager of each city, and to the president of the town council and also any town manager for each town, in which the petitioner desires to pick up or discharge passengers. The division shall also publish a notice of the hearing at least ten (10) days prior to the date thereof in a newspaper of general circulation in each city or town in which the petitioner desires to pick up or discharge passengers. After the hearing the division shall enter an order granting or refusing to grant the petition.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-8 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-8
§ 39-3-8. Standards for measurement and testing of service.
Status: in_force

The division shall ascertain and fix adequate and serviceable standards for the measurement of the quality, pressure, initial voltage, or other condition pertaining to the supply of the product or service rendered by any public utility, and prescribe reasonable regulations for the examination and testing of the product or service and for the measurement thereof. It shall establish reasonable rules, regulations, specifications, and standards to secure accuracy of all meters and appliances for measurement, and every public utility is required to carry into effect all orders issued by the division relative thereto.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-31-12 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-31 / Section 39-31-12
§ 39-31-12. Bid fees.
Status: in_force

Bidders submitting project proposals responsive to any competitive procurements issued pursuant to this chapter may be charged bid fees by the electric distribution company to pay for all reasonable costs of consultants and counsel that may be hired by the Rhode Island office of energy resources, the division of public utilities and carriers, the commerce corporation, and/or the department of environmental management to meet the requirements of this chapter, up to a cap of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) per agency. Any bid fees collected by the electric distribution company for purposes of implementing this section must be specified in procurement documents. The electric distribution company shall be required to transfer to each agency any invoiced funds within thirty (30) days of invoice receipt.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-17 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-17
§ 39-18-17. Labor relations with employees of acquired transit facilities.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever the authority acquires transit property facilities under the provisions of this chapter, the authority shall continue the payment of all pensions and retirement allowances under and in accordance with the pension plan in effect at the time of the acquisition.

(b) As of the date of the acquisition of the transit property under the provisions of this chapter, such officers and employees, as may be determined by the authority to be qualified and necessary for the carrying on of the transit operations, shall be transferred to, and become officers and employees of, the authority, it being the intention hereof that transit property facilities acquired by the authority shall at all times be operated under personnel qualified to supervise mass transit facilities. No officer or employee so transferred and becoming an officer or employee of the authority in accordance with this section shall, by reason of the transfer, without his or her consent be removed, lowered in rank or compensation, or suspended except for just cause and for reasons specifically given to him or her in writing within twenty-four (24) hours after the removal, suspension, or transfer or lowering in rank or compensation; nor shall any officer or employee by reason of transfer, without his or her consent, be in any worse position in respect to workers compensation, pension, superannuation, sickness, or other benefits or other allowances granted by his or her previous employer to him or her, the widowed person, family, or personal representatives than he or she enjoyed under any person, firm, or corporation under whom he or she held his or her employment immediately prior to his or her transfer to the employment of the authority; provided, however, that the authority may abolish any office or post of any existing executive officer if in the opinion of the authority the office or post is an unreasonable addition to the staff of the authority. The authority shall have the authority to bargain collectively with labor organizations representing employees of the authority and to enter into agreements with the organizations relative to wages, salaries, hours, working conditions, health benefits, pensions, and retirement allowances of the employees.

(c) In case of any labor dispute where collective bargaining does not result in agreement, the authority shall offer to submit the dispute to arbitration by a board composed of three (3) persons, one appointed by the authority, one appointed by the labor organization representing the employees, and a third member to be agreed upon by the labor organization and the authority. The member selected by the labor organization and the authority shall act as chairperson of the board. The determination of the majority of the board of arbitration thus established shall be final and binding on all matters in dispute. If, after a period of ten (10) days from the date of the appointment of the two (2) arbitrators representing the authority and the labor organization, the third arbitrator has not been selected, then either arbitrator may request the American arbitration association to furnish a list of five (5) persons from which the third arbitrator shall be selected. The arbitrators appointed by the authority and the labor organization promptly after the receipt of the list, shall determine by lot the order of elimination, and, thereafter, each shall in that order alternately eliminate one name until only one name remains. The remaining person on the list shall be the third arbitrator. The term labor dispute shall be broadly construed and shall include any controversy concerning wages, salaries, hours, working conditions, or benefits, including health and welfare, sick leave, insurance, or pension or retirement provisions, but not limited thereto, and including any controversy concerning any differences or questions that may arise between the parties, including, but not limited to, the making or maintaining of collective bargaining agreements, the terms to be included in the agreements and the interpretation or application of the collective bargaining agreements and any grievances that may arise. Each party shall pay one-half (Â½) of the expenses of the arbitration.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-10-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-10 / Section 39-10-2
§ 39-10-2. Appointment of attorney to receive process and appear.
Status: in_force

Every corporation, person, or partnership shall by a written power appoint some citizen of this state, resident therein, as attorney, with power and authority to accept service of all lawful process against the corporation, person, or partnership, and to cause an appearance to be entered in like manner as if the corporation had existed or the person or the members of the partnership had been residents of and been duly served with process within the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-12 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-12
§ 39-18-12. Exemptions from taxation.
Status: in_force

The exercise of the powers granted by this chapter will be in all respects for the benefit of the people of the state and for the increase of their commerce, maintenance, and increase of their transportation and general prosperity and for the improvement of their health, welfare, and living conditions and as the acquisition, operation, and maintenance by the authority of the transit properties acquired will constitute the performance of essential governmental functions, the authority shall not be required to pay any taxes or assessments upon the facilities or upon any property acquired or used by the authority under the provisions of this chapter, or upon the income from the operation of the transit facilities. The bonds issued under the provisions of this chapter, their transfer, and income derived therefrom (including any profit made on the sale thereof) at all times shall be free from taxation within the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-33-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-33 / Section 39-33-2
§ 39-33-2. Storage tariff.
Status: in_force

No later than September 1, 2024, the public utilities commission shall engage stakeholders to adopt a framework for an energy storage system tariff for energy storage systems connected to the electric distribution system.

(1) The tariff framework should, at a minimum, address the ability of energy storage systems to charge from and discharge to the electric distribution system.

(2) The commission shall set a schedule that is designed to result in a model tariff no later than May 1, 2025, consistent with the tariff framework.

(3) Following that date, if the commission finds that the energy storage system tariff can be implemented without inequitable cross subsidization between customers, each electric distribution company as defined in § 39-1-2 that has greater than one hundred thousand (100,000) customers shall file the model tariff for review and approval by the public utilities commission in a contested proceeding. Otherwise, the model tariff shall be included as part of the electric distribution companys next general rate filing.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-19 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-19
§ 39-6-19. Sale of equipment with reserved title or lien  Lease with option to purchase.
Status: in_force

In any contract for the sale of railroad or street railway equipment or rolling stock, it shall be lawful to agree that the title to the property sold, or contracted to be sold, although possession thereof may be delivered immediately or at any time or times subsequently, shall not vest in the purchaser until the purchase price shall be fully paid, or that the seller shall have and retain a lien thereon for the unpaid purchase money. In any contract for the leasing or hiring of property, it shall be lawful to stipulate for a conditional sale thereof at the termination of the contract, and that the rentals or amounts to be received under the contract may, as paid, be applied and treated as purchase money, and that the title to the property shall not vest in the lessee or bailee until the purchase price shall have been paid in full and until the terms of the contract shall have been fully performed, notwithstanding delivery to and possession by the lessee or bailee; provided, that no such contract shall be valid as against any subsequent judgment creditor, or any subsequent bona fide purchaser for value and without notice, unless:

(1) The contract shall be evidenced by an instrument executed by the parties and duly acknowledged by the vendee or lessee or bailee, as the case may be, or duly proved, before some person authorized by law to take acknowledgment of deeds, and in the same manner as deeds are acknowledged or proved;

(2) The instrument shall be filed for record in the office of the secretary of state;

(3) Each locomotive engine or car so sold, leased, or hired, or contracted to be sold, leased, or hired, shall have the name of the vendor, lessor, or bailor plainly marked on each side thereof, followed by the word Owner, or Lessor, or Bailor, as the case may be.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-16-22 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-16 / Section 39-16-22
§ 39-16-22. Notes.
Status: in_force

The authority may, by resolution, authorize the issue from time to time of interest bearing or discounted notes in anticipation of the issue of bonds. Temporary notes issued under this section shall be signed by the chairperson and the treasurer of the authority and shall be payable within five (5) years of their respective dates, but the principal of and interest on notes issued for a shorter period may be renewed or paid from time to time by the issue of other notes under this section, provided the period from the date of the original note to the maturity of any note issued to renew or pay the same debt or the interest thereon shall not exceed five (5) years. All other terms and conditions of the notes shall be set by the authority in the resolution authorizing issuance.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-4-10 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-4 / Section 39-4-10
§ 39-4-10. Orders as to unreasonable practices or inadequate services.
Status: in_force

If, upon a hearing and investigation had under the provisions of this chapter, the division of public utilities and carriers shall find that any regulation, measurement, practice, act, or service or any public utility is unjust, unreasonable, insufficient, preferential, unjustly discriminatory, or otherwise in violation of any of the provisions of chapters 1  5 of this title, or that any service of the public utility is inadequate, or that any service that can be reasonably demanded cannot be obtained, the division shall have power to substitute therefor other regulations, measurements, practices, service, or acts, and to make the order respecting, and the changes in the regulations, measurements, practices, service, or acts, as shall be just and reasonable, and the power to order refunds as provided for in § 39-3-13.1.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-8-7 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-8 / Section 39-8-7
§ 39-8-7. Town or city regulation of speed and manner of operation.
Status: in_force

The town and city councils of the several towns and cities shall have power, from time to time, to make reasonable rules and regulations with reference to the rate of speed and mode of operation of railroads in the streets and highways of the respective towns and cities; the rules and regulations must receive the approval in writing of the division of public utilities and carriers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-8-9 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-8 / Section 39-8-9
§ 39-8-9. Order to maintain flagperson or precautionary appliance at grade crossing.
Status: in_force

Every railroad corporation or lessees, receivers, or trustees of the corporation operating railroads within this state shall cause flagpersons or gates or other precautionary measures or appliances to be established or substituted wherever the railroads cross public highways, whenever and as often as in the opinion of the commission it is necessary for the safety of the public.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-37 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-37
§ 39-1-37. Public utility administrator defined  Continuity of functions.
Status: in_force

Wherever in any general or public law the words public utility administrator appears, the same words shall be deemed to refer to and mean administrator of the division of public utilities and carriers. The governor is authorized to transfer or reallocate, by executive order, the whole or any part of the appropriations for the public utility administrator or commission, to the commission or the division.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-1
§ 39-18-1. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings unless the context shall indicate another or different meaning:

(1) Authority means the Rhode Island public transit authority created by § 39-18-2, or, if the authority shall be abolished, the board, body, or commission succeeding to the principal functions thereof, or upon whom the powers of the authority given by this chapter shall be given by law.

(2) Bonds means bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, including temporary notes of the authority issued in anticipation of revenues to be received by the authority or in anticipation of the receipt of federal, state, or local grants or other aid.

(3) Municipality means any town, city, or subdivision thereof.

(4) Transit property means and includes any property, whether real or personal, and any apparatus and equipment used or useful in the operation of a motor bus, water, or rail passenger transportation line or system, and includes any rights or franchises to operate any passenger transportation line or system, but it does not include other property or assets.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-14 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-14
§ 39-6-14. Counsel fees in actions against railroads.
Status: in_force

If any person having lawful claims upon any railroad corporation for overcharge for freight or passage, or for injury or loss of merchandise, or for damage by unlawful or unwarrantable delay in the transportation or delivery of merchandise, or for injury to the person, or for the refusal to transport or deliver persons or property, shall give written notice of the same, addressed to the president or treasurer or master of transportation of the corporation, and delivered to either of the officers or to any agent having charge of any depot of the corporation, fourteen (14) days previous to commencing suit for the same, and if the corporation neglects or refuses to pay the lawful claim, then the complainant, if he or she recovers more than the amount, if any, tendered by the corporation, shall also recover reasonable compensation for the services of his or her counsel, to be allowed by the court in addition to the actual damage; and if a less amount shall be recovered, then a reasonable allowance shall be made by the court for the services of the counsel of the corporation, to be taxed in addition to and to be allowed with the defendants costs as now taxed and allowed by law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-9-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-9 / Section 39-9-1
§ 39-9-1. Reasonable facilities and accommodations required.
Status: in_force

Every railroad corporation doing business or owning any railroad, wholly or in part within the limits of this state, shall furnish reasonable and proper facilities and accommodations on the line of its road, within its limits, for the transportation of passengers and merchandise.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14-14.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-14 / Section 39-14-14.1
§ 39-14-14.1. Taximeter requirement.
Status: in_force

(a) Every motor vehicle used in the transportation of passengers for compensation in a taxicab service over the publicly used highways of this state shall be equipped with a taximeter. Any motor carrier or operator who shall knowingly and willfully cause a motor vehicle to be operated as a taxicab that is not equipped with a taximeter, or when so equipped the taximeter is not in a recording position for the purpose of registering charges at the time the service is rendered, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined not to exceed twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for the first offense; and, upon conviction for a second offense, shall be fined not to exceed fifty dollars ($50.00) and shall have his or her certificate suspended for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days; and, upon conviction for a third offense, shall be fined not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100) and shall have his or her certificate suspended for a period not to exceed one hundred eighty (180) days.

(b) A certificate holder authorized to provide taxicab services is not required to utilize the vehicles taximeter for registering charges when the transportation services are being coordinated by, and paid for by, a state department, authority, or agency on behalf of clients of the state department, authority, or agency, provided, the alternative method for registering or calculating charges is approved by the division.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-7 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-7
§ 39-3-7. Fixing standards for service.
Status: in_force

The commission shall periodically, after having given each public utility concerned reasonable notice and an opportunity to be heard, determine and fix by order the standard amount, quality, pressure, initial voltage, and character of each kind of product or service to be furnished or rendered by each public utility, and standard condition or conditions pertaining to furnishing or rendering the same, and thereafter each public utility shall furnish and render the same accordingly. The hearing prescribed by this section may be held simultaneously with the hearing prescribed by § 39-3-11.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-16-21 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-16 / Section 39-16-21
§ 39-16-21. Transfer on dissolution.
Status: in_force

If the authority shall be dissolved, all funds of the authority, not required for the payment of bonds or other debts of the authority, the disposition of which is not otherwise governed by contracts to which the authority may be party, shall be paid to the towns of East Greenwich, Coventry, and West Warwick and the city of Warwick and, except as provided in this chapter, all property belonging to the authority shall be vested in the above-mentioned municipalities and delivered to them.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-8-1.4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-8 / Section 39-8-1.4
§ 39-8-1.4. Barricading of crossings.
Status: in_force

The general assembly hereby declares that any private railroad crossing found by the commission after a hearing to be dangerous or a hazard to the public or to those using trains is a public nuisance, and the commission may order the railroad to barricade the crossing as a matter of public safety.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-4-11 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-4 / Section 39-4-11
§ 39-4-11. Orders as to unsafe or improper conditions.
Status: in_force

If, upon a hearing and investigation, the division shall find that the regulations, practices, acts, plant or equipment, appliances, or service of any public utility, or any condition suffered, permitted, or maintained by any public utility is unsafe and nonpotable or improper, or that the public safety is endangered thereby, the division shall by order determine the proper regulations, practices, acts, plant or equipment, appliances, or service thereafter to be in force and to be observed, maintained, and used by the public utility, and may by order require any dangerous, improper, unsafe, and nonpotable condition to be removed or remedied.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-23 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-23
§ 39-6-23. Annual report by trustees.
Status: in_force

Whenever any railroad corporation, the charter whereof requires the directors to make an annual report to the general assembly, shall have passed into the hands of trustees, the trustees, instead of the directors, shall make the report while the road remains in their hands, which report shall be approved by the division of public utilities and carriers, in like manner as if it had been made by the directors of the corporation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-27-9 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-27 / Section 39-27-9
§ 39-27-9. Severability of provisions.
Status: in_force

The provisions of this chapter shall be severable and if the application of any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or part of this chapter shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the application of any other clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or part of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-31 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-31
§ 39-3-31. Court order to cease practice impairing service.
Status: in_force

If, as a result of an investigation in accordance with § 39-3-30, the division shall find that any public utility is making any payment or about to make any payment or doing or about to do any other thing that substantially threatens or impairs the ability of the public utility to render adequate service, at reasonable rates, or otherwise to discharge its duty to the public, the division may apply to the superior court for an order directing the public utility to cease making any payment or doing any other thing, and thereupon the court shall make such order as the public good may require.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14-4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-14 / Section 39-14-4
§ 39-14-4. Hearing on application.
Status: in_force

Upon receipt of an application, the division shall, within a reasonable time, fix the time and place of the hearing on every application. Notice of the hearing shall be given by first-class mail to the applicant and shall be published in a newspaper with statewide distribution.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-29-4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-29 / Section 39-29-4
§ 39-29-4. Consumer protection.
Status: in_force

Nothing in this chapter shall derogate from or be construed as a limitation on the common law or statutory authority of the attorney general to enforce consumer protection or unfair or deceptive trade practice statutes and regulations.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-30 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-30
§ 39-6-30. Protection of railroad employees.
Status: in_force

As a condition of his or her approval of any abandonment of railroad facilities, not including a relocation by a carrier or carriers by railroad subject to the provisions of this title, the public utilities administrator shall require a fair and equitable arrangement to protect the interest of the railroad employees adversely affected who are not protected by a collective bargaining agreement in such an event, and he or she shall include in his or her orders of approval such terms and conditions for the protection of the employees as he or she deems to be fair and equitable and to be substantially equivalent to those then generally imposed by the Interstate Commerce Commission in abandonment proceedings brought before the commission; provided, however, that the conditions shall provide, as a minimum, that during the period of four (4) years from the effective date of the order, the transaction will not result in employees of the carrier or carriers by railroad affected by the order being in a worse position with respect to their employment, except that the protection afforded to any employee pursuant to this section shall not be required to continue for a longer period following the effective date of the order than the period during which the employee was in the employ of the carrier or carriers prior to the effective date of the order; and, provided further, that, notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, the public utilities administrator may accept, as a fair and equitable arrangement for the protection of railroad employees affected by any order of the public utilities administrator issued under this section, an agreement pertaining to the protection of the interest of employees entered into by any carrier or carriers by railroad and the duly authorized representative or representatives of its or their employees.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-28-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-28 / Section 39-28-2
§ 39-28-2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

For the purpose of this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) Voice over internet protocol service or VoIP service means any service that:

(i) Enables real-time, two-way voice communications that originate from or terminate at the users location in internet protocol or any successor protocol;

(ii) Uses a broadband connection from the users location; and

(iii) Permits users generally to receive calls that originate on the public switched telephone network and to terminate calls to the public switched telephone network.

(2) Internet protocol-enabled service or IP-enabled service means any service, capability, functionality, or application provided, except that as provided in subsection (1), using internet protocol, or any successor protocol, that enables an end-user to send or receive a communication in internet protocol format or any successor format.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-24 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-24
§ 39-3-24. Transactions between utilities for which approval required.
Status: in_force

With the consent and approval of the division, but not otherwise:

(1) Any two (2) or more public utilities doing business in the same municipality or locality within this state, or any two (2) or more public utilities whose lines intersect or parallel each other within this state, or furnish a like service or product within this state, may enter into contracts with each other that will enable the public utilities to operate their lines or plants in connection with each other.

(2) Any public utility may purchase or lease all or any part of the property, assets, plant, and business of any other public utility or merge with any other public utility, and in connection therewith may exercise and enjoy all of the rights, powers, easements, privileges, and franchises theretofore exercised and enjoyed by any other public utility with respect to the property, assets, plant, and business so purchased, leased, or merged.

(3) Any public utility may merge with any other public utility or sell or lease all or any part of its property, assets, plant, and business to any other public utility, provided that the merger or a sale or lease of all or substantially all of its property, assets, plant, and business shall be authorized by a vote of at least two-thirds ( ) in interest of its stockholders at a meeting duly called for the purpose. Any stockholder who shall not have voted in favor of the merger, sale, or lease, either in person or by proxy, shall be entitled to the rights, and the corporation shall be subject to the duties, obligations, and liabilities set forth in §§ 7-1.2-1201 and 7-1.2-1202 with respect to dissenting stockholders and to corporations that sell, lease, or exchange their entire assets respectively.

(4) Any public utility may directly or indirectly purchase the stock of any other public utility.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-4-17 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-4 / Section 39-4-17
§ 39-4-17. Rescission or alteration of orders.
Status: in_force

The public utilities administrator may, at any time, upon notice to the public utility and after opportunity to be heard as provided in § 39-4-5, rescind, alter, or amend any order fixing any rate, toll, charge, joint rate or rates, or any other order made by the public utilities administrator, and certified copies of the order shall be served and take effect as provided in § 39-4-16 for original orders.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-21-8 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-21 / Section 39-21-8
§ 39-21-8. Use of federal and state funds.
Status: in_force

The division may, for the purpose of carrying out the project or any part thereof authorized by this chapter, accept or use any federal or state funds or assistance, or both, provided thereof under any federal or state law. In the event that federal or state funds or assistance are made available for execution of the project, the project shall be carried out and executed in all respect subject to the provisions of the appropriate federal and state laws providing for the construction and operation of such projects, and the rules and regulations made pursuant thereto, and to such terms, conditions, rules, and regulations, not inconsistent with such federal and state law, rules, and regulations, as the division may establish to ensure the proper execution of the project.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-4
§ 39-6-4. Supervision by president and directors.
Status: in_force

The president and directors of every railroad corporation shall maintain, by themselves or by an executive committee of the directors, a watchful supervision over the management of their road.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-11-12 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-11 / Section 39-11-12
§ 39-11-12. Issuance of securities.
Status: in_force

Any corporation or association, presently existing, and any that may hereafter be organized or authorized to do business under the laws of this state, or any lessee, or trustee, or any person or persons owning, conducting, managing, operating, or controlling any air carrier engaged in intrastate commerce, may issue stocks and bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, payable at periods of more than twelve (12) months after the date thereof, only when there shall have been secured from the administrator an order authorizing the issue. Any person, corporation, or association desiring authority to issue stocks or bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness shall make written application therefor to the administrator in such form as the administrator may require. The administrator shall thereafter make such inquiry or investigation as he or she may deem necessary, and the administrator may hold such hearings and examine such witnesses books, papers, documents, or contracts as he or she may deem of importance, for the purpose of enabling him or her to reach a determination. The administrator shall authorize the issuance of the stocks or bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness, if he or she shall be shown that the funds to be so realized are necessary for the acquisition of property, the construction, completion, extension, or improvement of facilities, or for the improvement or maintenance of service, or for the discharge or lawful refunding of obligations, or for any other proper purpose.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-2-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-2 / Section 39-2-2
§ 39-2-2. Rate discrimination.
Status: in_force

(a) If any public utility or any agent or officer of a public utility, as defined in chapter 1 of this title, shall directly or indirectly, by any device whatsoever, or otherwise, charge, demand, collect, or receive from any person, firm, or corporation a greater or less compensation for any service rendered or to be rendered by it, in, or affecting, or relating to the transportation of persons or property between points within this state, the distribution of electricity, or the production, transmission, delivery, or furnishing of heat, or water, or the conveyance of telegraph or telephone messages, or for any service in connection therewith, than that prescribed in the published schedules or tariffs then in force or established as provided herein, or than it charges, demands, collects, or receives from any other person, firm, or corporation for a like and contemporaneous service, under substantially similar circumstances and conditions, the public utility shall be guilty of unjust discrimination which is hereby prohibited and declared to be unlawful and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars ($200) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense; and the agent or officer so offending shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense.

(b) Nothing in this section or any other provision of the law shall be construed to prohibit the giving by any public utility of free or reduced-rate service to any elderly person as defined by the division.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-34-6 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-34 / Section 39-34-6
§ 39-34-6. Severability.
Status: in_force

If any provision of this chapter or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the chapter that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this chapter are declared to be severable.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-27.2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-27.2
§ 39-6-27.2. After accident counseling.
Status: in_force

(a) Every railroad corporation and railway company shall provide or make available to every member of an operating crew involved in an accident on its railway or right of way that results in loss of life or serious bodily injury, counseling services or other critical incident stress debriefing services within forty-eight (48) hours; provided, that the engineer, or other operating crew member involved in the accident shall be relieved from duty with compensation and applicable benefits at the site of the accident for a minimum of three (3) days; provided, further, that the leave may be without compensation and benefits if the railroad corporation makes the affirmative showing that the accident was due to negligence of an engineer or other operating crew member; provided, however, that any person who is otherwise eligible for these benefits and who has been found to have not acted negligently shall not be precluded from participation due to the negligence of a fellow crew member.

(b) Any engineer returning to duty following such leave shall, if he or she so requests, be assigned an assistant engineer or other qualified person who shall accompany him or her for such time as may be necessary to guarantee the public safety, or until an appropriate medical practitioner has determined that the engineer does not suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

(c) The administrator of the public utilities commission shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-4-11.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-4 / Section 39-4-11.1
§ 39-4-11.1. Order to rebate or cancel charges.
Status: in_force

Whenever the division of public utilities and carriers is in receipt of a determination that drinking water is not safe and potable, as determined by certification of the director of health, the division shall thereupon order the public utility to rebate to or credit the accounts of its consumers, the cost of the drinking water distributed during the period, or a portion thereof, as the division, by its rules and regulations, may determine; and, provided further, that the director of health shall certify to the division the date upon which it is determined that drinking water is restored to safety and potability.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-19-6 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-19 / Section 39-19-6
§ 39-19-6. Jurisdiction of division.
Status: in_force

The division shall supervise and regulate every CATV company operating within this state so far as may be necessary to prevent the operation from having detrimental consequences to the public interest, and for this purpose may promulgate and enforce such reasonable rules and regulations as it may deem necessary with reference to issuance of certificates, territory of operation, abandonment of facilities, elimination of unjust discrimination among subscribers, financial responsibility, and insurance covering personal injury and property damage, safety of equipment and operation, and filing of reports. No certificates shall be issued or remain valid unless the applicant has filed with the division and revised to keep current a schedule of rates and charges for its services. The rates and charges shall be reasonably compensatory so as not to encourage unfair or destructive competitive practices and shall be applied without discrimination. The cable television section of the division of public utilities and carriers shall take all necessary steps to ensure that Rhode Island shall regulate the rates charged by cable television companies to the full extent allowable under federal law; provided, however, the division shall hold public hearings and the cable television companies shall justify and explain at the hearings the necessity for all rate increases of regulated rates. This section shall constitute authority to make any and all certifications to the Federal Communications Commission required under the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992, Pub. L. No. 102-385.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-39 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-39
§ 39-12-39. Annual appropriations.
Status: in_force

The general assembly shall annually appropriate such sums as it may deem necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter, and in so doing shall take into consideration the fees collected under this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-9-5 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-9 / Section 39-9-5
§ 39-9-5. Services and facilities provided to other railroads.
Status: in_force

Every railroad corporation owning a road in use, operated by steam power, shall, at reasonable times and for a reasonable compensation, draw over the same the passengers, merchandise, and cars of any other railroad corporation that connects with, or may be authorized by the legislature to enter with its road upon, or connect the same with and use, the road of the first named corporation; and shall also provide upon its road convenient and suitable depot accommodations for the passengers and merchandise of the other road passing to and over it, and shall receive and deliver the same in the manner it receives and delivers its own passengers and freight.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-4.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-4.1
§ 39-18-4.1. Health and safety of passengers.
Status: in_force

(a) The authority shall have the power to establish reasonable rules of conduct for passengers for the protection of the health and safety of passengers and employees of the authority. The rules shall incorporate the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq., and § 28-5.1-7, chapter 28 of title 11, and chapter 87 of title 42 and be promulgated in accordance with the provisions of chapter 35 of title 42.

(b) All controversies arising out of application of any provision of this section shall be determined by the general manager, or his or her designated hearing officer, who shall afford a hearing to the passenger and/or his or her parent or guardian, and, after hearing, shall render a written decision. The decision of the general manager or hearing officer shall be final, except that the passenger aggrieved by the decision shall have a right of appeal to the superior court, which shall affirm the decision unless it is clearly erroneous or contrary to law. The hearing shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of chapter 35 of title 42.

(c) Notice shall be provided to the RIde funding agency or agencies for any hearing regarding their client/passengers on RIde vehicles. A representative of the RIde funding agency or agencies may attend the hearing. The general manager or hearing officer will consider the recommendation of the RIde funding agencys representative in rendering his/her decision.

(d) The decision of the general manager or hearing officer may include:

(1) Refusing to transport a person whose violation of the rules of the authority threatens the health and safety of passengers or employees of the authority, for a period not to exceed six (6) months; and/or

(2) Revoking a passengers ticket, pass, or other fare medium, regardless of the number of trips or time period for which the ticket, pass, or other fare medium is valid, if the passengers continued presence on an authority vehicle or at an authority facility threatens the health or safety of the authoritys other passengers or employees. The authority shall, within a reasonable time after such a revocation, refund to the passenger the unused value of the ticket, pass, or other fare medium.

(e) Nothing under this section precludes any other action permitted by law.

(f) All RIde buses shall be installed with passenger security cameras when federal funds become available for this purpose.

(g) Any person seeking employment as a RIde bus driver shall undergo a criminal background check to be initiated prior to or within one week of employment. All employees hired prior to the enactment of this subsection shall be exempted from its requirements.

(1) The applicant shall apply to the bureau of criminal identification (BCI), department of attorney general, state police, or local police department where he or she resides, for a statewide criminal records check. Fingerprinting shall not be required. Upon the discovery of any disqualifying information as defined in § 23-17-37, the bureau of criminal identification, the state police, or the local police department will inform the applicant, in writing, of the nature of the disqualifying information; and, without disclosing the nature of the disqualifying information, will notify the employer, in writing, that disqualifying information has been discovered.

(2) An individual against whom disqualifying information has been found may request that a copy of the criminal background report be sent to the employer who shall make a judgment regarding the ability of the individual to drive a RIde bus. In those situations in which no disqualifying information has been found, the bureau of criminal identification, state police, or local police department shall inform the applicant and the employer in writing of this fact.

(3) The criminal record check requirements of this section shall apply only to persons seeking to drive RIde buses.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-22 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-22
§ 39-6-22. Liability of trustees and bondholders operating road.
Status: in_force

Whenever any railroad corporation shall mortgage or convey in trust its railroad or railroad property, or any part thereof, to trustees, for the security of its bondholders or other creditors, or for the security of any class of bondholders or other creditors, and the trustees shall have taken possession of any railroad or railroad property, in pursuance of any authority contained in their mortgage or deed of trust, and shall take charge of and operate the railroad or railroad property for the benefit of the creditors for whom the trust was created, the trustees shall not, after the assent of the bondholders as hereinafter provided, be personally liable for any cause or injury arising from the operation of the road, or while they may operate the same, except for their willful mismanagement or for any contracts made by them as trustees; but all railroad property shall, the bondholders having assented thereto, be liable for the acts and proceedings of the trustees in the execution of their trusts, to the extent of the interest of the trustees of the bondholders or creditors, for whose benefit the trustees may act, and any action or other proceeding therefor shall be brought against the trustees, describing them as such.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-17-7 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-17 / Section 39-17-7
§ 39-17-7. Town regulatory powers  Appeal.
Status: in_force

The use and enjoyment of all rights and franchises granted under the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to such reasonable rules and regulations and orders, controlling the extent and quality of construction and service to be maintained by the corporation to which such rights are granted, and prescribing the location and arrangement of its tracks, poles, wires, or conduits, and their appurtenances, as are, or may be from time to time, enacted by the town or city councils. In case any regulation or enactment shall seem to any corporation to be unreasonable, the corporation, within thirty (30) days after the same has been passed, may complain to the division of public utilities and carriers setting forth that the regulation or order is not reasonable in the premises; and thereupon the division shall proceed to hear and determine the matter in accordance with the provisions of chapter 4 of this title; subject, however, to the right of appeal to the superior court contained in chapter 5 of this title.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-35-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-35 / Section 39-35-3
§ 39-35-3. Technical assistance.
Status: in_force

The department, in consultation with the office, shall make publicly available model decommissioning plans and shall provide technical assistance to municipalities and developers of ground-mounted solar systems regarding the creation of the decommissioning plans required by this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-10-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-10 / Section 39-10-1
§ 39-10-1. Corporations required to comply with chapter.
Status: in_force

No corporation unless incorporated by the general assembly, and no person or partnership unless the person or partnership or the members of the partnership are residents of this state, shall transport or engage in the transportation of any goods, wares, merchandise, or parcels of any description within this state until the corporation, person, or partnership shall have complied with the provisions of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-36 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-36
§ 39-12-36. Unlawful operations  Penalty.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person, subject to the provisions of this chapter, who shall knowingly or willfully cause to be done any act prohibited by this chapter, or who shall be guilty of any violation of this chapter for which no penalty is otherwise provided, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor; and shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or both for each offense.

(b) The administrator may in his or her discretion in lieu of seeking criminal sanctions, impose upon its regulated common or contract carriers an administrative civil penalty (fine) in lieu of revoking or suspending the carriers operating authority as conferred under this chapter. The fine shall not exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) per each violation of the sections contained in this chapter or the divisions rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-16-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-16 / Section 39-16-2
§ 39-16-2. District created.
Status: in_force

There is hereby created a district to be known as the Kent County water district, whose boundaries shall be coterminous with the boundaries of Kent County. Notwithstanding any finding by any court to the contrary, the Kent County water district shall be a political subdivision of the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-19-4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-19 / Section 39-19-4
§ 39-19-4. Persons entitled to certificate.
Status: in_force

A certificate shall be issued by the administrator to an applicant therefor if the administrator finds that the applicant is of good character and is fit, willing, technically qualified, and financially able properly to perform the service proposed and to conform to the requirements, orders, rules, and regulations of the division, and that the proposed operation will be consistent with the public interest. No certificate shall be transferred except with the consent and approval of the administrator. The holder of a certificate shall be entitled to retain the same so long as the holder conforms to the orders, rules, and regulations of the division and pays an annual fee of fifty dollars ($50.00).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-8-1.2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-8 / Section 39-8-1.2
§ 39-8-1.2. Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this title:

(1) Private crossings shall mean and refer to those crossings over railroad tracks at grade that have been established by written agreement between the railroad, the tracks of which are being crossed, and the party or parties who are given exclusive right of passage over the private crossing.

(2) Public crossings shall mean and refer to those crossings of railroad tracks at grade that have been laid out or built with the consent of the commission expressed in writing as provided in § 39-8-3, or have been designated as public crossings by order of a court of competent jurisdiction.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-29-6 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-29 / Section 39-29-6
§ 39-29-6. No effect on tax obligations.
Status: in_force

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to modify or affect any tax obligations imposed by § 44-13-4.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-5 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-5
§ 39-12-5. Administration of chapter  Investigations  Hearings.
Status: in_force

(a) For the effective administration of this chapter as may relate to the supervision and regulation of motor carriers of property over the highways of this state in intrastate or interstate commerce, the administrator shall designate examiners, investigators, field investigators, hearing officers, regulatory inspectors, and other employees to enforce and carry into effect the provisions of this chapter; to make investigations; and to conduct hearings on any matter arising under this chapter. In conducting an investigation and/or hearing, the person so designated by the administrator shall be vested with all powers conferred on the administrator by this chapter; and upon completion of the investigation and/or hearing, the party hearing or investigating shall decide the matter at issue in hearing or under investigation and shall file his or her decision and findings in writing with the administrator, and his or her decision or finding when signed by the administrator shall be deemed the decision and order of the administrator.

(b) The administrator, or his or her duly authorized examiners, investigators, officers, or regulatory inspectors, shall have authority to examine all equipment of motor carriers and lessors and shall have authority to inspect, examine, and copy all accounts, books, records, memoranda, correspondence, and other documents of motor carriers and/or lessors, and documents, accounts, books, records, correspondence, and memoranda of any person controlling, controlled by, or under common control of any carrier, as the administrator shall deem relevant to the persons relation to or transaction with the carrier. Motor carriers, lessors, or persons shall submit their accounts, books, records, memoranda, correspondence, or other documents, relating to motor carrier activities only, for the inspection and copying authorized by this section, and motor carriers and lessors shall submit their equipment for examination and inspection, to any duly authorized examiner, investigator, or regulatory inspector upon demand and the display of proper credentials. The administrator shall have the power to administer oaths; summon and examine witnesses; and order the production and examination of books, accounts, records, memoranda, correspondence, and other documents in any proceeding within the jurisdiction of the administrator. All subpoenas and orders for the production of books, accounts, papers, records, and documents shall be signed and issued by the administrator and served as subpoenas in civil cases in the superior court are now served, and witnesses so subpoenaed shall be entitled to the same fees for attendance and travel as are now provided for witnesses in civil cases in the superior court.

(c) If the person subpoenaed to attend before the division fails to obey the command of the subpoena without reasonable cause, or if a person in attendance before the administrator shall, without reasonable cause, refuse to be sworn, or to be examined, or to answer a legal or pertinent question, or if any person shall refuse to produce books, accounts, records, memoranda, correspondence, or other documents material to the issue, set forth in an order duly served on him or her, the administrator or his or her agent thereof may apply to any justice of the superior court of any county, upon proof by affidavit of the fact, for a rule or order returnable in not less than two (2) or more than five (5) days, directing the person to show cause before the justice who made the order or any justice of the superior court why he or she should not be adjudged for contempt. Upon return of the order, the justice before whom the matter is brought for a hearing shall examine under oath the person, and the person shall be given an opportunity to be heard, and if the justice shall determine that the person has refused without reasonable cause or legal excuse to be examined or to answer a legal question and a pertinent question, or to produce books, accounts, records, memoranda, correspondence, or other documents material to the issue that he or she was ordered to bring or produce, the justice may immediately commit the offender to jail, there to remain until he or she submits to do the act for which he or she was required to do, or is discharged according to law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-28 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-28
§ 39-1-28. Acceptance of grants.
Status: in_force

The commission and the division are authorized and empowered to apply for and receive and accept, in the name of the state, grants, of property, money, and services and other assistance offered or made available to them by any person, any political subdivision or entity, or any other agency, governmental or private, including the United States or any of its agencies and instrumentalities, which they may use for any purpose in furtherance of their powers and duties; provided, however, that acceptance of any grant shall not make the state in any manner legally or equitably liable to the donor relative to the use of the grant. The grants received shall not be covered into the general fund of the state, but shall be kept by the general treasurer in a separate fund for the commission and division and shall be paid out by him or her only upon receipt of properly authenticated vouchers signed by the chairperson of the commission or the administrator as appropriate, without the necessity of appropriation or reappropriation by the general assembly.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-10 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-10
§ 39-18-10. Trust funds.
Status: in_force

All moneys received pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, whether as proceeds from the sale of bonds or as revenues, shall be deemed to be trust funds to be held and applied solely as provided in this chapter. The authority may, in the resolution authorizing the bonds or in the trust agreement securing the bonds, provide for the payment of the proceeds of the sale of the bonds and the revenues to be received to a trustee, which shall be any trust company or bank having the powers of a trust company within or without the state, which shall act as trustee of the bonds and hold and apply the bonds to the purposes of this chapter, subject to this chapter and to regulations as the resolution or trust agreement may provide, or may provide for the funds to be held in a separate account of the authority maintained at any bank within or without the state to be disbursed therefrom on the instructions of such officer or officers of the authority as may be so authorized and empowered by resolution of the authority.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-10 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-10
§ 39-6-10. Adverse possession by railroad.
Status: in_force

No length of possession, user, or occupancy by a railroad corporation of land belonging to an adjoining owner shall hereafter create any right in or to adjoining land in the railroad corporation or in any person or corporation claiming under it.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-30.2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-30.2
§ 39-1-30.2. Possession of land adverse to a utility.
Status: in_force

No interest in real property of an electric distribution company, electric transmission company, gas, telephone, or water utility may be defeated or otherwise adversely affected by the use, possession, or occupancy of the real property by any person.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-15 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-15
§ 39-12-15. Filing of contracts by contract carriers  Form of contract.
Status: in_force

Every contract carrier by motor vehicle shall file with the administrator a copy of every contract for the transportation of property by motor vehicle in effect in connection with its operations, which shall be in writing and shall be executed by all parties thereto. The period of time during which the contracts shall be in force; the charges for transportation and accessorial services, if any; and the duties and obligations of all parties thereto, shall be specifically stated in the contracts, and the copies shall be kept in the files of the administrator but not opened to public inspection.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-10-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-10 / Section 39-10-3
§ 39-10-3. Filing of power of attorney  Receipt in evidence.
Status: in_force

A copy of a power of attorney duly certified and authenticated shall be filed with the secretary of state, and copies thereof duly certified shall be received in evidence in all courts in the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-1
§ 39-3-1. Services for which certificate of necessity required.
Status: in_force

No public utility, whether privately owned or a quasi-public agency, shall distribute electricity or furnish or sell gas in any town or city in which any other public utility is at the time distributing electricity or furnishing or selling gas to the public generally, unless the public utility desiring to distribute electricity or to furnish or sell gas shall first have obtained a certificate from the division of public utilities and carriers certifying that public convenience and necessity require the same. Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to require a certificate to be obtained as a condition of distributing electricity or furnishing or selling gas in any town or city by any public utility that was actually distributing electricity or furnishing or selling gas to the public generally in the town or city on or prior to January 1, 1996, or by any successor to the public utility. The division shall not grant the certificate to any electric distribution company if the electric distribution company that is distributing electricity in the town or city offers to provide distribution service to all customers served by any nonregulated power producer, whether affiliated or not, on comparable prices and terms approved pursuant to this title, including the transition charge pursuant to § 39-1-27.4. A copy of any application filed by the Block Island Power Company with either the commission or the division shall be provided by the Block Island Power Company to the New Shoreham town clerk by certified mail.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-1
§ 39-6-1. Railroad defined.
Status: in_force

The word railroad, as used in chapters 6  9 of this title, except in § 39-6-15 and in § 39-9-11, shall be construed so as to include all so-called tramways and all other railroads operated by steam or other power.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-2
§ 39-6-2. Unlicensed road as nuisance.
Status: in_force

Every railroad or portion of a railroad built in this state for public use, by itself or in connection with any other railroad, without charter or license first had and obtained from the general assembly, is declared to be a public nuisance.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-3
§ 39-18-3. Purposes of the authority.
Status: in_force

(a) It shall be the purposes of the authority to:

(1) Provide public transit services that meet mobility needs of the people of the state, including the elderly and disabled;

(2) Increase access to employment opportunities;

(3) Connect different modes of public transportation, including rail, air, and water services;

(4) Promote community design that features public transit services as defining elements of a community;

(5) Facilitate energy conservation and efficient energy use in the transportation sector by providing public transit services; and

(6) Mitigate traffic congestion and enhance air quality.

(b) It shall further be the purpose of the authority to own and operate a mass motor bus, water, or rail passenger transportation system and to manage, to coordinate, and to perform vehicle maintenance for a state paratransit system. Whenever any operator of a mass motor bus, water, or rail passenger transportation system files with the public utilities administrator a petition to discontinue any service, it is the purpose and function of the authority to determine if it is in the public interest to discontinue that service. If it is determined that it is not in the public interest to discontinue that service, the authority is authorized and empowered to acquire all or any part of the transit property, or any interest therein, of the system.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-13 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-13
§ 39-18-13. Bonds eligible for investment.
Status: in_force

Bonds issued by the authority under the provisions of this chapter are hereby made securities in which all public officers and public bodies of the state and its political subdivisions, all insurance companies, trust companies, banking associations, investment companies, credit unions, building and loan associations, executors, administrators, trustees, and other fiduciaries may properly and legally invest funds, including capital in their control or belonging to them. The bonds are hereby made securities that may properly and legally be deposited with and received by any state or municipal officer or any agency or political subdivision of the state for any purpose for which the deposit of bonds or obligations is now or may hereafter be authorized by law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-21-15 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-21 / Section 39-21-15
§ 39-21-15. Liberal construction.
Status: in_force

The provisions of this chapter shall be construed liberally in order to accomplish the purposes hereof, and where any specific power is given to the division by the provisions hereof, the statement shall not be deemed to exclude or impair any power otherwise in this chapter conferred upon the division.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-19-14 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-19 / Section 39-19-14
§ 39-19-14. Recovery of expenses from cable television companies.
Status: in_force

(a) The cable television company making an application or filing to the division, or subject to a division investigation, shall be charged with and shall pay the expenses reasonably so incurred by the division for the purchase of materials, and for the employment of legal counsel, official stenographers, engineers, accountants, and expert witnesses and for travel, advertising expense, hearing site expense, and other necessary expenses as are reasonably attributable to the investigation or the hearing of the application or filing by the division.

(b) The total amount that may be charged to any cable television company under authority of this section for proceedings before the division in any calendar year shall not exceed forty thousand dollars ($40,000).

(c) The administrator shall ascertain the expenses and shall determine the amount to be paid by the cable television company or companies, and bills shall be rendered therefor, either at the conclusion of the investigation or hearing, or from time to time during its progress, and the amount of each bill so rendered shall be paid by the cable television company to the administrator within thirty (30) days from the date of its rendition unless, within the thirty-day (30) time period, the cable television company so billed shall request an opportunity to be heard by the division as to the amount thereof. The division shall comply with any such request. Any amount of the bill not paid within thirty (30) days from the date of service of the determination upon the hearing, or, if none shall be requested, within thirty (30) days from the date of rendition of the bill, shall draw interest at the rate of twelve percent (12%) per annum. At the discretion of the administrator, cable television companies may be prebilled for contractual services utilized by the division. Any revenue received, but not expended upon the completion of the case, will be promptly reimbursed to the cable television company.

(d) Any person or company making an application to the division for the issuance of a CATV certificate shall be charged with and pay all expenses reasonably incurred by the division in supplying materials and for the employment of legal counsel, official stenographers, engineers, accountants, and expert witnesses, and for travel and other necessary expenses as are reasonably attributable to the investigation or the hearing of the application proposal. Applicants shall pay those fees in full prior to the hearing process commencing unless the administrator agrees to an alternate payment schedule. All fees collected by the division shall be deposited with the general treasurer and appropriated to the division. The administrator is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for payment of any sum or sums as may be necessary, from time to time, and upon receipt by him or her of authenticated vouchers presented by the administrator. Failure of the applicant to pay expenses lawfully assessed by the administrator shall constitute grounds for suspension of regulatory proceedings or revocation of any certificate granted, until the applicant has paid the expenses.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-19-7.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-19 / Section 39-19-7.1
§ 39-19-7.1. Removal of poles and cables.
Status: in_force

(a) Whenever, in order to move a building to be used as affordable housing for low- and moderate-income persons for a period of not less than ten (10) years, a nonprofit housing development corporation desires that the poles, posts, conduits, cables, wires, or fixtures erected by a CATV company be cut, disconnected, or removed, the CATV company shall cut, disconnect, or remove the same at its own expense.

(b) A nonprofit housing development corporation that desires the cutting, disconnection, or removal of poles, posts, conduits, cables, wires, or fixtures of a CATV company shall give written notification to the commission and the CATV company at least thirty (30) days before the removal is desired. The written notification must contain the location of the site where the structure is presently located; the location of the final destination of the structure; the path of the proposed move, described in reference to the crossings of streets or highways; and the date of required cutting, disconnection, or removal.

(c) Upon receipt of the written notification described in § 39-2-15.1(b), the commission shall promptly determine whether the applicant is a nonprofit housing development corporation within the meaning of this chapter, and shall also determine whether the structure to be moved will be maintained as affordable housing for a period of not less than ten (10) years. A resolution, issued by the board of directors of the nonprofit housing development corporation and recorded at the land records office of the locality to where the structure is to be moved, stating that the structure will be used as affordable housing for a period of not less than ten (10) years, shall be satisfactory evidence that the requirements of this section have been satisfied. If the commission determines that the applicant satisfies the requirements of this section, it shall require that the CATV company undertake the actions as requested in the application on the date specified therein.

(d) If, at any time during the ten-year (10) period following the cutting, disconnection, or removal of the pipes, mains, poles, wires, conduits, or fixtures of a public utility, the nonprofit housing development corporation shall utilize the structure for any purpose other than affordable housing, the nonprofit housing development corporation shall reimburse the public utility for the cost of the cutting, disconnection, or removal of the same.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-18.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-18.1
§ 39-18-18.1. Authority deemed instrumentality and political subdivision of state.
Status: in_force

For the purposes of chapters 42  44 of title 28 and chapters 29  37 of title 28, and with respect to chapter 31 of title 9, and notwithstanding any inconsistent provisions of these chapters, the authority shall be deemed to be an instrumentality and a political subdivision of the state; provided, however, with respect to chapters 29  37 of title 28, the authority shall pay all benefits, required by law, until the authority ceases to exist. Thereafter, the payments shall be the obligation of the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-2-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-2 / Section 39-2-3
§ 39-2-3. Unreasonable preferences or prejudices.
Status: in_force

(a) If any public utility shall make or give any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any particular person, firm, or corporation, or shall subject any particular person, firm, or corporation to any undue or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage in any respect whatsoever, the public utility shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars ($200) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense.

(b) Nothing in this section or any other provision of the law shall be construed to prohibit the giving by any public utility, of free or reduced-rate service to an elderly person as defined by the division.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-26 / Section 39-26-2
§ 39-26-2. Definitions.
Status: reserved

When used in this chapter:

(1) Alternative compliance payment means a payment to the renewable energy development fund of fifty dollars ($50.00) per megawatt-hour of renewable energy obligation, in 2003 dollars, adjusted annually up or down by the consumer price index, which may be made in lieu of standard means of compliance with this statute.

(2) Commission means the Rhode Island public utilities commission.

(3) Compliance year means a calendar year beginning January 1 and ending December 31, for which an obligated entity must demonstrate that it has met the requirements of this statute.

(4) Customer-sited generation facility means a generation unit that is interconnected on the end-use customers side of the retail electricity meter in such a manner that it displaces all or part of the metered consumption of the end-use customer.

(5) Electrical energy product means an electrical energy offering, including, but not limited to, last-resort and standard-offer service, that can be distinguished by its generation attributes or other characteristics, and that is offered for sale by an obligated entity to end-use customers.

(6) Eligible biomass fuel means fuel sources including brush, stumps, lumber ends and trimmings, wood pallets, bark, wood chips, shavings, slash, and other clean wood that is not mixed with other solid wastes; agricultural waste, food, and vegetative material; energy crops; landfill methane; biogas; or neat biodiesel and other neat liquid fuels that are derived from such fuel sources.

(7) Eligible renewable energy resource means resources as defined in § 39-26-5.

(8) End-use customer means a person or entity in Rhode Island that purchases electrical energy at retail from an obligated entity.

(9) Existing renewable energy resources means generation units using eligible renewable energy resources and first going into commercial operation before December 31, 1997.

(10) Generation attributes means the nonprice characteristics of the electrical energy output of a generation unit including, but not limited to, the units fuel type, emissions, vintage, and policy eligibility.

(11) Generation unit means a facility that converts a fuel or an energy resource into electrical energy.

(12) High-heat medical waste processing facility means a facility that:

(i) Generates electricity from the combustion, gasification, or pyrolysis of regulated medical waste;

(ii) Generates electricity from the combustion of fuel derived from the gasification or pyrolysis of regulated medical waste; or

(iii) Disposes of, processes, or treats regulated medical waste through combustion, gasification, pyrolysis, or any process that exposes waste to temperatures above four hundred degrees Fahrenheit (400ÂºF).

(13) NE-GIS means the generation information system operated by NEPOOL, its designee or successor entity, that includes a generation information database and certificate system, and that accounts for the generation attributes of electrical energy consumed within NEPOOL.

(14) NE-GIS certificate means an electronic record produced by the NE-GIS that identifies the relevant generation attributes of each megawatt-hour accounted for in the NE-GIS.

(15) NEPOOL means the New England Power Pool or its successor.

(16) New renewable energy resources means generation units using eligible renewable energy resources and first going into commercial operation after December 31, 1997; or the incremental output of generation units using eligible renewable energy resources that have demonstrably increased generation in excess of ten percent (10%) using eligible renewable energy resources through capital investments made after December 31, 1997; but in no case involve any new impoundment or diversion of water with an average salinity of twenty (20) parts per thousand or less.

(17) Obligated entity means a person or entity who or that sells electrical energy to end-use customers in Rhode Island, including, but not limited to: nonregulated power producers and electric utility distribution companies, as defined in § 39-1-2, supplying standard-offer service, last-resort service, or any successor service to end-use customers, including Narragansett Electric, but not to include Block Island Power Company as described in § 39-26-7 or Pascoag Utility District.

(18) Off-grid generation facility means a generation unit that is not connected to a utility transmission or distribution system.

(19) Renewable energy resource means any one or more of the renewable energy resources described in § 39-26-5(a).

(20) Reserved certificate means a NE-GIS certificate sold independent of a transaction involving electrical energy, pursuant to Rule 3.4 or a successor rule of the operating rules of the NE-GIS.

(21) Reserved certificate account means a specially designated account established by an obligated entity, pursuant to Rule 3.4 or a successor rule of the operating rules of the NE-GIS, for transfer and retirement of reserved certificates from the NE-GIS.

(22) Self-generator means an end-use customer in Rhode Island that displaces all or part of its retail electricity consumption, as metered by the distribution utility to which it interconnects, through the use of a customer-sited generation facility, and the ownership of any such facility shall not be considered an obligated entity as a result of any such ownership arrangement.

(23) Small hydro facility means a facility employing one or more hydroelectric turbine generators and with an aggregate capacity not exceeding thirty megawatts (30 MW). For purposes of this definition, facility shall be defined in a manner consistent with Title 18 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 292.204; provided, however, that the size of the facility is limited to thirty megawatts (30 MW), rather than eighty megawatts (80 MW).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-26 / Section 39-26-1
§ 39-26-1. Legislative findings.
Status: in_force

The General Assembly finds that:

(1) The people and energy users of Rhode Island have an interest in having electricity supplied in the state come from a diversity of energy sources including renewable resources;

(2) Increased use of renewable energy may have the potential to lower and stabilize future energy costs;

(3) Increased use of renewable energy can reduce air pollutants, including carbon dioxide emissions, that adversely affect public health and contribute to global warming;

(4) Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other states have established renewable energy standard programs to encourage the development of renewable energy sources;

(5) It is in the interest of the people, in order to protect public health and the environment and to promote the general welfare, to establish a renewable energy standard program to increase levels of electrical energy supplied in the state from renewable resources.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-31-9 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-31 / Section 39-31-9
§ 39-31-9. Siting of regional energy infrastructure.
Status: in_force

All regional or multistate energy infrastructure projects authorized under this chapter shall respect and maintain compliance with the individual project host states siting authority and requirements. Any projects selected pursuant to this chapter must maintain compliance with Rhode Island energy facility siting act requirements, where applicable, as authorized under chapter 98 of title 42.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-20-8 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-20 / Section 39-20-8
§ 39-20-8. Regulation of activities of domestic electric utilities without the state.
Status: in_force

Legislative consent is hereby given to the application of regulatory and other laws of other states and of the United States to any domestic electric utility that has acquired or has an interest in an electric-generating facility or a portion thereof without the state or is otherwise acting without the state pursuant to authority granted in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-23 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-23
§ 39-3-23. Charters amended  Availability of information.
Status: in_force

The charters of all corporations subject to regulation by the division as public utilities are hereby amended to the extent necessary to comply with the provisions of §§ 39-3-15  39-3-22 as amended; provided, however, that all information acquired under the provisions of the sections shall be available to the governor and to all members of the general assembly.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-8-15 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-8 / Section 39-8-15
§ 39-8-15. Failure to erect signs or ring bell.
Status: in_force

Every railroad corporation that shall neglect or refuse to comply with the provisions of §§ 39-8-13 and 39-8-14 shall be fined not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000); and the corporation shall be liable for all damages sustained by any person by reason of neglect or refusal on the part of the corporation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-9-11 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-9 / Section 39-9-11
§ 39-9-11. Baggage of passengers.
Status: in_force

Every passenger upon a railroad within the limits of this state shall have the privilege of taking with him or her upon any train, on which he or she is a passenger, personal baggage not exceeding eighty pounds (80 lbs.) in weight, without any charge on the part of the railroad company transporting the baggage, except the railroad fare of the passenger; and bicycles are hereby declared to be, and are decreed to be baggage, within the meaning of this section, and shall be by the railroad companies transported as baggage, subject to the same liabilities; provided, however, that no railroad company shall be required to transport more than one bicycle for a single person, and no passenger shall be required to crate, cover, or otherwise protect any bicycle.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-3
§ 39-12-3. Exemption from regulations.
Status: in_force

There shall be exempted from the provisions of this chapter:

(1) Motor vehicles while engaged exclusively in the delivery of United States mail;

(2) Motor vehicles owned and operated by the government of the United States;

(3) Motor vehicles owned and operated by a cooperative group and used exclusively for the transportation of the property of the cooperative group or its members;

(4) Motor vehicles used exclusively in the transportation of agricultural commodities or horticultural commodities or products from a farm, or farm supplies to a farm;

(5) Motor vehicles engaged in the plowing or removal of snow from the publicly used highways within this state;

(6) Motor vehicles engaged in the transportation of garbage, ashes, and debris removed from private dwellings, commercial, and industrial establishments;

(7) Motor vehicles engaged exclusively in transporting newspapers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-13-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-13 / Section 39-13-2
§ 39-13-2. Jitneys subject to regulation.
Status: in_force

Every person, association, or corporation owning or operating a jitney is hereby declared a common carrier and subject as such to the jurisdiction of the division of public utilities and carriers, and while so operating, to such reasonable rules and regulations as the division may prescribe with respect to routes, fares, speed, schedules, continuity of service, and the convenience and safety of passengers and the public.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-29 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-29
§ 39-12-29. Agent for service of process, notices, or orders on interstate carriers.
Status: in_force

Every motor carrier of property operating in interstate commerce over the highways of this state, in the transportation of property for compensation, shall file with the administrator a designation in writing of the name and post office address of a person in this state upon whom or which service of process, notices, or orders may be made.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-13-2.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-13 / Section 39-13-2.1
§ 39-13-2.1. Jitneys not subject to regulation.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person, association, or corporation operating a jitney, bus, or other motor vehicle as a transportation operator as defined in this chapter for the purpose of providing paratransit or coordinated paratransit services for the benefit of the citizenry of the state shall be exempted from regulation under this chapter.

(b) Transportation operators may enter contractual agreements with third-party transportation operators to provide paratransit services and the third parties shall be similarly exempted from regulation under this chapter.

(c) Provided, however, all transportation operators providing paratransit services shall be required to meet all driver and vehicle safety requirements as set forth in this chapter including but not limited to: (1) The same inspection standards or regulations as a jitney-registered vehicle including semi-annual safety inspections in accordance with chapter 38 of title 31; (2) That failure of a semi-annual state safety inspection shall result in suspension of the vehicle registration until such time as all defects are corrected; and (3) The requirements of § 39-13-11. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the power of the department of administration to require additional safety or other requirements, either by regulation or contract.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-4-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-4 / Section 39-4-3
§ 39-4-3. Investigations on complaint against utility  Safe and potable defined.
Status: in_force

(a) Upon a written complaint made against any public utility by any city or town council, or by the water supply management division of the department of environmental management, or by any corporation, or by any twenty-five (25) qualified electors, that any of the rates, tolls, charges, or any joint rate or rates of any public utility are in any respect unreasonable or unjustly discriminatory, or that any regulation, measurement, practice, or act whatsoever of any public utility, affecting or relating to the conveyance of persons or property, including sewage, or any service in connection therewith, or the conveyance of any telephone or telegraph message or any service in connection therewith, is in any respect unreasonable, insufficient, or unjustly discriminatory, or that any service is inadequate or cannot be obtained or is unsafe, or the public safety is endangered thereby, or in the case of drinking water that the water is either unsafe or nonpotable, or that the water supplier is in noncompliance with chapter 15.4 et seq. of title 46, the division shall proceed, with or without notice, to make such investigation as it may deem necessary or convenient. But no order affecting the rates, tolls, charges, regulations, measurements, practice, act, or service complained of shall be entered by the division without a formal public hearing. When any complaint shall be made by twenty-five (25) or more qualified electors, the complaint shall designate one of the complainants upon whom shall be served all notices, orders, and citations required by this chapter to be served upon complainants.

(b) The term safe and potable shall mean the suitability or fitness for human consumption of drinking water.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-14 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-14
§ 39-18-14. Negotiable instruments.
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding any of the foregoing provisions of this chapter or any recitals in any bonds issued under the provisions of this chapter, all bonds shall be deemed to be negotiable instruments under the laws of this state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-19-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-19 / Section 39-19-1
§ 39-19-1. Community antenna television system defined.
Status: in_force

Community antenna television system or CATV as used in this chapter shall mean and include the ownership or operation of a cable television system that receives video or audio signals, electrical impulses, or currents at a central antenna or electronic control center within this state and from which it distributes or transmits such signals, impulses, or currents by a cable or wire system to electronic equipment at a customers terminal point within this state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-35 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-35
§ 39-12-35. Orders, rules, and regulations  Suspension or revocation of certificate or permits.
Status: in_force

Every person, subject to the provisions of this chapter, shall be subject to such reasonable orders, rules, and regulations as shall, after a public hearing, be adopted and promulgated by the administrator. For willful or continued failure to comply with orders, rules, and regulations, or for willful or continued failure to comply with the terms and conditions of any certificate or permit granted under this chapter or previous laws, the administrator, after notice and hearing, or after failure to appear at a hearing of which due notice has been given, may suspend or modify or revoke the permit or certificate, subject however, to the right of appeal as to the reasonableness and lawfulness of the suspension or revocation or modification to the public utility hearing board as provided in chapter 35 of title 42.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-27-7 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-27 / Section 39-27-7
§ 39-27-7. New and revised standards.
Status: in_force

The commission may adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 35 of title 42, to establish increased efficiency standards for the products listed in § 39-27-4. In considering such amended standards, the commission, in consultation with the chief of energy and community services, shall set efficiency standards upon a determination that increased efficiency standards would serve to promote energy conservation in the state and would be cost-effective for consumers who purchase and use such products; provided, that increased efficiency standards shall become effective within one year following the adoption of any amended regulations establishing such increased efficiency standards.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-11-6 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-11 / Section 39-11-6
§ 39-11-6. Hearings on certificate.
Status: in_force

Upon the filing of an application for a certificate, the administrator shall fix a time and place for the hearing on the application and shall cause notice of the filing of the application and of the hearing on the application to be given by mail not less than ten (10) days, exclusive of the date of mailing, before the hearing, addressed to all holders of certificates, and applicants therefor whose operations or proposed operations would be affected by the granting of the proposed certificate, and upon any other person deemed by the administrator to have an interest in the proceeding. All interested persons shall have the right to appear and take part in all proceedings before the administrator either in person or by counsel. All hearings, investigations, and inquiries before the administrator shall be governed by rules to be adopted and prescribed by the administrator, and in the hearings and investigations and inquiries, the administrator shall not be bound by the technical rules of evidence.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-33 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-33
§ 39-12-33. Enforcement by police departments.
Status: in_force

The administrator is hereby authorized to avail himself or herself of such state, city, and town police departments as are or may hereafter be existing by law, to enforce the provisions of this chapter and the rules, regulations, and orders of the administrator made under this chapter; and the police departments are hereby given the necessary authority and power, in addition to those they now possess, to carry into effect the directions of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-24 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-24
§ 39-1-24. Certification, collection, and deposit of assessments.
Status: in_force

On or before the first day of August in each year, the administrator shall certify to the state controller the amount of the assessment made pursuant to § 39-1-23 and the name and address of each company against whom the assessment is made. Each company shall pay the administrator the amount assessed against it within thirty (30) days from the receipt of the assessment with interest at the rate of six percent (6%) per annum if unpaid at the due date. The administrator shall deposit all payments with the general treasurer. The amount so deposited shall be credited to the general fund of the state and accounted for as expenses recovered from public utility companies and common carriers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-11-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-11 / Section 39-11-2
§ 39-11-2. Purpose.
Status: in_force

It is hereby declared to be the purpose and policy of the legislature in enacting this chapter, to confer upon the public utilities administrator the power and authority and to make it his or her duty to supervise and regulate the transportation of persons and property by intrastate aircraft through the air between termini located within this state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-22 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-22
§ 39-1-22. False returns.
Status: in_force

A company subject to the supervision of the commission or division that furnishes it with a sworn or affirmed report, return, or statement, that the company knows or should know contains false figures or information regarding any material matter lawfully required of it, and any company that fails within a reasonable time to obey a final order of the commission or division, shall be fined not more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-20-5 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-20 / Section 39-20-5
§ 39-20-5. Regulation of foreign electric utilities.
Status: in_force

(a) A foreign electric utility, in order to procure a certificate of authority to transact business in this state pursuant to this chapter, shall make application therefor to the secretary of state pursuant to the provisions of §§ 7-1.2-1405 and 7-1.2-1406 and shall be subject to §§ 7-1.2-1403  7-1.2-1418, 7-1.2-1501 and 7-1.2-1601  7-1.2-1604.

(b) A foreign public utility that has received a certificate of authority to transact business in this state pursuant to this chapter:

(1) Shall, before owning or operating an electric-generating facility in this state, notify the commission of the action to be taken by it;

(2) Shall thereafter furnish to the commission annually a copy of the annual report filed by it with the utility regulatory agency of the state of its domicile or principal locus; and

(3) Shall furnish to the commission, from time to time, such other information with respect to its activities in the state as the commission may reasonably request.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-13-12 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-13 / Section 39-13-12
§ 39-13-12. License plates.
Status: in_force

Every jitney shall carry markers to be furnished by the division of motor vehicles, which markers shall indicate that the vehicle is licensed for jitney service.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-20-6 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-20 / Section 39-20-6
§ 39-20-6. Joint ownership and waiver of the right of partition.
Status: in_force

If any domestic or foreign electric utility acquires or owns an interest as a tenant in common with one or more other domestic or foreign electric utilities in any electric-generating facility in this state, the surrender or waiver by any owner of the property of the right to partition the property for a period not exceeding the period for which the property is used or useful for electric utility purposes, shall not be invalid or unenforceable by reason of the length of the period, nor shall such surrender or waiver be construed as unduly restricting the alienation of the property.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-38 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-38
§ 39-3-38. Wholesale contracts for the sale of water  Rates or charges.
Status: in_force

The authority of any public waterworks or water service owned or furnished by any city, town, water district, fire district, or any other municipal or quasi-municipal corporation to enter into contracts with each other for the sale of water at wholesale is hereby confirmed, and the wholesale contracts shall be exempt from the provisions of § 39-3-24(1) but shall be filed with the division; provided, however, that whenever any public waterworks or water service owned or furnished by any city, town, water district, fire district, or any other municipal or quasi-municipal corporation shall enter into wholesale contracts with each other, the fair wholesale rates or charges for the quantity of water taken shall be for such times and at such rates fixed to continue during such periods as may be mutually agreed upon, or in default of agreement, as shall be determined by the commission in accordance with the provisions of §§ 39-3-10 and 39-3-11.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26-8 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-26 / Section 39-26-8
§ 39-26-8. Interaction with other policies.
Status: in_force

(a) Rhode Island has established a system-benefits charge (SBC), a portion of which is dedicated to supporting renewable energy, administered in accordance with the provisions of § 39-2-1.2(b) and (c); other states have similar policies. The office of energy resources is hereby directed to collaborate with the division of public utilities and carriers, the trustees of the renewable energy development fund, the distribution company with other interests and parties, as appropriate, in maximizing the combined impact and efficiency of the renewable energy program established by § 39-2-1.2(b) and (c) and the renewable energy standard.

(b) It is the intent of this chapter that generation attributes and NE-GIS certificates applied towards Rhode Island renewable energy standard compliance may not be used towards compliance with state renewable energy obligations relating to an obligated entitys load in other states.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26-4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-26 / Section 39-26-4
§ 39-26-4. Renewable energy standard.
Status: in_force

(a) Starting in compliance year 2007, all obligated entities shall obtain at least three percent (3%) of the electricity they sell at retail to Rhode Island end-use customers, adjusted for electric line losses, from eligible renewable energy resources, escalating, according to the following schedule:

(1) At least three percent (3%) of retail electricity sales in compliance year 2007;

(2) An additional one-half of one percent (0.5%) of retail electricity sales in each of the following compliance years 2008, 2009, 2010;

(3) An additional one percent (1%) of retail electricity sales in each of the following compliance years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, provided that the commission has determined the adequacy, or potential adequacy, of renewable energy supplies to meet these percentage requirements;

(4) An additional one and one-half percent (1.5%) of retail electricity sales in each of the following compliance years 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022;

(5) [Deleted by P.L. 2016, ch. 144, § 1 and P.L. 2016, ch. 155, § 1.]

(6) An additional four percent (4%) of retail electricity sales in 2023;

(7) An additional five percent (5%) of retail electricity sales in 2024;

(8) An additional six percent (6%) of retail electricity sales in 2025;

(9) An additional seven percent (7%) of retail electricity sales in 2026 and 2027;

(10) An additional seven and one-half percent (7.5%) of retail electricity sales in 2028;

(11) An additional eight percent (8%) of retail electricity sales in 2029;

(12) An additional eight and one-half percent (8.5%) of retail electricity sales in 2030;

(13) An additional nine percent (9%) of retail electricity sales in 2031; and

(14) An additional nine and one-half percent (9.5%) of retail electricity sales in 2032 and 2033 to achieve the goal that one hundred percent (100%) of Rhode Islands electricity demand is from renewable energy by 2033 and each year thereafter.

(b) For each obligated entity and in each compliance year, the amount of retail electricity sales used to meet obligations under this statute that are derived from existing renewable energy resources shall not exceed two percent (2%) of total retail electricity sales.

(c) The minimum renewable energy percentages set forth in subsection (a) shall be met for each electrical energy product offered to end-use customers, in a manner that ensures that the amount of renewable energy of end-use customers voluntarily purchasing renewable energy is not counted toward meeting such percentages. Notwithstanding the foregoing, municipalities engaged in aggregation pursuant to § 39-3-1.2 may include in their aggregation plan terms that would allow voluntary renewable energy products to be counted toward meeting such percentages. In 2024, the commission, with input from the office of energy resources, division of public utilities and carriers, obligated entities, other market participants, and the public, shall assess the impact of allowing voluntary renewable energy purchases to be counted toward meeting the annual percentages. The commission shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the governor, speaker of the house, and senate president no later than September 1, 2024.

(d) To the extent consistent with the requirements of this chapter, compliance with the renewable energy standard may be demonstrated through procurement of NE-GIS certificates relating to generating units certified by the commission as using eligible renewable energy sources, as evidenced by reports issued by the NE-GIS administrator. Procurement of NE-GIS certificates from off-grid and customer-sited generation facilities, verified by the commission as eligible renewable energy resources, may also be used to demonstrate compliance. With the exception of contracts for generation supply entered into prior to 2002, initial title to NE-GIS certificates from off-grid and customer-sited generation facilities and from all other eligible renewable energy resources, shall accrue to the owner of such a generation facility, unless such title has been explicitly deemed transferred pursuant to contract or regulatory order.

(e) In lieu of providing NE-GIS certificates pursuant to subsection (d) of this section, an obligated entity may also discharge all or any portion of its compliance obligations by making an alternative compliance payment to the renewable energy development fund established pursuant to § 39-26-7.

(f) Retail electricity sales pursuant to a nonregulated power producers supply contract that was executed prior to July 1, 2022, shall be required to obtain an additional one and one-half percent (1.5%) of retail electricity sales each year and are exempted from the requirements of subsections (a)(6) through (a)(14) of this section until the end date of the term of the nonregulated power producers supply contract.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-28 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-28
§ 39-3-28. Filing of agreements with affiliates.
Status: in_force

The original or a verified copy of any contract or arrangement and of any modification thereof or a verified summary of any unwritten contract or arrangement, the consideration of which exceeds five hundred dollars ($500), hereafter entered into between a public utility and an affiliate providing for the furnishing of managerial, supervisory, construction, engineering, accounting, purchasing, financial, or any other services, either to or by a public utility or an affiliate, shall be filed by the public utility with the division within ten (10) days after the date on which the contract is executed or the arrangement entered into. The division may also require a public utility to file in such form as the division may require full information with respect to any purchase from or sale to an affiliate, whether or not made in pursuance of a continuing contract or arrangement.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-35-4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-35 / Section 39-35-4
§ 39-35-4. Existing ordinances.
Status: in_force

This chapter shall not be construed to override or modify any existing municipal ordinance relating to the decommissioning of ground-mounted solar systems or other renewable energy systems.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-13-12.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-13 / Section 39-13-12.1
§ 39-13-12.1. Issuance of a permit to interstate carriers.
Status: in_force

Every motor carrier engaged in transporting passengers over the highways of this state for compensation in interstate commerce, shall file an application with the administrator for a permit of registration. The application shall be accompanied by a fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00). Upon a showing by the carrier that it has been authorized by the Interstate Commerce Commission to conduct an operation into, from, within, or through this state, and that the carrier is in compliance with all other requirements of this chapter, the administrator shall issue a permit of registration to the carrier as soon as possible and the carrier shall not so operate in interstate commerce unless and until the permit of registration shall have been issued. The motor carrier shall be required to file with the administrator only that portion of its interstate authority permitting operations within the borders of this state, and the motor carrier shall not be required to file with the administrator emergency or temporary operating authority having a duration of thirty (30) consecutive days or less, if the carrier has registered its interstate authority and registered and identified its vehicles under the provisions of this chapter. The administrator shall prescribe reasonable rules and regulations governing the registration of interstate authority. Each intrastate motor carrier holding a common-carrier certificate from the administrator is hereby granted the right to operate motor vehicles in interstate commerce in the transportation of passengers for compensation, as authorized by the Interstate Commerce Commission without obtaining a permit of registration from the administrator.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-33-4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-33 / Section 39-33-4
§ 39-33-4. Periodic storage assessment and procurement.
Status: in_force

(a) Not less than every three (3) years, the commission shall conduct a market survey to assess the capabilities of storage technologies and whether those capabilities have the potential to meet the needs of, or provide net value to, the distribution system or the bulk power system.

(1) As part of its review, the commission shall consider time and location-based constraints on the distribution and bulk power systems, including physical, economic, and environmental constraints that increase costs to the general body of ratepayers.

(2) Transmission level storage, at a minimum, shall include long-duration energy storage systems and short-duration energy storage systems that have peaking capabilities, but may include other applications.

(b) Upon a finding by the commission that storage may meet distribution system or bulk power system needs, or provide net value to the general body of ratepayers, the commission shall direct the electric distribution company with more than one hundred thousand (100,000) customers to conduct a procurement of transmission level or distribution level storage consistent with subsection (c) of this section. This review shall also consider whether any changes need to be made to previously approved storage procurement methods to meet the targets and may be conducted as part of the review of system reliability and procurement in § 39-1-27.7(b). The commissions findings about appropriate targets and procurement shall be consistent with its least cost procurement standards and that the approved procurement is cost effective, less than the cost of available supply, reliable, prudent, and environmentally responsible.

(c) The electric distribution company shall issue and, subject to review and approval of the commission, select a reasonable, open, and competitive method of soliciting proposals from third parties for one or more services from energy storage projects connected to the transmission or distribution system in front of the meter, including, but not limited to, long-duration energy storage projects, that would achieve the goals in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-13 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-13
§ 39-12-13. Alteration of common carrier rates by the administrator.
Status: in_force

(a) The administrator, upon complaint of any common carrier by motor vehicle or of any person, or upon his or her own motion, after a hearing, may allow or disallow any filed or existing rates and may alter or prescribe the rates of common carriers in connection with the transportation of any or all classes of property to any or between any and all points within the state and any service connected therewith in accordance with the legal standards provided in this chapter. Whenever, upon complaint or in any investigation on his or her own initiative, the administrator, after a hearing, shall be of the opinion that any rate or charge collected, charged, or demanded by any common carrier by motor vehicle, or any classification, rule, regulation, or practice whatsoever of the carrier affecting the rate, charge, or the value of the service thereunder, is or will be unjust or unreasonable, or unjustly discriminatory, or unduly preferential, or unduly prejudicial, he or she shall determine and prescribe the lawful rate or charge, or the maximum and/or minimum rate or charge thereafter to be observed or the lawful classification, rule, regulation, or practice thereafter to be effective.

(b) The administrator shall implement a gasoline price emergency surcharge program whereby a person licensed under this chapter to perform driveaway-towaway operations shall be permitted to impose and collect a surcharge, during such times and under such conditions wherein the administrator determines that the average price of gasoline in this state exceeds one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) per gallon. Provided, that the administrator shall have discretion as to when to permit such surcharge to be imposed, except that the administrator shall not impose the surcharge at any time when the average price of gasoline, as determined by the administrator, does not exceed the price of one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) per gallon.

(c) The administrator shall implement a diesel price emergency surcharge program whereby a person licensed under § 39-3-3, § 39-3-3.1, or § 39-3-4 to perform as a common carrier of persons and/or property upon water between termini within the state, providing lifeline service as determined by the division, shall be permitted to impose and collect a surcharge for each passenger and vehicle carried, during periods when it is determined that the average retail price of diesel fuel in this state exceeds one dollar and twenty cents ($1.20) per gallon; provided, however, that no such surcharge shall be authorized for carriers providing service that is determined by the division to be discretionary in nature.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-2-18 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-2 / Section 39-2-18
§ 39-2-18. Shutoff devices for gas appliances.
Status: in_force

No person, firm, corporation, or other business entity shall install in any home or business establishment any appliance that operates by the use of consumption of a combustible gas unless a shutoff device approved by the division of public utilities and carriers controlling the flow of gas into the appliances is also installed in the immediate area of the appliance; and, provided, further, that any person, firm, corporation, or other business entity that removes a valve or leaves a gas line without the shutoff device shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be subject to a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-11-5 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-11 / Section 39-11-5
§ 39-11-5. Application for certificate  Fee.
Status: in_force

Application for a certificate shall be in writing and shall contain such information as the administrator may require. All applications for a certificate shall be in the form prescribed by the administrator and shall be accompanied by a filing fee of twenty dollars ($20.00).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-8-13 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-8 / Section 39-8-13
§ 39-8-13. Erection of warning signs along highway.
Status: in_force

Every railroad corporation shall cause to be erected and to be maintained at every turnpike, highway, or public way, where it is crossed by the railroad upon the same level therewith, a suitable sign board upon each side of the crossing; and on each side of the sign boards shall be painted in black capital letters of at least the length of nine inches (9") such words or phrases as may, in the opinion of the division of public utilities and carriers, constitute a proper warning to both pedestrian and vehicular traffic using the crossing. The sign board shall be of such design as may be ordered by the division and shall be placed under the direction and with the consent of the division. The sign board shall indicate whether the railroad crossing is a public or private crossing. Every railroad corporation shall also adopt such other precautionary measures at such grade crossings as shall be deemed proper by the division.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-5-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-5 / Section 39-5-1
§ 39-5-1. Judicial review.
Status: in_force

Any person aggrieved by a decision or order of the commission may, within seven (7) days from the date of the decision or order, petition the supreme court for a writ of certiorari to review the legality and reasonableness of the decision or order. The petition for a writ of certiorari shall fully set forth the specific reasons for which it is claimed that the decision or order is unlawful or unreasonable. Chapter 35 of title 42 shall not be applicable to appeals from the commission. The procedure established by this chapter shall constitute the exclusive remedy for persons and companies aggrieved by any order or judgment of the commission; provided, however, any person aggrieved by a final decision or order of the administrator may appeal therefrom to the superior court pursuant to the provisions of § 42-35-15.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-13 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-13
§ 39-1-13. Subpoena powers of commissioners.
Status: in_force

The commissioners are hereby severally authorized and empowered to administer oaths; and the commission, in all cases of every nature pending before it, is hereby authorized and empowered to summon and examine witnesses and to compel the production and examination of papers, books, accounts, documents, records, certificates, and other legal evidence that may be necessary or proper for the determination and decision of any question before or the discharge of any duty required by law of the commission. All subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum shall be signed by the chairperson or by the clerk, and shall be served as subpoenas are served in civil cases in the superior court; and witnesses so subpoenaed shall be entitled to the same fees for attendance and travel as are provided for witnesses in civil cases in the superior court. If any person fails to obey the command of the subpoena, without reasonable cause, or if a person in attendance before the commission shall, without reasonable cause, refuse to be sworn, or to be examined, or to answer a legal and pertinent question, any commissioner may apply to any justice of the superior court, upon proof by affidavit of the fact, for a rule or order returnable in not less than two (2) nor more than five (5) days, directing the person to show cause why he or she should not be adjudged in contempt. Upon the return of the order, the justice before whom the matter is brought for a hearing shall examine under oath the person, and the person shall be given an opportunity to be heard, and if the justice shall determine that the person has refused without reasonable cause or legal excuse to be examined, or to answer a legal and pertinent question, or to produce books, accounts, papers, records, and documents material to the issue that he or she was ordered to bring or produce, he or she may forthwith commit the person to the adult correctional institutions, there to remain until he or she submits to do the act that he or she was so required to do, or is discharged according to law.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-11 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-11
§ 39-18-11. Remedies.
Status: in_force

Any holder of bonds issued under the provisions of this chapter, or any of the coupons pertaining thereto, and the trustee under any trust agreement related thereto, except to the extent the rights given in this chapter may be restricted by the trust agreement, may, by civil action, mandamus, or other proceedings, protect and enforce any and all rights under the laws of the state or granted in this chapter or under the trust agreement or the resolution authorizing the issuance of the bonds, and may enforce and compel the performance of all duties required by this chapter or by the trust agreement or resolution to be performed by the authority or by any officer thereof, including the fixing and revising of schedules and rates of fare and charges for service.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-2-7 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-2 / Section 39-2-7
§ 39-2-7. Civil liability for violations  Limitation of actions.
Status: in_force

If any public utility shall do, or cause to be done, or permit to be done, any matter, act, or thing in chapters 1  5 of this title prohibited or declared to be unlawful, or shall omit to do any act, matter, or thing to be done by it, the public utility shall be liable to the person, firm, or corporation injured thereby, in a civil action to be brought within three (3) years from the time the cause of action accrues, and not after, for the amount of damage sustained in consequence of the violation; provided, that any recovery as provided in this section, shall in no manner affect the recovery by the state of the penalty prescribed for the violation.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-8 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-8
§ 39-12-8. Declaration of public interest in contract carriers.
Status: in_force

It is hereby declared that the business of contract carrier, as defined in this chapter, is affected with the public interest, and that the safety and welfare of the public upon the public highways within this state, the preservation and maintenance of the highways, and the proper regulation of common carriers using highways require the regulation of contract carriers to the extent provided in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-16 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-16
§ 39-1-16. Depositions.
Status: in_force

In any investigation or hearing conducted by virtue of this title, the person designated to conduct the hearing may cause the deposition of witnesses, wherever residing, to be taken in the manner and used for the purposes prescribed by law for taking depositions in civil actions in the superior court.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-15 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-15
§ 39-1-15. Investigators and examiners.
Status: in_force

For effective administration, supervision, and regulation of public utilities, communications carriers, and common or contract carriers, the administrator, at his or her discretion, may designate examiners, investigators, hearing officers, or one or more agents of the division to make investigations and conduct hearings. In conducting investigations and hearings, the administrator and every person designated therefor by him or her shall be vested with all the powers conferred on the chairperson of the commission by § 39-1-13. Upon completion of his or her investigation and hearing, the person hearing or investigating shall file his or her recommended decision and findings in writing with the administrator; and the decision and findings, when approved by the administrator, shall have the same force and effect as a decision and findings by the administrator. The administrator may, however, at his or her discretion, upon considering the evidence in the matter at issue and the written recommended decision as filed by the hearing officer, agent, examiner, or investigator, decide the matter in hearing or under investigation him or herself, and in such case, the decision of the administrator with his or her findings shall become effective when signed and filed by him or her.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14-2.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-14 / Section 39-14-2.1
§ 39-14-2.1. Filing and availability of rate schedules.
Status: in_force

Every taxicab or limited public motor vehicle shall file with the public utilities administrator current schedules that shall be open to public inspection, showing all rates, tolls, and charges it has established and that are in force at the time for any service performed by it within the state, or for any service in connection therewith or performed by any taxicab or limited public motor vehicle controlled or operated by it. A copy of so much of the schedules as the administrator shall deem necessary for the use of the public shall be printed in plain type or typewritten, and kept on file in every station or office of the taxicab or limited public motor vehicle, open to the public in such form and place as to be readily accessible and conveniently inspected, as the administrator may order. The administrator may determine and prescribe the form in which the schedules, required by this section to be kept open to public inspection, shall be prepared and arranged.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-31 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-31
§ 39-6-31. Declaration of policy regarding abandoned railroad property.
Status: in_force

The general assembly finds and declares that the preservation of open spaces and the orderly control and development of unused or undeveloped land bears a substantial relationship to the public health, safety, and welfare of the people of this state. When a railroad is granted permission to abandon any rail line by the Interstate Commerce Commission and gives up use of the entire width of its right of way in that area, an opportunity is afforded for the establishment of a facility for another means of transportation or for a necessary public recreation or conservation area in the community land which was not theretofore readily available. Railroads, by reason of their statutory privilege of land acquisition by condemnation and statutory protection from acquisition of their land by condemnation, are a proper subject for a special statutory procedure for the disposition of their unused or undeveloped lands.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-31 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-31
§ 39-1-31. Eminent domain.
Status: in_force

(a) Before exercising any power of condemnation, a company shall present a petition to the commission describing the land, right of way, easement, or other interest in property it proposes to acquire, and setting forth why it is necessary to acquire it by eminent domain. The commission shall set a time and place for hearing the petition and shall give notice as the commission deems the circumstances require. If the commission shall determine that the proposed taking is for the benefit of the people of the state, and that it is necessary in order that the petitioner may render adequate service to the public, and that the use to which the property taken will be put will not unduly interfere with the orderly development of the region and scenic development, it shall issue a certificate authorizing the company to proceed with condemnation.

(b) Any company acquiring an interest in land through the provisions of subsection (a) shall indemnify and hold harmless any and all owners, present and future, of land in which any right of way, easement, or other interest is acquired from harm caused by operations of the acquiring company that cause injury of any kind to the person or property of another.

(c) No insurance company shall cause an insured to be placed into a risk pool by virtue of the fact that an easement has been granted under this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-19-7 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-19 / Section 39-19-7
§ 39-19-7. Placing of poles and cables.
Status: in_force

(a) Every CATV company that receives a certificate from the administrator shall have the right to erect poles or posts or to construct any conduit or other facility or maintain cables, wires, or fixtures upon, under, or over any state or municipal highway or public place for the purpose of operating a CATV service, provided that a permit therefor has first been obtained from the director of transportation or the proper official of the city or town having jurisdiction over the roads or public places, which permission the officials are authorized to give.

(b) All equipment, fixtures, and facilities shall be so placed or constructed as not to unreasonably inconvenience travel on the highway or use thereof by public utilities or other persons or companies having rights therein.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-28-7 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-28 / Section 39-28-7
§ 39-28-7. No derogation of attorney general.
Status: in_force

Nothing in this chapter shall derogate from the common law or statutory authority of the attorney general, nor shall any provision be construed as a limitation on the common law or statutory authority of the attorney general, including, but not limited to, the authority to enforce consumer protection or unfair or deceptive trade practice statutes and regulations.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-9 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-9
§ 39-1-9. Clerk  Oath of office.
Status: in_force

The commission shall appoint an employee of the division as its clerk, who shall serve during its pleasure. The commissioners and clerk shall be sworn to the faithful discharge of the duties of their offices and, before entering upon their offices, shall file a certificate of their oaths for record in the office of the secretary of state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-8-14 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-8 / Section 39-8-14
§ 39-8-14. Warning bells.
Status: in_force

Every railroad corporation shall cause a bell of at least thirty-two pounds (32 lbs.) in weight to be placed on each locomotive engine passing upon its road, and the bell shall be rung at a distance of at least eighty (80) rods from the place where the railroad crosses any turnpike, highway, or public way upon the same grade with the railroad, and shall be kept ringing until the engine has crossed the turnpike or road. No car or carriage for the transportation of passengers or freight over any railroad in this state shall be propelled across any highway, after the locomotive has been detached therefrom, unless a bell is rung or a whistle sounded at the crossing during the whole time the train is crossing the highway.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-13-10 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-13 / Section 39-13-10
§ 39-13-10. Display of certificate.
Status: in_force

The owner or operator of every jitney shall display in a conspicuous place in the jitney the certificate issued pursuant to this chapter or a certified copy thereof.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-1.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-1.1
§ 39-3-1.1. Purchasing cooperatives.
Status: in_force

Purchasing cooperatives may at any time be organized consisting of any group of electricity consumers for the purpose of negotiating for electric power from nonregulated power producers. The purchasing cooperatives shall be considered to be associations of electricity consumers organized solely for the purpose of negotiating the purchase of electric power by members of the cooperative. Purchasing cooperatives are specifically not required to be legal entities and are hereby prohibited from engaging in resale of electric power. Electricity consumers will maintain individual accounts with the nonregulated power producer with which a contract is concluded. Electricity consumers may withdraw from a purchasing cooperative at any time by providing thirty (30) days notice to the cooperative and to nonregulated power producers with which a purchasing cooperative has reached an agreement. Nothing in this section shall prevent a cooperative from becoming a legal entity or utilizing a legal entity to negotiate for rates for the purchasing cooperative.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-25 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-25
§ 39-12-25. Operation by fiduciary.
Status: in_force

In the event of the decease, incompetency, insolvency, bankruptcy, or corporate reorganization under the bankruptcy law of the United States, of a holder of a certificate or permit that authorizes motor carrier operations in intrastate commerce under this chapter, the administrator, upon application or notification of his or her executor, administrator, guardian, conservator, assignee, trustee, or receiver, shall conditionally operate the certificate or permit as a fiduciary, pending the filing of an application to transfer the certificate or permit and pending the decision of the administrator as to the fitness, willingness, and ability of the transferee to conduct the operation or business authorized by the certificate or permit. In the event of the decease, incompetency, insolvency, or bankruptcy of a member of a partnership holding the certificate or permit, the administrator upon receipt of notification of the remaining partner or partners, or of the executor, administrator, guardian, conservator, assignee, trustee, or receiver of the deceased, incompetent, insolvent, or bankrupt partner, may make a like conditional transfer to the remaining partner or partners. Upon application of the executor, administrator, guardian, conservator, assignee, trustee, receiver, surviving, or remaining partner, the administrator may transfer the certificate or permit in accordance with the provisions of this chapter from the original holder to any person named in the application and approved by the administrator.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-13-5 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-13 / Section 39-13-5
§ 39-13-5. Hearing on application for certificate.
Status: in_force

Upon receipt of an application, the division shall fix a time and place of a hearing thereon and shall give notice of the pendency of the application and of the time and place of the hearing thereon to the applicant, to the mayor of each city and the president of the town council of each town in or through which the applicant desires to operate, and to any common carrier operating over any portion of a route or over a route substantially parallel thereto, and shall give a public hearing upon the petition. Any town or city within which or between which, and any other town or city to which a common carrier is furnishing service, may, at any time after the certificate of public convenience and necessity has been issued, bring a written petition to the division in respect to routes, fares, speed, schedules, continuity of service, and the convenience and safety of passengers and the public. Thereupon, the division shall fix a time and place for a hearing upon the petition and shall mail a notice thereof to the parties in interest and give such other notice thereof as the division may deem proper by advertisement. The division may revoke or amend any certificate.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-21-14 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-21 / Section 39-21-14
§ 39-21-14. Cooperation and coordination with other agencies.
Status: in_force

In the performance of its duties under this chapter, the division shall be entitled to ask for and to receive from any public or private agency and any other commission, board, officer, agency, or municipal subdivision of the state such information, cooperation, assistance, and advice as shall be reasonable and proper in view of the nature of its functions.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-28-4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-28 / Section 39-28-4
§ 39-28-4. Unaffected fees.
Status: in_force

Nothing in this act shall be construed to affect, mandate, or prohibit the assessment of nondiscriminatory enhanced 911 fees, telecommunications relay service fees, or the telecommunications education access fund surcharge under § 39-1-61.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-11 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-11
§ 39-3-11. Notice of change in rates  Suspension of change  Hearings.
Status: in_force

(a) No change shall be made in the rates, tolls, and charges that have been filed and published by any public utility in compliance with the requirements of § 39-3-10, except after thirty (30) days notice to the commission and to the public published as provided in § 39-3-10, which shall plainly state the changes proposed to be made in the schedule then in force, and the time when the changed rates, tolls, or charges will go into effect. Whenever the commission receives notice of any change or changes proposed to be made in any schedule filed under the provisions of § 39-3-10, the commission shall hold a public hearing and make investigation as to the propriety of the proposed change or changes. After notice of any investigation, the commission shall have power, by any order served upon the public utility affected, to suspend the taking effect of the change or changes pending the decision thereof, but not for a longer period than eight (8) months beyond the time when the change or changes would otherwise take effect. Each hearing and investigation shall be conducted as expeditiously as may be practicable, and with a minimum of delay. Within ninety (90) days after the completion of any hearing, the commission shall make such order in reference to any proposed rate, toll, or charge as may be proper. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the commission shall periodically hold a public hearing and make investigation as to the propriety of rates when charged by any public utility and shall make such order in reference to the rate, toll, or charge as may be just. The hearing prescribed by this section may be held simultaneously with the hearing prescribed by § 39-3-7. In the event of an appeal from an order of the commission in any hearing under this section, the order shall remain in full force and effect during the pendency of said appeal.

(b) Upon receipt from a common carrier of persons and/or property upon water of a notice of any change proposed to be made in any schedule filed pursuant to § 39-3-10, the commission shall give notice as it may prescribe of the pendency of the proposal and of the time and place of the hearing thereon to the mayor and also any city manager of each city, and to the president of the town council and also any town manager of each town in which the carrier picks up or discharges passengers. The commission shall also publish a notice of the hearing at least ten (10) days prior to the date thereof in a newspaper of general circulation in each city or town in which the carrier picks up or discharges passengers. In all other respects, hearings and investigations with respect to the proposals by the carriers shall be governed by the provisions of subsection (a) of this section.

(c) The Kent County Water Authority shall provide notice by certified mail of rate increase requests to the several fire districts that purchase water from the authority.

(d) Costs incurred by electric distribution companies for filing rates, tolls, and charges, for participating in hearings and investigations prior to December 31, 2000, or for appealing commission decisions rendered prior to December 31, 2000, pursuant to this section shall not be included in the rates, tolls, or charges established by the commission pursuant to this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-24 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-24
§ 39-18-24. John J. MacDonald, Jr. Transportation Initiative.
Status: in_force

(a) The Rhode Island public transit authority is authorized and directed, in consultation with the division of public utilities and carriers and the governors commission on disabilities, to develop the John J. MacDonald, Jr. Transportation Initiative for a statewide federally funded New Freedom Program to reduce barriers to transportation services and expand the transportation mobility options available to people with disabilities who need wheelchair-accessible transportation beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, by September 30, 2010. The goal is to provide on-demand wheelchair-accessible taxicab service throughout the state, and especially at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport and the train stations.

(b) The administrator of the division of public utilities and carriers is authorized and directed to issue a regional wheelchair taxicab certificate after a hearing, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 35 of title 42, the administrative procedures act, to any qualified applicant therefore, authorizing the whole or any part of the operations covered by the application, if it is found that the applicant is fit, willing, and able to properly perform the service proposed and to conform to the provisions of chapter 14 of this title, and the requirements, orders, rules, and regulations of the administrator thereunder, and that the proposed service, to the extent to be authorized by the certificate, is or will be required by the present or future public convenience and necessity; otherwise the application shall be denied.

(c) The Rhode Island public transit authority is authorized and directed:

(1) To adopt rules and regulations for the implementation of the John J. MacDonald, Jr. transportation initiative; and

(2) Purchase up to two (2) wheelchair-accessible taxicabs for each regional wheelchair taxicab or public motor vehicle certificate holder, utilizing New Freedom  Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (23 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.) funds for eighty percent (80%) of the cost. The program or purchases thereunder shall be funded by federal grants and private funds only and shall not have a negative financial impact on the Rhode Island public transit authoritys operating budget. The operators of the wheelchair-accessible taxicabs shall be responsible for the twenty percent (20%) nonfederal match for purchase of the vehicles.

(d) The operators of the certified wheelchair-accessible taxicabs or public motor vehicles, and not the Rhode Island public transit authority, shall be responsible for all operating and maintenance costs of the wheelchair-accessible taxicabs or public motor vehicles.

(e) The Rhode Island public transit authority and the division of public utilities and carriers is authorized and directed to begin implementation of the John J. MacDonald, Jr. Transportation Initiative on or before January 1, 2011.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-9 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-9
§ 39-6-9. Possession of land adverse to railroad.
Status: in_force

No length of possession, user, or occupancy of land belonging to a railroad corporation by an owner or occupier of adjoining land shall hereafter create any right in or to the land of the corporation in an adjoining owner or occupant or in any person claiming under him or her.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-21-17 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-21 / Section 39-21-17
§ 39-21-17. Next generation 911.
Status: in_force

The E-911 uniform emergency telephone system division shall take all steps necessary to implement Next Generation-9-1-1, NG 9-1-1, or Text-to-9-1-1 technologies as soon as practicable, and report back to the general assembly no later than March 30, 2017, a timeline that anticipates the date of completion.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-7-5 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-7 / Section 39-7-5
§ 39-7-5. Method of illuminating passenger cars  Fire equipment.
Status: in_force

No passenger car on any railroad shall be lighted by naphtha or by any illuminating oil or fluid made in part of naphtha, or wholly or in part from coal or petroleum, or other substance or material which will ignite at a temperature of less than three hundred degrees (300 degrees) fahrenheit. Every railroad corporation shall provide and keep in every car used by it for the transportation of passengers one pail, one axe, and one iron bar, which shall at all times be kept in order for use. Every railroad corporation violating the provisions of this section shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense, one-half (Â½) thereof to the use of the complainant, and one-half (Â½) thereof to the use of the state.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-8-2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-8 / Section 39-8-2
§ 39-8-2. Raising or lowering of highway to eliminate grade crossing.
Status: in_force

If the city or town council of any city or town where a turnpike or highway crossed by a railroad on a level therewith is situated, is of the opinion that it is necessary for the security of the public that the turnpike or highway should be raised or lowered, so as to pass over or under the railroad, it may request in writing that the corporation owning the railroad raise or lower the turnpike or highway. If the corporation neglects or refuses to do so, the city or town council may apply to the commission to decide upon the reasonableness of the request. If the commission, after due notice and hearing the parties, shall decide that the lowering or raising of grade is necessary for the security of the public, the corporation shall comply with the decision; provided, that either party shall have the right, in accordance with chapter 5 of this title, to petition the supreme court for relief, and the court shall have full power to finally decide the question as to the necessity of changing the grade. The cost and expense of making the change of grade shall be borne by the railroad corporation and the city or town asking for the change, in the proportion as may be decided by the court. If, after the decision of the court that a change of grade is necessary, or if, having taken no appeal from the decision of the commission, the corporation shall unreasonably neglect or refuse to change the grade, the city or town council may proceed to make the change, and may, in an action against the corporation, recover all charges and expenses occasioned by making the alterations.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-17-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-17 / Section 39-17-1
§ 39-17-1. Power of town or city to grant franchises.
Status: in_force

Any town or city, by vote of the town council or city council, may pass ordinances or make contracts to be executed by its proper officers, granting rights and franchises in, over, or under the streets and highways in the town or city to the corporations, as are provided for in § 39-17-2, and for the purposes and upon the condition specified in this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-7-9 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-7 / Section 39-7-9
§ 39-7-9. Approach of railroad junctions or drawbridges.
Status: in_force

(a) Every person driving a locomotive, when approaching any crossing or junction of any two (2) railroads where the rails of one cross or connect with the rails of the other at grade, or when approaching any drawbridge now in use as such, shall stop the locomotive at some point within the distance of five hundred feet (500²) from the crossing, junction, or drawbridge, and before reaching the same, and shall not drive the locomotive over the crossing, junction, or drawbridge, at a greater rate of speed than six miles per hour (6 m.p.h.); provided, however, that the division of public utilities and carriers may grant to any railroad corporation the privilege of crossing the junction or drawbridge without stopping, whenever it determines the same can be done consistently with the public safety.

(b) Every person violating the provisions of this section shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100); and the railroad corporation in whose employment, or upon whose railroad, the person shall be at the time of committing such offense, shall be fined three hundred dollars ($300).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-27.13 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-27.13
§ 39-1-27.13. Alternative suppliers and purchase of receivables program.
Status: in_force

(a) The general assembly recognizes the importance of competitive choice in electric generation service.

(b) The commission may implement a purchase of receivables program where the electric distribution company purchases the receivables of a nonregulated power producer at a discount rate that is then offset from the monthly payments the electric distribution company makes to the nonregulated power producer if the commission finds that the benefits of the program to ratepayers would exceed the costs to ratepayers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-30-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-30 / Section 39-30-3
§ 39-30-3. Streetlight investment.
Status: in_force

(a) Any city or town receiving streetlighting service from an electric distribution company pursuant to an electric-rate tariff providing for the use by such municipality of lighting equipment owned by the electric distribution company, at its option, upon sixty (60) days notice to the electric company and to the office, and subject to the provisions of subsections (b) through (e), may:

(1) Convert its streetlighting service from the subject tariff rate to an alternative tariff rate providing for delivery service by the electric distribution company of electric energy, whether or not supplied by the electric distribution company, over distribution facilities and wires owned by the electric distribution company to lighting equipment owned or leased by the municipality, and further providing for the use by the municipality of the space on any pole, lamp post, or other mounting surface previously used by the electric distribution company for the mounting of the lighting equipment. The alternative tariff rate shall provide for monthly bills for street and area lighting that shall include a schedule of energy charges based on a determination of annual kilowatt-hour usage per-lumen rating or nominal wattage of all types of lighting equipment, but shall not include facility, support, maintenance, or accessory charges. The new tariff shall use existing usage calculation methods and existing rates for any currently existing lighting equipment, only setting reasonable new rates for newly adopted lighting equipment. The new tariff shall be structured so as to allow options for various streetlighting controls, including both conventional dusk/dawn operation using photocell or scheduling controls, as well as schedule-based dimming or on/off controls that dim or turn off streetlights during periods of low activity. The electric distribution company, in consultation with the office, shall file the new tariff with the public utilities commission within sixty (60) days of the effective date of this chapter and the commission shall then issue a decision within sixty (60) days after the filing to effectuate the purposes and provisions of this chapter;

(2) Purchase electric energy for use in such municipal lighting equipment from the electric distribution company or any other person allowed by law to provide electric energy; and

(3) After due diligence, including an analysis of the cost impact to the municipality, acquire all of the public street and area lighting equipment of the electric distribution company in the municipality, compensating the electric distribution company as necessary, in accordance with subsection (b).

(b) Any municipality exercising the option to convert its lighting equipment pursuant to subsection (a) must compensate the electric distribution company for the original cost, less depreciation and less amortization, of any active or inactive existing public lighting equipment owned by the electric distribution company and installed in the municipality as of the date the municipality exercises its right of acquisition pursuant to subsection (a), net of any salvage value. Upon such payment, the municipality shall have the right to use, alter, remove, or replace the acquired lighting equipment in any way the municipality deems appropriate. Any contract a municipality enters for the services must require appropriate levels of training and certification of personnel providing pole service for public and worker safety, evidence of twenty-four-hour (24) call capacity, and a committed timely response schedule for both emergency and routine outages. The municipality may also request that the electric company remove any part of such lighting equipment that it does not acquire from the electric distribution company in which case the municipality shall reimburse the electric distribution company the cost of removal by the electric distribution company, along with the original cost, less depreciation, of the removed part, net of any salvage value.

(c) When a municipality exercises its option pursuant to subsection (a), the municipality will notify the electric distribution company of any alterations to street and area lighting inventory within sixty (60) days of the alteration. The electric distribution company will then adjust its monthly billing determinations to reflect the alteration within sixty (60) days.

(d) When a municipality exercises its option pursuant to subsection (a), anyone other than the electric distribution company controlling the right to use space on any pole, lamp post, or other mounting surface previously used by the electric distribution company in the municipality shall allow the municipality to assume the rights and obligations of the electric distribution company with respect to the space for the unexpired term of any lease, easement, or other agreement under which the electric distribution company used the space; provided, however, that:

(i) The municipality is subject to the same terms and conditions that pole owners make to others that attach to the poles; and

(ii) In the assumption of the rights and obligations of the electric distribution company by a municipality, the municipality shall in no way or form restrict, impede, or prohibit universal access for the provision of electric and other services.

(e) Any dispute regarding the terms of the alternative tariff, the compensation to be paid the electric distribution company, or any other matter arising in connection with the exercise of the option provided in subsection (a), including, but not limited to, the terms on which space is to be provided to the municipality in accordance with subsection (d), shall be resolved by the division of public utilities and carriers within ninety (90) days of any request for the resolution by the municipality or any person involved in the dispute.

(f) Notwithstanding any general or special law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, any affiliate of any electric distribution company whose streetlighting service is converted by any municipality in accordance with the provisions of this section may solicit and compete for the business of the municipality for the provision of lighting equipment or any other service such as equipment maintenance in connection therewith.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-11-7 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-11 / Section 39-11-7
§ 39-11-7. Duty to hear interested parties  Evidence as to other forms of transportation.
Status: in_force

The public utilities administrator is hereby authorized and empowered, and it is hereby made his or her duty, upon the filing of an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, to hear all interested parties. The administrator shall not receive or consider evidence with respect to other forms of transportation, or the service, or facilities thereof, nor shall the administrator consider such factors in determining whether public convenience and necessity requires the proposed operations.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-11 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-11
§ 39-12-11. Publication of tariffs of common carriers.
Status: in_force

Every common carrier by motor vehicle shall print, file with the administrator, and keep open for public inspection, tariffs showing all the rates and charges for transportation, and all services in connection therewith, of property, in intrastate commerce, between points on its own routes and points on the routes of any other carrier, or on the routes of any common carrier by railroad, express, or water, when a through route and joint rate shall have been established. A filing fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) must accompany all filings made pursuant to this section. All revenues received under this section shall be deposited as general revenues. The rates and charges shall be stated in lawful money of the United States. The tariffs required by this section shall be published, filed, and posted in such form and manner, and shall contain such information as the administrator, by regulation, shall prescribe. The administrator may reject any tariff filed with him or her that is not consistent with this section and with the regulations. Any tariff so rejected by the administrator shall be void and its use shall be unlawful.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-4-5 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-4 / Section 39-4-5
§ 39-4-5. Notice of hearing on complaint  Right to appear and summon witnesses.
Status: in_force

The division shall give the public utility and the complainant, if any, ten (10) days notice of the time and place where and when the hearing and investigation will be held, and the matters considered and determined. Both the public utility and the complainant shall be entitled to be heard and appear by counsel, and shall have process to enforce the attendance of witnesses.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-6 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-6
§ 39-3-6. Appeals.
Status: in_force

Any petitioner or any public utility or other party in interest aggrieved by any order of the division granting or refusing to grant the petition, or rescinding, altering, or amending any previous action of the division, may appeal to the superior court as provided in § 39-5-1, and all the other provisions of chapters 1  5 of this title relative to appeals shall apply to appeals from any order.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-12-7 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-12 / Section 39-12-7
§ 39-12-7. Issuance of certificate to common carrier.
Status: in_force

A certificate shall be issued by the administrator, after a hearing, to any qualified applicant therefor, authorizing the whole or any part of the operations covered by the application, if it is found that the applicant is fit, willing, and able properly to perform the service proposed and to conform to the provisions of this chapter and the requirements, orders, rules, and regulations of the administrator thereunder; otherwise the application shall be denied. Any certificate issued under this chapter shall specify the service to be rendered. Certificates issued under this chapter shall be renewed before the close of business on December 31 of each calendar year. The renewal fee shall be one hundred dollars ($100) and shall be submitted with the renewal form. All revenues received under this section shall be deposited as general revenues. No certificate shall be issued to a common carrier by motor vehicle or, when issued, shall remain in force authorizing the transportation of property over the publicly used highways of this state, unless the rates and charges upon which the property is transported by the carrier shall have been published in the tariff and filed with the administrator in accordance with this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-8-16 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-8 / Section 39-8-16
§ 39-8-16. Closing of gates at private way.
Status: in_force

Whoever enters upon or crosses a railroad at any private way that is closed by gates or bars and neglects to close them securely, shall be fined not less than two dollars ($2.00) nor more than ten dollars ($10.00) and shall be liable for the damage sustained therefrom.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-31-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-31 / Section 39-31-1
§ 39-31-1. Legislative findings.
Status: in_force

The general assembly finds and declares:

(1) The state and New England face significant short- and long-term energy system challenges that may undermine the reliable operation of the bulk electric system and spur unsustainable levels of price volatility, and that these challenges may have a substantial impact on energy affordability for ratepayers and undermine the economic competitiveness of our state by serving as a detriment to capital investment and job growth; and

(2) Planned retirements of fossil-fuel, nuclear, and other electric generators, along with lack of new interstate natural-gas-pipeline infrastructure and capacity into the region, may exacerbate these conditions; and

(3) Rhode Island benefits from a holistic energy strategy that pursues both local investment in clean-energy resources, such as energy efficiency and renewable distributed generation, and regional investment in energy infrastructure projects that strengthen system reliability and diversify our supply portfolio. The combination of these strategies advances our economic development interests and environmental quality; and

(4) Rhode Island is committed to the increased use of no- and low-carbon energy resources that diversify our energy supply portfolio, provide affordable energy to consumers, and strengthen our shared quality of life and environment, and new energy infrastructure investments may help facilitate the development and interconnection of these resources; and

(5) Rhode Island is part of an integrated, regional energy system and addressing these challenges, while meeting state policy goals, requires a coordinated, multistate approach built upon collaboration and utilizing appropriate expertise and stakeholder processes of regional entities including, but not limited to, the New England States Committee on Electricity, ISO-New England, Inc., and the New England Power Pool that takes into account affordability, energy security, reliability, fuel diversity, and environmental sustainability.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-7-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-7 / Section 39-7-3
§ 39-7-3. Brakes on passenger cars.
Status: in_force

Every railroad corporation whose cars are propelled by steam shall cause a power brake to be attached to every passenger car used for conveyance of passengers, which brake shall be so arranged that it may be put in operation by the engineer when the train is in motion. Every railroad corporation that shall use any passenger car for the conveyance of passengers, without the power brake so applied, shall for every offense be fined one hundred dollars ($100), one-half (Â½) thereof to the use of the complainant and one-half (Â½) thereof to the use of the state; but this penalty shall not apply to an incidental conveyance of passengers in freight cars, nor to dummy cars, so-called, nor to a passenger car attached to the rear end of a freight train or dummy engine.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-10 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-10
§ 39-1-10. Powers and duties of clerk.
Status: in_force

The clerk shall have the custody of the seal of the commission; have general charge of the office; keep a full record of its proceedings; file and preserve at its office all documents and papers entrusted to his or her care; prepare such papers and notices as may be required of him or her by the commission; and perform such other duties as it may prescribe. The clerk shall have power to issue subpoenas for witnesses and to administer oaths in all cases before the commission or pertaining to the duties of the office.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-29-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-29 / Section 39-29-3
§ 39-29-3. Residential local exchange service.
Status: in_force

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to modify the jurisdiction or authority of the commission or the division over standalone residential local exchange service, meaning residential service that only provides access to E-911 and voice telephone calling wholly within a local service calling area on a measured or unlimited service basis.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-11-3 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-11 / Section 39-11-3
§ 39-11-3. Operations requiring certificate of convenience and necessity.
Status: in_force

Any person seeking to engage in the operation, or to extend a present operation, as an intrastate common carrier of persons or property by aircraft, shall first obtain a certificate of convenience and necessity from the public utilities administrator in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-3-11.1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-3 / Section 39-3-11.1
§ 39-3-11.1. Changes in rates of publicly owned water authorities.
Status: in_force

(a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the commission shall not have the power to suspend the taking effect of any change or changes in the rates, tolls, and charges filed and published in compliance with the requirements of §§ 39-3-10 and 39-3-11 by any public waterworks or water service owned or furnished by a city, town, or any other municipal corporation defined as a public utility in § 39-1-2, when the change or changes are proposed to be made solely for the purpose of making payments or compensation to any city or town for reimbursement of any loans or advances of money previously issued to any public waterworks or water service by any city or town under existing contracts or arrangements; provided, however, that the change or changes shall take effect subject to refund or credit pending further investigation, hearing, and order by the commission within eight (8) months after the effective date. The public waterworks or water service shall file with the commission the new rate schedule along with the documentary evidence of the indebtedness supporting the new rates. Further, the rate schedule shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the service area by the waterworks or water service at least ten (10) days prior to the effective date thereof.

(b) The provisions of this section shall not be construed to bar recovery of loans or advances of money not otherwise reflected in existing rates, tolls, and charges issued to May 19, 1982.

(c) In setting rates for publicly owned water authorities, the commission shall not require the payment of rental fees for fire hydrants from any municipality that has prohibited such fees by ordinance as provided in § 45-39-4 and has given notice to the commission of the ordinance.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-14-12 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-14 / Section 39-14-12
§ 39-14-12. Administrative powers.
Status: in_force

The division is authorized to make such rules and regulations, to hold hearings, and issue certificates as may be required under the provisions of §§ 39-14-1  39-14-14 and §§ 39-14-25 and 39-14-26.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-2-20 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-2 / Section 39-2-20
§ 39-2-20. Communications common carriers  Duty to disclose certain information.
Status: in_force

(a) A communications common carrier, as defined in § 12-5.1-1, shall disclose to the attorney general, or an assistant attorney general specially designated by the attorney general, or any chief of police, the director of the statewide fugitive task force, or the superintendent of state police, the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of persons to whom nonpublished service is furnished upon written certification by the attorney general, or assistant attorney general, or any chief of police, the director of the statewide fugitive task force, or the superintendent of state police that the information is necessary for an investigation of or prosecution of criminal violations of the laws of Rhode Island. No cause of action shall lie in any court against any communications common carrier, its officers, employees, or agents for furnishing or disclosing the information in accordance with the certification. The attorney general, or any chief of police, or the superintendent of state police, or the director of the statewide fugitive task force shall not disclose any information obtained as a result of the written certification except as it is essential to the proper discharge of their duties.

(b)(1) Upon request of a law enforcement agency, a wireless telecommunications carrier shall provide device location information concerning the telecommunications device of the user to the requesting law enforcement agency in order to respond to a call for emergency services or in an emergency situation that involves the risk of death or serious physical injury to any person and requires disclosure without delay of information relating to the emergency.

(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, nothing in this section prohibits a wireless telecommunications carrier from establishing protocols by which the carrier could voluntarily disclose device location information.

(3) No cause of action shall lie in any court against any wireless telecommunications carrier, its officers, employees, agents, or other specified persons for providing device location information while acting in good faith and in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(4) All wireless telecommunications carriers registered to do business in the state of Rhode Island or submitting to the jurisdiction thereof and all resellers of wireless telecommunications services shall submit their emergency contact information to the Rhode Island division of public safetys E-911 unit in order to facilitate requests from a law enforcement agency for call location information in accordance with this section. This contact information must be submitted annually by June 15 or immediately upon any change in contact information.

(5) The Rhode Island division of public safetys E-911 unit shall maintain a database containing emergency contact information for all wireless telecommunications carriers registered to do business in the state of Rhode Island and shall make the information immediately available upon request to all public safety answer points in the state.

(c) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Kelsey Smith Act.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-4.2 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-4.2
§ 39-18-4.2. Alteration of bus route  Public hearing.
Status: in_force

(a) Any alteration or elimination of any bus route within the system established by the authority pursuant to § 39-18-4 shall not take effect until a public hearing is held in the neighborhood(s) along the affected route.

(b) The public hearing shall take place at least thirty (30) days before the bus route change is scheduled to take effect in the neighborhood(s) along the affected route.

(c) The authority shall also prepare a neighborhood(s) impact statement prior to the public hearing, and provide it to those persons attending the public hearing, the governor, those members of the general assembly whose districts are affected by the change, and the mayor or town administrator of the city or town affected by the change.

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to apply to any temporary alteration of a bus route necessitated by including, but not limited to, temporary alterations occasioned by weather, construction activity, emergency, or unforeseen condition.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-4-6 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-4 / Section 39-4-6
§ 39-4-6. Separation of issues  Damage to complainant not required.
Status: in_force

The division may, in its discretion, when complaint is made of more than one rate or charge, order separate hearings thereon, and may consider and determine the several matters complained of separately and at such time as it may prescribe. No complaint shall at any time be dismissed because of the absence of direct damage to the complainant.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-5-5 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-5 / Section 39-5-5
§ 39-5-5. Discovery of new evidence.
Status: in_force

If after appeal has been taken to the supreme court, new evidence shall be discovered by any party, an affidavit setting forth the newly discovered evidence shall be filed in the supreme court, and if that court finds the newly discovered evidence to be of such character and sufficient importance to warrant reconsideration of the matter by the commission, the clerk of the supreme court shall transmit a copy of the affidavit to the commission for further consideration, and the court shall stay further proceedings in the supreme court for such time as it shall deem proper. The commission upon receiving the new evidence may confirm, alter, amend, rescind, or reverse the judgment or order which was appealed, and shall report its action to the court forthwith transmitting therewith a transcript of the new testimony. If the commission rescinds or reverses its prior judgment or order, the appeal shall be dismissed. If the prior order or judgment is confirmed, or if it is altered or amended, the altered or amended judgment or order shall be substituted for the original order or judgment, and the proceedings in the supreme court shall continue accordingly.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-11-17 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-11 / Section 39-11-17
§ 39-11-17. Certification of charter carriers  Provisions applicable.
Status: in_force

(a) Any person seeking to engage in the operation, or to extend a present operation, as a charter carrier, shall first obtain a certificate of public convenience and advantage from the public utilities administrator in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

(b) The provisions of §§ 39-11-4  39-11-10, 39-11-14  39-11-16 and 39-11-23, shall apply to all applications and all charter carriers.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-27.9 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-27.9
§ 39-1-27.9. Office of energy resources participation.
Status: in_force

In any commission inquiry into, or examination of, matters that relate to or could potentially impact any programs, functions, or duties of the office of energy resources and/or the energy efficiency and resources management council, including, but not limited to, those programs, functions and duties pursuant to this chapter and chapters 140, 140.1, 140.2, and 141 of title 42, the office of energy resources and the energy resources council shall be deemed, upon the formal request of the office or the council as appropriate, to be an interested party for all purposes, and as such, shall receive all notices and may file complaints, institute proceedings, and participate as a party in administrative hearings.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-20-4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-20 / Section 39-20-4
§ 39-20-4. Powers of foreign electric utilities and nonregulated power producers.
Status: in_force

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of §§ 7-1.2-1401 and 7-1.2-1402, and any other provision of any general or special law relating to the rights of foreign corporations to transact business in this state and to produce a certificate of authority under chapter 1.2 of title 7 to transact business, limiting the powers, rights, and privileges of a foreign corporation procuring a certificate, and establishing the duties, restrictions, penalties, and liabilities imposed on a foreign corporation, but subject to the provisions of this chapter, a foreign electric utility:

(1) Shall have the right to transact business in this state to the extent necessary or desirable to exercise the powers set forth in § 39-20-3 in connection with electric-generating facilities or portions thereof located within this state or the product or service therefrom or securities issued in connection with the financing of the facilities or portions thereof;

(2) Shall be entitled to procure a certificate of authority under chapter 1.2 of title 7 to transact business; and

(3) Shall have within this state the powers set forth in § 39-20-3 in connection with electric-generating facilities or portions thereof located within this state, or the product or service therefrom, or securities issued in connection with the financing of facilities or portions thereof.

(b) Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize a foreign electric utility to sell electricity at wholesale or retail within this state unless:

(1) The sale is authorized under its charter or the general or special laws of this state other than by this chapter; or

(2) The sale constitutes a sale of capacity and related energy from a specifically identified electric-generating facility within this state or a sale of economy, backup, or other energy therefrom. Nonregulated power producers shall not be subject to this subsection.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-13-1 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-13 / Section 39-13-1
§ 39-13-1. Definitions.
Status: in_force

(a) Coordinated paratransit services means paratransit services coordinated by the department of transportation, to be provided under a brokerage or other contractual model to provide, promote, and coordinate new or existing paratransit operations to enable all state, municipal, and private agencies access to appropriate paratransit services. For the purpose of this chapter, non-emergency medical transportation as defined in § 39-14.3-1 shall not be considered to be coordinated paratransit services.

(b) Jitney means and includes any motor bus or other public-service motor vehicle operated in whole or in part upon any street or highway in such manner as to afford a means of transportation similar to that afforded by a street railway company, by indiscriminately receiving or discharging passengers; or running on a regular route or over any portion thereof; or between fixed termini.

(c) Paratransit services means flexible transportation services provided on a demand-responsive and advance-reservation basis, for any destination within the scope of a service program provided by a state or municipal agency, the fee for which is determined pursuant to a contract between the service provider and the state or municipal agency. Paratransit includes single or group trips or trips made on a recurring basis such as for work, school, medical, nutrition, and sheltered workshops.

(d) Public-service motor vehicle shall include all motor vehicles as defined in § 31-1-3, used for the transportation of passengers for hire.

(e) Transportation operator(s) means an entity(ies) providing flexible transportation services that are operated publicly or privately, and are distinct from conventional fixed-route, fixed-schedule transit, and are generally operated with low-capacity vehicles that provide curb-to-curb or door-to-door service that typically involves transportation of elderly, disabled, low-income, or the otherwise transportation-dependent population.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-8 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-8
§ 39-1-8. Quorum  Meetings.
Status: in_force

Two (2) commissioners shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business, except as provided in §39-1-11. Meetings of the commission may be held at any time or place upon the call of any member, after a reasonable notice by mail or telephone to the other members, and shall be held at such times and places as in the judgment of the commission will best serve the convenience of all parties in interest.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-9-4 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-9 / Section 39-9-4
§ 39-9-4. Charges for transfer of shipments to connecting line.
Status: in_force

Whenever merchandise is transported over any portion of two (2) railroads that form a connecting line, and the tracks of which so unite that cars can pass from one to another, no charge shall be made for the loading or unloading or for the carriage of the merchandise from the cars of one of the railroads to the cars of the other.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-26-6 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-26 / Section 39-26-6
§ 39-26-6. Duties of the commission.
Status: in_force

(a) The commission shall:

(1) Develop and adopt regulations on or before December 31, 2005, for implementing a renewable energy standard, which regulations shall include, but be limited to, provisions for:

(i) Verifying the eligibility of renewable energy generators and the production of energy from such generators, including requirements to notify the commission in the event of a change in a generators eligibility status;

(ii) Standards for contracts and procurement plans for renewable energy resources to achieve the purposes of this chapter;

(iii) Flexibility mechanisms for the purposes of easing compliance burdens; facilitating bringing new renewable resources on-line; and avoiding and/or mitigating conflicts with state-level source disclosure requirements and green marketing claims throughout the region; which flexibility mechanisms shall allow obligated entities to: (A) Demonstrate compliance over a compliance year; and (B) Bank excess compliance for two (2) subsequent compliance years, capped at thirty percent (30%) of the current years obligation; and

(iv) Annual compliance filings to be made by all obligated entities within one month after NE-GIS reports are available for the fourth (4th) quarter of each calendar year. All electric-utility-distribution companies shall cooperate with the commission in providing data necessary to assess the magnitude of obligation and verify the compliance of all obligated entities.

(2) Authorize rate recovery by electric-utility-distribution companies of all prudent incremental costs arising from the implementation of this chapter, including, without limitation: the purchase of NE-GIS certificates; the payment of alternative compliance payments; required payments to support the NE-GIS; assessments made pursuant to § 39-26-7(c); and the incremental costs of complying with energy source disclosure requirements.

(3) Certify eligible renewable energy resources by issuing statements of qualification within ninety (90) days of application. The commission shall provide prospective reviews for applicants seeking to determine whether a facility would be eligible.

(4) [Deleted by P.L. 2022, ch. 218, § 1 and P.L. 2022, ch. 226, § 1.]

(5) Establish sanctions for those obligated entities that, after investigation, have been found to fail to reasonably comply with the commissions regulations. No sanction or penalty shall relieve or diminish an obligated entity from liability for fulfilling any shortfall in its compliance obligation; provided, however, that no sanction shall be imposed if compliance is achieved through alternative compliance payments. The commission may suspend or revoke the certification of generation units, certified in accordance with subsection (a)(3) of this section, that are found to provide false information or that fail to notify the commission in the event of a change in eligibility status or otherwise comply with its rules. Financial penalties resulting from sanctions from obligated entities shall not be recoverable in rates.

(6) Report, by February 15, 2006, and by February 15 each year thereafter, to the governor, the speaker of the house, and the president of the senate on the status of the implementation of the renewable energy standards in Rhode Island and other states, and which report shall include in 2009, and each year thereafter, the level of use of renewable energy certificates by eligible renewable energy resources and the portion of renewable energy standards met through alternative compliance payments, and the amount of rate increases authorized pursuant to subsection (a)(2) of this section.

(b) Consistent with the public policy objective of developing renewable generation as an option in Rhode Island, and subject to the review and approval of the commission, the electric distribution company is authorized to propose and implement pilot programs to own and operate no more than fifteen megawatts (15 MW) of renewable-generation demonstration projects in Rhode Island and may include the costs and benefits in rates to distribution customers. At least two (2) demonstration projects shall include renewable generation installed at, or in the vicinity of nonprofit, affordable-housing projects where energy savings benefits are provided to reduce electric bills of the customers at the nonprofit, affordable-housing projects. Any renewable-generation proposals shall be subject to the review and approval of the commission. The commission shall annually make an adjustment to the minimum amounts required under the renewable energy standard under this chapter in an amount equal to the kilowatt hours generated by such units owned by the electric distribution company. The electric and gas distribution company shall also be authorized to propose and implement smart-metering and smart-grid demonstration projects in Rhode Island, subject to the review and approval of the commission, in order to determine the effectiveness of such new technologies for reducing and managing energy consumption, and may include the costs of such demonstration projects in distribution rates to electric customers to the extent the project pertains to electricity usage and in distribution rates to gas customers to the extent the project pertains to gas usage.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-8-18 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-8 / Section 39-8-18
§ 39-8-18. Fences along right of way.
Status: in_force

Every railroad corporation or company shall erect and thereafter maintain a fence or fences along the boundary lines of its rights of way that are actually used for rail transportation of any kind whenever the public utilities commission shall determine it to be necessary for the public safety and welfare. The commissioner may prescribe the height, length, materials, and design of the fence or fences.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-4-23 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-4 / Section 39-4-23
§ 39-4-23. Action in supreme court to prevent violations.
Status: in_force

Whenever the division shall be of the opinion that a public utility, subject to its supervision, is failing or omitting, or about to fail or omit, to do anything required of it by law or by order of the division, or is doing anything, is about to do anything, or is permitting anything, or is about to permit anything to be done contrary to or in violation of law or of any order of the division, it shall direct the attorney general to commence an action or proceeding in the supreme court in the name of the division for the purpose of having the violations or threatened violations prevented. The attorney general shall thereupon begin the action or proceeding by petition to the supreme court, alleging the violation or threatened violation complained of, and praying for appropriate relief. It shall thereupon be the duty of the court to specify a time not exceeding twenty (20) days after the service of the copy of the petition, within which the public utility complained of must answer the petition, and in the meantime the public utility may be restrained. In the case of a default in answering, or after the answer, the court shall immediately inquire into the facts and circumstances of the case. Such corporations or persons as the court may deem necessary or proper to be joined as parties in order to make its judgment, order, or writ effective, may be joined as parties. The final judgment in any action or proceeding, shall either dismiss the action or proceeding or direct that appropriate relief be granted as prayed for in the petition, or in modified or other form.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-7-8 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-7 / Section 39-7-8
§ 39-7-8. Ejection of disorderly or nonpaying passengers.
Status: in_force

If any person behaves in a disorderly manner, or refuses to pay the regular fare, or rides upon the platform of a car after having been told by the conductor or trainperson to go inside the car, the train may be stopped and he or she may be ejected at any regular station on the road; and every person ejecting a passenger under the provisions of this section at any other place than at a regular station shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-1-21 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-1 / Section 39-1-21
§ 39-1-21. Access to premises of utility.
Status: in_force

The commissioners, the attorney general, and the agents of the division, as provided in §§ 39-1-15 and 39-1-20, while engaged in the performance of their duties, may, at all reasonable times, enter any premises, buildings, cars, plant, or equipment, or other places belonging to, or controlled by, any public utility, communications carrier, or contract carrier, and inspect the same or any part thereof, and any person obstructing, hindering, or in any way causing to be obstructed or hindered, any commissioner or the attorney general or any agent of the division, in the performance of his or her duties, or who shall refuse to permit any commissioner, the attorney general, or any agent of the division entrance into any premises, building, cars, plant, or equipment, or other places belonging to or controlled by any public utility, communications carrier, or contract carrier, in the performance of his or her duties as such, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500).
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-6-27 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-6 / Section 39-6-27
§ 39-6-27. Safety, sanitation, and adequate shelter for railroad employees.
Status: in_force

(a) The public utilities administrator is hereby authorized to promulgate and enforce reasonable rules and regulations relating to safety, sanitation, and adequate shelter as affecting the welfare and health of railroad trainpersons, engine persons, yard persons, maintenance of way employees, highway crossing watchpersons, clerical, platform, freight house, express employees, station agents, and signal station operators.

(b) In addition to any rules and regulations promulgated by the public utilities administrator as set forth in this section, the public utilities commission shall promulgate rules and regulations and provide for penalties for the violation thereof with respect to the installation of heaters and safety equipment on track motor vehicles or self-propelled equipment.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-11-18 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-11 / Section 39-11-18
§ 39-11-18. Certification of established charter carriers.
Status: in_force

Any charter carrier in operation on or before April 23, 1944, shall be entitled to a certificate of public convenience and advantage as a matter of right and without proof of public convenience and advantage; provided, however, that any charter carrier temporarily prevented from carrying on any authorized operations because of the emergency created by World War II, shall be considered as having been in operation on April 23, 1944, for the purposes of this section.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-9-10 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-9 / Section 39-9-10
§ 39-9-10. Forfeiture for failure to observe established rates for milk.
Status: in_force

A corporation that refuses or neglects to receive, forward, or deliver milk by the can at the tariff rates so fixed and notified to it by the division of public utilities and carriers, shall forfeit to the person tendering the same ten dollars ($10.00) for each and every can it so refuses to receive or neglects to forward or deliver, to be recovered in action of tort.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-16-6 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-16 / Section 39-16-6
§ 39-16-6. Compensation of members and agents.
Status: in_force

Each member of the board shall receive an annual salary not to exceed three thousand dollars ($3,000) per year, and shall be entitled to reimbursement of his or her actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of his or her official duties. The salaries, compensation, and expenses of all members, officers, employees, and agents shall be paid solely out of the funds of the authority. No part of the earnings of the authority shall inure to the benefit of any private person.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-16-18 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-16 / Section 39-16-18
§ 39-16-18. Right to alter, amend, or repeal chapter.
Status: reserved

The right to alter, amend, or repeal this chapter is hereby expressly reserved, but no such alteration, amendment, or repeal shall operate to impair the obligation of any contract made by the authority under any power conferred by this chapter.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-2-19 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-2 / Section 39-2-19
§ 39-2-19. Display of identification cards required.
Status: in_force

Every person employed by a public utility company or nonregulated power producer doing business in this state whose job requires the person to enter homes or business establishments for the purpose of installing, repairing, servicing, meter reading, or other related activities, shall be required to display on the person an identification card bearing the persons photograph during the performance of the persons duties.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-18-23 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-18 / Section 39-18-23
§ 39-18-23. Medical care available to employees.
Status: in_force

(a) All eligible employees of the Rhode Island public transit authority shall be entitled to purchase benefits set forth in § 36-12-2 at the same rate as the group rate paid by the state for the benefits.

(b) Payments for benefits shall be made by the authority directly to the general treasurer at the rate as calculated by the department of administration.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 39-16-10 — RI Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39-16 / Section 39-16-10
§ 39-16-10. Power to issue bonds  Pledge of revenues.
Status: in_force

The authority shall have the power and is hereby authorized from time to time to issue its negotiable bonds for any of its corporate purposes and to secure the payment of the bonds as may be provided in the resolution or resolutions authorizing the bonds. Except as may be otherwise expressly provided by the authority, every issue of bonds by the authority shall be general obligations payable out of any moneys, earnings, or revenues of the authority, subject only to any agreements with the holders of particular bonds pledging any particular moneys, earnings, or revenues.