reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-9.1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-9.1 - Legislative findings.

§ 23-24.9-9.1. Legislative findings.(a) The general assembly further finds:(1) In 1998, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP) established a landmark goal to "virtually eliminate" mercury emissions in the region.(2) The Governors' Mercury Task Force has set a goal of having seventy-five percent (75%) of dentists in the region install dental amalgam separators by the end of 2007 and ninety-five percent (95%) of dentists have them in place by the end of 2010.(3) The Rhode Island Dental Association, the professional association representing the majority of the State's dentists has been pro-active in adopting best management practices in handling disposal of dental amalgam.(4) On Earth Day 2003 the United States Environmental Protection Agency awarded to the Rhode Island Dental Association the New England Region Environmental Merit Award for its mercury reduction efforts.(5) In 2004 the Rhode Island Dental Association in cooperation with the Narragansett Bay Commission began a pilot program to adopt dental office best management practices.(6) In 2004 the Narragansett Bay Commission awarded to the Rhode Island Dental Association its Environmental Merit Award for Pollution Prevention.(7) By the end of 2005, all Rhode Island dental offices within the Narragansett Bay Commission's jurisdiction had adopted Best Management Practices to prevent wastewater pollution.(8) The department of environmental management is concerned about the contribution of mercury to the environment from amalgam waste disposed of into all wastewater discharges, including septic systems.(9) Beginning in 2005, the Rhode Island Dental Association, working with the wastewater treatment facility operators in the Pawtuxet River basin have begun to adopt a uniform set of Best Management Practices to include all dental offices within the jurisdiction of those facilities.History of Section.P.L. 2006, ch. 556, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-9.2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-9.2 - Best management practices.

§ 23-24.9-9.2. Best management practices.Rhode Island dental offices and vocational dental education programs shall use and instruct on the use of best management practices to minimize the presence of elemental mercury, unused amalgam, and waste amalgam in their wastewater discharge and in their solid waste. The department shall develop best management practices that include a requirement for an amalgam removal efficiency of at least ninety-nine percent (99%). The department shall define the required best management practices by January 1, 2007. DEM shall consult with the Narragansett Bay Commission, the Rhode Island Dental Association and other interested parties during the development of the best management practices. Dental offices shall comply with the best management practices.History of Section.P.L. 2006, ch. 556, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-9.3 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-9.3 - Amalgam separators.

§ 23-24.9-9.3. Amalgam separators.No later than July 1, 2008, a dental office that, in the course of treating its patients, places or removes dental amalgam must install an amalgam separator system in the wastewater discharge line. For the purposes of this section, "an amalgam separator system" means a device that removes dental amalgam from the waste stream prior to discharge into either the local public wastewater system or a private septic system located at the dental facility and that has been certified as conforming to the standards of ISO 11143, Dental Equipment — Amalgam Separators. A dental office must demonstrate proper installation, operation, maintenance, and amalgam waste recycling or disposal in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations by maintaining and submitting as necessary annual records on waste shipment and maintenance of the system and any other reporting required in this section. Records of the previous three (3) years shall be maintained at all times. Methods or technologies other than amalgam separators that achieve equivalent or greater dental amalgam discharge reductions and that are approved by the agency shall be deemed to comply with the requirements of this subsection.History of Section.P.L. 2006, ch. 556, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-9.4 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-9.4 - Exemptions.

§ 23-24.9-9.4. Exemptions.The following categories of dental offices are exempt from the requirement to install an amalgam separator; provided, that they do not place or remove amalgam:(a) Orthodontists;(b) Periodontists;(c) Endodontists;(d) Oral and maxillofacial surgeons; and(e) A dental office that is scheduled to no longer be used as a dental office after January 1, 2008.History of Section.P.L. 2006, ch. 556, § 2.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-10.1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-10.1 - Resource recovery corporation option.

§ 23-24.9-10.1. Resource recovery corporation option.The department and the Rhode Island resource recovery corporation shall establish a statewide network for the collection of mercury-added products when the household consumer is finished with them. Manufacturers, except motor vehicle manufacturers subject to the provisions of subdivision 23-24.9(10)(b)(2) of mercury-added products may satisfy their obligations, as set forth in subsection 23-24.9-10(a), by entering into a written agreement with those agencies to support the statewide program including, but not limited to, advertisement, education and/or funding through a system established in regulation.History of Section.P.L. 2005, ch. 266, § 2; P.L. 2005, ch. 268, § 2.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-10.3 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-10.3 - Sunset provisions.

§ 23-24.9-10.3. Sunset provisions.The department shall review the provisions of § 23-24.9-10.2 no later than September 1, 2019 to determine if the provisions of said section shall sunset and the appropriate date for such action or if the approved rates of collection should be revised. The department shall make such a determination based on the best available data pertaining to the remaining number of out-of-service mercury-containing thermostats and the collection rates achieved under the provisions. The department shall report to the general assembly no later than January 1, 2020 as to the determination made by the department. If the department determines that the provisions of § 23-24.9-10.2 shall continue then the department shall subsequently review the provisions of said section no later than September 1, 2022 and every two (2) years thereafter until such provisions are no longer required and the department shall report such findings to the general assembly for purposes of repealing the section.History of Section.P.L. 2010, ch. 131, § 2; P.L. 2010, ch. 145, § 2.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-11 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-11 - Disclosure for mercury-added formulated products - Healthcare facilities.

§ 23-24.9-11. Disclosure for mercury-added formulated products — Healthcare facilities.(a) By July 1, 2005, the manufacturers of formulated mercury-added products offered for sale or use to a health care facility in Rhode Island must provide both the director and the recipient healthcare facility a certificate of analysis documenting the mercury content of the product, down to a one part per billion level. Such formulated mercury-added products include, but are not limited to: acids; alkalis; bleach (sodium hypochlorite); materials used for cleaning, in maintenance, or for disinfection; stains; reagents; preservatives; fixatives; buffers; and dyes.(b) The certificate of analysis must report the result of an analysis performed for mercury on the specific batch or lot of that product offered for sale. The batch or lot number of the product shall be clearly identified on the product and on the certificate of analysis.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 235, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 328, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-12 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-12 - Limitations on the use of elemental mercury.

§ 23-24.9-12. Limitations on the use of elemental mercury.After January 1, 2003, no person may sell or provide elemental mercury to another person in Rhode Island, except for manufacturing or recycling or disposal purposes, without providing a material safety data sheet, as defined in the United States Code, title 42, section 11049 [42 U.S.C. § 11049], and requiring the purchaser or recipient to sign a statement that the purchaser: (1) will use the mercury only for medical, dental amalgam dispose-caps, research, or manufacturing purposes; (2) understands that mercury is toxic and that the purchaser will store and use it appropriately so that no person is exposed to the mercury; and (3) will not place or allow anyone under the purchaser's control to place or cause to be placed the mercury in solid waste for disposal or in a wastewater treatment and disposal system.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-13 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-13 - Existing inventories.

§ 23-24.9-13. Existing inventories.Those mercury-added products with a code or date of manufacture indicating they were manufactured prior to July 13, 2001 are exempt from § 23-24.9-6 — 23-24.9-8 and §§ 23-24.9-10 and 23-24.9-11. If the mercury-added product has a date of manufacture or the manufacturer can provide documentation that the product in question was manufactured prior to July 13, 2001, it is exempt from the above listed sections. Situations that are beyond the control of the manufacturer, such as old stock being held by retailers, should be addressed on a case-by-case basis.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-14 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-14 - Public education and outreach.

§ 23-24.9-14. Public education and outreach.(a) The director shall coordinate the development of a public education, outreach, and assistance program for households, hazardous waste generators, local and regional solid waste management agencies, small businesses, health care facilities, scrap metal facilities, dismantlers, institutions, schools, and other interested groups in concert with other relevant state agencies. This public education, outreach, and assistance program should focus on the hazards of mercury; the requirements and obligations of individuals, manufacturers, and agencies under this law; and voluntary efforts that individuals, institutions, and businesses can undertake to help further reduce mercury in the environment.(b) The director shall cooperate with the neighboring states and provinces and regional organizations in the northeastern U.S. and Canada on developing outreach, assistance, and education programs, where appropriate.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-15 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-15 - State procurement preferences for low or nonmercury-added products.

§ 23-24.9-15. State procurement preferences for low or nonmercury-added products.(a) Notwithstanding other policies and guidelines for the procurement of equipment, supplies, and other products, the Rhode Island department of administration shall by January 1, 2003, revise its policies, rules, and procedures to implement the purposes of this chapter.(b) The Rhode Island department of administration shall give priority and preference to the purchase of equipment, supplies, and other products that do not contain mercury-added compounds or components, unless there is no economically feasible nonmercury-added alternative that performs a similar function. In circumstances where a nonmercury-added product is not available, preference shall be given to the purchase of products that contain the least amount of mercury-added to the product necessary for the required performance.(c) State dental insurance contracts negotiated after January 1, 2003, shall provide coverage for non-mercury fillings at no additional expense to the state employee.(d) Mercury-containing lamp purchasing. When making purchasing decisions on mercury-containing lamps, the Rhode Island department of administration shall request information on mercury content, energy use, lumen output, and lamp life from potential suppliers and shall issue specifications and make purchasing decisions that favor models at comparable cost with high-energy efficiency, lower mercury content, and longer lamp life. Information obtained on mercury content, energy use, and lamp life must be made available by the Rhode Island department of administration to other purchasers who purchase a large number of mercury-containing lamps. This information must also be posted on the state's publicly accessible website.(e) Extra consideration shall be given to those vendors who provide substitute information on non-mercury lamps like light-emitting diode (LED) that have the same price, specifications, lumen output, and lamp life of what is being sought in the bid abstract.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1; P.L. 2016, ch. 143, § 2; P.L. 2016, ch. 161, § 2.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-16 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-16 - Violations.

§ 23-24.9-16. Violations.Effective July 1, 2005, a violation of any of the provisions of this law or any rule or regulation promulgated pursuant thereto shall be punishable, in the case of a first violation, by a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000). In the case of a second and any further violations, the liability shall be for a civil penalty not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 235, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 328, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-17 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-17 - State review.

§ 23-24.9-17. State review.The department shall, in consultation with the conference of New England Governors/Eastern Canadian Premiers Environment Committee and/or an interstate mercury clearinghouse should one be developed, coordinate a review of the effectiveness of this chapter no later than January 1, 2006, and shall provide a report based upon that review to the governor and general assembly. The report shall review the effectiveness of the programs as established under the chapter and contain recommendations for improving them. As part of this review, the department shall evaluate the effectiveness of the collection systems established under this chapter and determine whether additional state authority or targeted capture rates are needed to improve those systems. In addition to this review process, the department shall evaluate the need for additional incentives for manufacturers of mercury-added products that are below ten (10) milligrams to reduce the amount of mercury in those products.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-18 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-18 - Application to products regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

§ 23-24.9-18. Application to products regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Nothing in this chapter shall apply to prescription drugs regulated by the Food and Drug Administration under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 301 et. seq., to biological products regulated by the Food and Drug Administration under the Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. § 262 et. seq., or to any substance that may be lawfully sold over the counter without a prescription under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 301 et. seq.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-19 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-19 - Mercury advisory working group.

§ 23-24.9-19. Mercury advisory working group.The department of environmental management shall be authorized to coordinate the development of a mercury reduction and education advisory working group to advise the department with regard to the development of regulations and programs for the implementation of the provisions of this chapter and with regard to public education pertaining to the continued elimination of mercury-added products in the State of Rhode Island. This advisory working group may include, but not be limited to, designees from the following: the general assembly, department of environmental management, department of health, the attorney general's office, state and/or national organizations interested in mercury reduction and education, consumer and children's advocacy groups, local chambers of commerce, and those industries that manufacture consumer products which contain mercury.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 235, § 1; P.L. 2003, ch. 328, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-20 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-20 - Regulations.

§ 23-24.9-20. Regulations.The department shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement and carry out the provisions of this chapter.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1; P.L. 2016, ch. 143, § 2; P.L. 2016, ch. 161, § 2.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-20.1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-20.1 - Effective dates for implementation.

§ 23-24.9-20.1. Effective dates for implementation.Notwithstanding the effective date of January 1, 2006, set forth in subsections 23-24.9-7(a)(1), 23-24.9-8(a), and 23-24.9-10(a), the initial deadline for complying with the requirements of these subsections shall be January 1, 2006, or ninety (90) days after the effective date of regulations adopted by the department in order to effectuate the purposes of the subsections, whichever date is the later.History of Section.P.L. 2005, ch. 266, § 2; P.L. 2005, ch. 268, § 2.
RI Gen L § 23-24.9-21 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.9 - Mercury Reduction and Education Act|Section 23-24.9-21 - Severability and construction.

§ 23-24.9-21. Severability and construction.The provisions of this chapter shall be severable, and if any court declares any phrase, clause, sentence, or provision of this chapter to be invalid, or its applicability of any government, agency, person, or circumstance is declared invalid, the remainder of the chapter and its relevant applicability shall not be affected. The provisions of this chapter shall be liberally construed to give effect to the purposes thereof.History of Section.P.L. 2001, ch. 234, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 318, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.10-1 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.10 - Electronic Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling Act|Section 23-24.10-1 - Purpose.

§ 23-24.10-1. Purpose.The purposes of this act are:(1) To establish a manufacturer financed system for the collection, recycling, and reuse program for covered electronic products in Rhode Island;(2) To develop a comprehensive strategy, with the participation of state agencies, producers, processors and consumers, for waste prevention and reduction of covered electronic products in the state, which addresses the collection, recycling and reuse of covered electronic products from all covered electronic product generators in the state and that ensures the safe and environmentally sound handling, reuse and recycling of covered electronic products;(3) To promote the development of state infrastructure for the reuse and recycling of used electronics;(4) To eliminate waste generated in the state from covered electronic products from landfill and incinerator disposal; and(5) To encourage the design of covered electronic products that are less toxic, more durable and more recyclable.History of Section.P.L. 2006, ch. 365, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 447, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 105, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 126, § 1.
RI Gen L § 23-24.10-2 (2021)
2021 Rhode Island General Laws|Title 23 - Health and Safety|Chapter 23-24.10 - Electronic Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling Act|Section 23-24.10-2 - Findings.

§ 23-24.10-2. Findings.(a) The general assembly finds televisions, computers and other electronics are omnipresent in modern society, and the number of obsolete, worn-out or otherwise used televisions, computers and other electronic products are increasing;(b) Used televisions and computers contain lead, mercury and other hazardous substances that pose a threat to human health and the environment if improperly disposed of at the end of their useful life;(c) Cathode ray tubes are estimated to be the largest current source of lead in the state's municipal solid waste stream;(d) Many flat-panel-display televisions, computer monitors and laptop computers contain a mercury-containing lamp for backlighting purposes;(e) The reuse, repair and recycling of televisions and computers protect public health and the environment by reducing the potential for the release of heavy metals and mercury from landfills and municipal waste combustors into the environment, provide jobs and business opportunities for state residents, recover valuable components and materials, reduce energy consumption, air and water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and conserve valuable landfill space;(f) The state of Rhode Island has an interest in resource conservation, waste minimization, landfill capacity management, pollution prevention, job creation and recycling;(g) The Rhode Island mercury reduction and education commission recommended that electronic waste be banned from disposal as solid waste, be managed through recycling or as hazardous waste, and be handled in a manner consistent with products covered by the Mercury Reduction and Education Act;(h) The commission also recommended that a system of producer responsibility for the collection and recycling of covered electronic devices is the most effective and equitable means of keeping this toxic waste out of landfills, alleviating the full financial and physical burden placed on the state and municipal governments for handling e-waste, while also providing a powerful incentive for manufacturers to reduce toxins and redesign products for recycling; and(i) The general assembly finds that the establishment of a comprehensive system to provide for the collection, reuse and recycling of electronic products in this state is consistent with its duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of its citizens, enhance and maintain the quality of the environment, conserve natural resources, prevent air, water and land pollution and stimulate economic growth.History of Section.P.L. 2006, ch. 365, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 447, § 1.