It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 42-11-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-11 entitled "Department of Administration" is hereby amended to read as follows:

42-11-10. Statewide planning program. -- (a) Findings. - The general assembly finds that the people of this state have a fundamental interest in the orderly development of the state; the state has a positive interest and demonstrated need for establishment of a comprehensive strategic state planning process and the preparation, maintenance, and implementation of plans for the physical, economic, and social development of the state; the continued growth and development of the state presents problems that cannot be met by the cities and towns individually and that require effective planning by the state; and state and local plans and programs must be properly coordinated with the planning requirements and programs of the federal government.

(b) Establishment of statewide planning program. - (1) A statewide planning program is hereby established to prepare, adopt, and amend strategic plans for the physical, economic, and social development of the state and to recommend these to the governor, the general assembly, and all others concerned.

(2) All strategic planning, as defined in subsection (c), undertaken by the executive branch for those departments and other agencies enumerated in subsection (g), shall be conducted by or under the supervision of the statewide planning program. The statewide planning program shall consist of a state planning council, and the office of strategic planning and the office of systems planning of the division of planning, which shall be a division within the department of administration.

(c) Strategic planning. - Strategic planning includes the following activities:

(1) Establishing or identifying general goals.

(2) Refining or detailing these goals and identifying relationships between them.

(3) Formulating, testing, and selecting policies that will achieve desired objectives.

(4) Preparing long-range or system plans or comprehensive programs that carry out the policies and set time schedules and targets.

(5) Preparing functional short-range plans or programs that are consistent with established or desired goals, objectives, and policies, and with long-range or system plans or comprehensive programs where applicable, and that define intermediate steps toward their accomplishment.

(6) Monitoring the planning of specific projects and designing of specific programs of short duration by the operating departments and other agencies of the executive branch to insure that these are consistent with and carry out the intent of applicable strategic plans.

(7) Reviewing the execution of strategic plans and the results obtained and making revisions necessary to achieve established goals.

(d) State guide plan. - Components of strategic plans prepared and adopted in accordance with this section may be designated as elements of the state guide plan. The state guide plan shall be comprised of functional elements or plans dealing with land use; physical development and environmental concerns; economic development; human services; and other factors necessary to accomplish the objective of this section. The state guide plan shall be a means for centralizing and integrating long-range goals, policies, and plans. State agencies concerned with specific subject areas, local governments, and the public shall participate in the state guide planning process, which shall be closely coordinated with the budgeting process.

(e) Membership of state planning council. - The state planning council shall consist of:

(1) The director of the department of administration as chairperson;

(2) The director, policy office, in the office of the governor, as vice-chairperson;

(3) The governor, or his or her designee;

(4) The budget officer;

(5) The director of the office of housing, energy and intergovernmental relations;

(6) The associate director of administration for planning, as secretary;

(7) The president of the league of cities and towns or his or her designee and one official of local government, who shall be appointed by the governor from a list of not less than three (3) submitted by the Rhode Island league of cities and towns; and

(8) The executive director of the league of cities and towns;

(9) The speaker of the house or his or her designee;

(10) The senate majority leader or his or her designee;

(11) Four (4) public members, three (3) who shall be appointed by the governor, and one of whom shall be appointed by the speaker of the house for terms of three (3) years. ; and

(f) Powers and duties of state planning council. - The state planning council shall have the following powers and duties:

(1) To adopt strategic plans as defined in this section and the long-range state guide plan, and to modify and amend any of these, following the procedures for notification and public hearing set forth in section 42-35-3, and to recommend and encourage implementation of these goals to the general assembly, state and federal agencies, and other public and private bodies; approval of strategic plans by the governor;

(2) To coordinate the planning and development activities of all state agencies, in accordance with strategic plans prepared and adopted as provided for by this section;

(3) To review and comment on the proposed annual work program of the statewide planning program;

(4) To adopt rules and issue orders concerning any matters within its jurisdiction as established by this section and amendments thereto;

(5) To establish advisory committees and appoint members thereto representing diverse interests and viewpoints as required in the state planning process and in the preparation or implementation of strategic plans. The state planning council shall appoint a permanent committee comprised of:

(i) public members from different geographic areas of the state representing diverse interests, and

(ii) officials of state, local and federal government, which shall review all proposed elements of the state guide plan, or amendment or repeal of any element thereof, and shall advise the state planning council thereon before the council acts on any such proposal. This committee shall also advise the state planning council on any other matter referred to it by the council; and

(6) To establish and appoint members to an executive committee consisting of major participants of a Rhode Island geographic information system with oversight responsibility for its activities.

(g) Division of planning. - (1) The division of planning shall be the principal staff agency of the state planning council for preparing and/or coordinating strategic plans for the comprehensive management of the state's human, economic, and physical resources. The division of planning shall recommend to the state planning council specific guidelines, standards, and programs to be adopted to implement strategic planning and the state guide plan and shall undertake any other duties established by this section and amendments thereto.

(2) The division of planning shall maintain records (which shall consist of files of complete copies) of all plans, recommendations, rules, and modifications or amendments thereto adopted or issued by the state planning council under this section. The records shall be open to the public.

(3) The division of planning shall manage and administer the Rhode Island geographic information system of land-related resources, and shall coordinate these efforts with other state departments and agencies, including the University of Rhode Island, which shall provide technical support and assistance in the development and maintenance of the system and its associated data base.

(h) Transfer determinations. - (1) The director of administration, with the approval of the governor, shall make the conclusive determination of the number of positions, personnel, physical space, property, records, and appropriation balances, allocations and other funds of the department of mental health, retardation, and hospitals, department of health, department of human services, department of corrections, department of labor and training, department of environmental management, department of business regulation, department of transportation, department of state library services, Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, department of elderly affairs, department for children and their families, historical preservation commission, water resources board, and the defense civil preparedness/emergency management agency of the executive department to be transferred to the department of administration in connection with the functions transferred there into by the provisions of this article.

(2) In order to ensure continuity of the strategic planning process of the department specified heretofore, the actual transfer of functions or any part thereof to the department of administration may be postponed after July 1, 1985 until such time as, by executive order of the governor, the transfer herein provided can be put into force and effect but no later than December 31, 1985.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.