(a)  An agency shall:

(1)  Publish and make available for public inspection a description of its organization, stating the general course and method of its operations and the methods by which the public may obtain information or make submissions or requests;

(2)  Publish and make available for public inspection a description of all procedures, including a description of all forms and instructions used by the agency;

(3)  Publish and make available for public inspection a description of the process for application for a license, available benefits, or other matters for which an application is appropriate on its agency website, unless the process is prescribed by law other than this chapter;

(4)  Publish rules for the conduct of public hearings, and make available these rules for public inspection;

(5)  Maintain and make available for public inspection the agency’s current rulemaking agenda required by § 42-35-5.1; and

(6)  Maintain and publish a separate, current, and dated index and compilation of all final rules filed with the secretary of state, make the index and compilation available for public inspection and, for a reasonable charge, copying at the principal office of the agency; update the index and compilation at least monthly; and file the index and the compilation and all changes to both with the secretary of state.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-2

  • agency: means a state agency, authority, board, bureau, commission, department, district, division, institution, office, officer, quasi-public agency, or other political subdivisions created by the general assembly or the governor, other than the legislature or the judiciary, that is authorized by law of this state to make rules or to determine contested cases. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-1
  • Index: means a searchable list in a record of subjects and titles with page numbers, hyperlinks, or other connectors that link each index entry to the text to which it refers. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-1
  • License: includes the whole or part of any agency permit, certificate, approval, registration, charter, or similar form of permission required by law, but it does not include a license required solely for revenue purposes. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-1
  • Reasonable charge: means the lowest, customary charge for a service. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-1
  • Website: means a website on the internet or other similar technology or successor technology that permits the public to search a database that archives materials required to be published or exhibited by the secretary of state or an agency under this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-1

(b)  All documents required by this section must be published on the agency’s website by December 31, 2018, and maintained on the website thereafter.

History of Section.
G.L. 1956, § 42-35-2; P.L. 1962, ch. 112, § 1; P.L. 2016, ch. 203, § 2; P.L. 2016, ch. 206, § 2.