It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 9-19-38 of the General Laws in Chapter 9-19 entitled "Evidence" is hereby amended to read as follows:

9-19-38. Proof of life or work life expectancy -- (a) In any proceeding commenced in any court, commission, or agency, when the life or work life expectancy of a person shall be at issue or when it is necessary to establish the expectancy of continued life or work life expectancy of any person from any period of the person's life, whether he or she is living at the time or not, the most recent issue of "The Vital Statistics of the United States (Life Tables)" "The United States Abridged Life Tables" (United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics) or "Tables of Working Life of the United States" department of labor, bureau of vital statistics Tables of Work Life Expectancies as published in "Work Life Estimates: Effects of Race and Education" (United States department of labor, bureau of labor statistics) shall be admissible in evidence as competent evidence of such matter. The admissibility of evidence provided for in this section shall not be deemed to render inadmissible evidence as to the health, constitution, habits, or occupation of the person or any other evidence otherwise admissible under the laws of this state.

(b) The life and work life expectancy tables may be evidenced by an official publication thereof or by a copy attested to by an officer or agent of the United States department of health and human services, the state law librarian or his or her duly designated assistant, or any librarian whose library is a depository for United States government documents. of the tables as published in a compiler's note under this section in the general laws of Rhode Island. The tables as published in the general laws of Rhode Island shall be authenticated by the seal of the department or library sufficient proof of life and work life expectancy without further foundation or authentication; provided, however, that written notice of the intention to offer the life or work life expectancy tables as evidence, together with a copy thereof, has been given to the opposing party or parties, or to his or her or their attorneys, by mailing it by certified mail, return receipt requested, not less than ten (10) days before the introduction of the tables into evidence, and that an affidavit of the notice and the return receipt is are filed with the clerk of the court forthwith after the receipt has been returned.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2001.