(a)  Any professional fundraiser, fundraising counsel, or professional solicitor having his, her, or its principal place of business outside of this state or organized under the laws of a foreign state, who or that shall solicit contributions or act as a fundraising counsel in this state shall be deemed to have irrevocably appointed the director as his, her, or its agent upon whom may be served any summons, subpoena, subpoena duces tecum, or other process directed to the professional fundraiser, fundraising counsel, or professional solicitor or any partner, principal, officer, member, trustee, or director thereof, with the same effect as if the professional fundraiser, fundraising counsel, or professional solicitor existed in this state.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 5-53.1-11

  • Director: means the director of the department. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-53.1-1
  • Fundraising counsel: means any person who for compensation consults with a charitable organization or who plans, manages, advises, or assists with respect to the solicitation of contributions for or on behalf of a charitable organization, but who does not have access to contributions or other receipts from a solicitation and who does not solicit. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-53.1-1
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  • Professional fundraiser: means any person who directly or indirectly for compensation or other consideration plans, manages, conducts, carries on, or assists in connection with a solicitation for charitable purposes or individually solicits or who or that employs or otherwise engages on any basis another person to solicit for or on behalf of any charitable organization, or who or that engages in the business of, or holds himself, herself, or itself out to persons as independently engaged in the business of soliciting for the charitable purpose. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-53.1-1
  • Professional solicitor: means any person who is employed or retained for compensation by a professional fundraiser to solicit contributions for charitable purposes. See Rhode Island General Laws 5-53.1-1
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Subpoena duces tecum: A command to a witness to produce documents.
  • Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.

(b)  Whenever lawful process shall be served upon the director, the director shall forward a copy of the process served on him or her by mail, postpaid, directed to the professional fundraiser, fundraising counsel, or professional solicitor. For each copy of the process served the director shall collect, for the use of the state, the sum of five dollars ($5.00), which shall be paid by the plaintiff at the time of service.

History of Section.
P.L. 1999, ch. 152, § 2.