2020 -- H 7465 | |
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LC004228 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO LIBRARIES -- OFFICE OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES -- | |
STATE AID TO LIBRARIES | |
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Introduced By: Representatives Jacquard, Cortvriend, O'Brien, Ucci, and Vella- | |
Date Introduced: February 06, 2020 | |
Referred To: House Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Section 29-3.1-2.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 29-3.1 entitled "Office |
2 | of Library and Information Services" is hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 29-3.1-2.2. Library board of Rhode Island established. |
4 | (a) There is hereby created the library board of Rhode Island, sometimes hereinafter |
5 | referred to as the "library board". The library board shall be protected from sudden changes in |
6 | membership and reversal of policy by having staggered terms for its public members, and is |
7 | hereby made successor to all powers, rights, duties, and privileges pertaining to public library |
8 | services and interlibrary cooperation and resource sharing. |
9 | (b) The library board shall consist of fifteen (15) members appointed by the governor, |
10 | with the advice and consent of the senate, five (5) of whom shall be representative of general |
11 | library users. The remainder of the governor's appointments shall be representative of the |
12 | following: |
13 | (1) Users of the Talking Books Plus Library, the economically disadvantaged, and |
14 | corporate or special librarians; school library media specialists; |
15 | (2) Librarians serving people who are institutionalized; |
16 | (3) Public library trustees and statewide library advocacy group; and |
17 | (4) Librarians from small public libraries, librarians from large or medium public |
18 | libraries, and academic librarians. |
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1 | (c) The commissioner for elementary and secondary education, or a designee, and the |
2 | commissioner for higher education, or a designee, shall serve as nonvoting ex officio members. |
3 | (d) The governor shall appoint from the library board's public members a chairperson. |
4 | The board may elect from among its members such other officers as it deems necessary. |
5 | (d)(e) Board members shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be |
6 | allowed travel expenses related to attendance at board meetings. |
7 | (e)(f) No person shall be eligible for appointment to the board unless he or she is a |
8 | resident of this state. |
9 | (f)(g) Members of the board shall be removable by the governor pursuant to the |
10 | provisions of § 36-1-7 and for cause only, and removal solely for partisan or personal reasons |
11 | unrelated to capacity or fitness for the office shall be unlawful. |
12 | SECTION 2. Sections 29-6-2, 29-6-3, 29-6-6 and 29-6-9 of the General Laws in Chapter |
13 | 29-6 entitled "State Aid to Libraries" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
14 | 29-6-2. Public library services. |
15 | (a) For each city or town, the state's share to support local public library services shall be |
16 | equal to at least twenty-five percent (25%) of both the amount appropriated and expended in the |
17 | second preceding fiscal year by the city or town from local tax revenues and funds from the |
18 | public library's private endowment that supplement the municipal appropriation; provided, |
19 | however, the state in any year shall not be obligated to match any amount from the endowment |
20 | that exceeds six percent (6%) of the three-year (3) average market value, calculated at the end of |
21 | the calendar year, of the investments in the endowment. The amount of the grant payable to each |
22 | municipality in any year in accordance with this section shall be reduced proportionately in the |
23 | event that the total of those grants in any year exceeds the amount appropriated that year for the |
24 | purposes of this section. Provided further, however, that the reference year for the state's share of |
25 | support to be paid in the year ending June 30, 2008 shall be the third preceding year. |
26 | (b) Those public libraries that do not qualify for aid pursuant to the provisions of |
27 | subsection (a) of this section may apply for resource sharing grants, to be used exclusively for the |
28 | purpose of payment of the ocean state libraries (OSL) annual assessment charges. Eligible public |
29 | libraries shall apply directly to the office of library and information services for these resource |
30 | sharing grants, and the grants shall be awarded to the libraries individually, rather than to the city |
31 | or town. Eligible libraries must be or become members of the OSL upon receipt of the grant, |
32 | serve municipalities that meet minimum standards for Rhode Island public libraries, and meet |
33 | standards for member libraries of the library of Rhode Island (LORI) network. |
34 | (c) Provided, that notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter to the contrary, the |
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1 | state's share to support local public library services shall also include funding to the Pontiac Free |
2 | Library in the city of Warwick for said library's participation in the ocean state libraries (OSL). |
3 | Such funding shall be provided regardless of whether the city of Warwick appropriates funds |
4 | from local tax revenues to said library. The amount of said state support shall be equal to the |
5 | average of the amount appropriated by the city of Warwick to each library in said municipality |
6 | for participation in the OSL program, in accordance with the provisions of and formulas set forth |
7 | in subsection (a). Provided, further, that in the event the city of Warwick appropriates funds from |
8 | local tax revenues for the Pontiac Free Library, then the amount of the state's share to said library |
9 | shall be calculated in accordance with the provisions of subsection (a) for any year in which such |
10 | calculation is applicable. |
11 | 29-6-3. Eligibility requirements -- Municipalities. |
12 | (a) To qualify for state aid under § 29-6-2, a city or town shall: |
13 | (1) Appropriate from local tax revenues an amount not less than the amount appropriated |
14 | the previous year from local tax revenues and expended for library operating expenses, except in |
15 | the fiscal years ending June 30, 2009 and June 30, 2010, during which the amount appropriated |
16 | from local tax revenues is not less than eighty percent (80%) of the amount appropriated from the |
17 | previous year from local tax revenues and expended for library operating systems. The |
18 | appropriation would exclude any state funds received for public library services. Any funds |
19 | received from the state shall not be used to supplant funds from local tax revenues; |
20 | (2) In the case of a city or town having more than one free public library therein, submit |
21 | or cause to be submitted to the office of library and information services a plan for the allotment |
22 | or division of the proposed state aid among the free public libraries in the city or town. The plan |
23 | shall be developed by agreement among the free public libraries of the city or town; |
24 | (3) Submit or cause to be submitted to the office of library and information services |
25 | evidence that free public libraries in the city or town meet standards of service as set forth in |
26 | regulations to be made by the chief of library services pursuant to the provisions of chapter 3.1 of |
27 | this title or that the regulations are inappropriate for that library; |
28 | (4) Submit or cause to be submitted a plan describing how the public library or libraries |
29 | plan to address one or more of the priorities established by the office of library and information |
30 | services. |
31 | (b) The chief of library services upon application and for cause shown may authorize an |
32 | annual grant-in-aid under § 29-6-2, or a portion thereof, to a city or town not fully meeting the |
33 | requirements set forth in subsections (a)(1)-(a)(3). |
34 | (c) Decisions as to the eligibility of cities and towns for grants-in-aid under this chapter, |
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1 | and the amounts of the grants-in-aid, shall be made by the chief of library services. |
2 | (d) The chief of library services shall require a preservation plan from any public library |
3 | which receives an appropriation from the state of Rhode Island which states the preservation |
4 | needs and objectives of the library for the coming fiscal year. The plan shall include, but not be |
5 | limited to: condition of materials, assessment of building and environmental controls, and |
6 | preservation measures to be taken. |
7 | (e) The chief of library services shall require a disaster preparedness plan from any public |
8 | library which receives an appropriation from the state of Rhode Island which states the plan of |
9 | action to be taken in the event of a natural or human made disaster. The plan shall be in |
10 | accordance with a suggested plan published by the office. The plan shall be submitted no later |
11 | than January 1, 1993 and shall be updated yearly. |
12 | 29-6-6. Construction and capital improvements. |
13 | The office of library and information services may cause to be paid to a city or town |
14 | treasurer, or to any free public library in the state, such a grant-in-aid for the construction and |
15 | capital improvement of any free public library as the chief of library services may determine is |
16 | necessary and desirable to provide better free library services to the public, which shall be paid in |
17 | accordance with the following provisions: |
18 | (1) No grant-in-aid shall be made unless the city or town receiving the grant-in-aid shall |
19 | cause to be appropriated for the same purpose an amount from its own funds and not from any |
20 | federal grant or other federal financial assistance equal to, or more than, the state grant-in-aid, or |
21 | unless funds from private sources are dedicated for the same purpose in an amount equal to, or |
22 | more than, the state grant-in-aid, or unless the total of the city or town appropriation and the |
23 | funds from private sources for the same purpose is equal to, or more than, the state grant-in-aid. |
24 | (2) The state grant-in-aid may be paid in installments over a period of years up to a |
25 | maximum of twenty (20) years, beginning in the fiscal year during which the project is accepted |
26 | by the office of library and information services. Whenever a grant-in-aid is paid on the |
27 | installment basis permitted herein, there shall be included in the state grant-in-aid the interest cost |
28 | actually incurred by the city or town, or any free public library, as a result of its having to borrow |
29 | the state's portion of the total cost of the library project. The amount of this interest cost shall be |
30 | computed on the actual interest cost paid by the city or town, or free public library, less any |
31 | applicable accrued interest, premiums, and profits from investments, over the period of time |
32 | elapsing between the date borrowed funds are made available and the date of the last installment |
33 | payment of the state grant-in-aid. Interest cost incurred by the city or town, or any free public |
34 | library, as a result of having to borrow its portion of the total cost of the library project shall not |
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1 | be considered a part of the total cost of the project for the purposes of matching provided for in |
2 | subdivision (1) of this section. Nothing contained herein shall prohibit the office of library and |
3 | information services from accelerating the schedule of annual installments, or from paying the |
4 | balance due of the state's grant-in-aid in a lump sum; provided, however, that the state grant-in- |
5 | aid in any fiscal year shall include no less than one-twentieth (1/20) of the state's total |
6 | reimbursable principal obligations. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the chief of |
7 | library services shall not accept any applications for library projects until July 1, 2014. |
8 | 29-6-9. Rhode Island library network. |
9 | (a) In order to provide each individual in Rhode Island with equal opportunity of access |
10 | to resources that will satisfy their and society's information needs and interests, the office of |
11 | library and information services is hereby authorized to establish a Rhode Island Library library |
12 | network, hereafter referred to as the library of Rhode Island network (LORI), to be administered |
13 | by the office of library and information services for the purpose of maintaining, promoting, and |
14 | developing a program of statewide resource sharing and interlibrary cooperation. The office of |
15 | library and information services shall include, as part of its budget, a budget for the |
16 | administration and operation of the Rhode Island library LORI network to: |
17 | (1) Provide central support services for the library of Rhode Island, such as delivery of |
18 | materials, telecommunications, consultant services, resource sharing, and access to bibliographic |
19 | and other information sources; and |
20 | (2) Reimburse libraries for the actual cost of providing services to individuals outside the |
21 | library's primary clientele; and |
22 | (3) Support the development, maintenance of, and access to the resource sharing potential |
23 | embodied in specialized collections and services at the Providence public library and other |
24 | libraries that can be provided most cost effectively on a statewide basis. |
25 | (b) By fiscal year 2000, the state shall provide, from state and federal revenue sources, |
26 | one hundred percent (100%) of the funding for the following statewide library services: |
27 | (1) Reference resource center located in a public library to be chosen biennially by the |
28 | office of library and information services from responses to a request for proposals issued by the |
29 | office of library and informational information services no less than every five (5) years; |
30 | (2) Interlibrary delivery system; |
31 | (3) Interlibrary telecommunications system; |
32 | (4) Electronic interlibrary loan system Online resource sharing system to facilitate |
33 | interlibrary loan; and |
34 | (5) Statewide catalog of all library holdings A single point of access to all holdings of |
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1 | LORI member libraries. |
2 | (6) [Deleted by P.L. 1996, ch. 100, art. 29, § 1.] |
3 | (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b), the funding for the statewide library |
4 | catalog and the statewide access to databases shall be subject to appropriation by the general |
5 | assembly. The duty imposed upon the office of state library and information services to create |
6 | and maintain a statewide library catalog interlibrary delivery and resource sharing system and |
7 | provide statewide access to databases shall be subject to appropriation by the general assembly. |
8 | SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO LIBRARIES -- OFFICE OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES -- | |
STATE AID TO LIBRARIES | |
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1 | This act would amend various sections relating to libraries to delete outdated provisions |
2 | and update language to reflect current practices affecting library technology, and would increase |
3 | from two (2) years to five (5) years the award of the statewide reference resource center contract. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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