Title 42
State Affairs and Government

Chapter 11
Department of Administration

§ 42-11-2. Powers and duties of department.

The department of administration shall have the following powers and duties:

(1) To prepare a budget for the several state departments and agencies, subject to the direction and supervision of the governor;

(2) To administer the budget for all state departments and agencies, except as specifically exempted by law;

(3) To devise, formulate, promulgate, supervise, and control accounting systems, procedures, and methods for the state departments and agencies, conforming to such accounting standards and methods as are prescribed by law;

(4) To purchase or to contract for the supplies, materials, articles, equipment, printing, and services needed by state departments and agencies, except as specifically exempted by law;

(5) To prescribe standard specifications for those purchases and contracts and to enforce compliance with specifications;

(6) To supervise and control the advertising for bids and awards for state purchases;

(7) To regulate the requisitioning and storage of purchased items, the disposal of surplus and salvage, and the transfer to or between state departments and agencies of needed supplies, equipment, and materials;

(8) To maintain, equip, and keep in repair the state house, state office building, and other premises owned or rented by the state for the use of any department or agency, excepting those buildings, the control of which is vested by law in some other agency;

(9) To provide for the periodic inspection, appraisal or inventory of all state buildings and property, real and personal;

(10) To require reports from state agencies on the buildings and property in their custody;

(11) To issue regulations to govern the protection and custody of the property of the state;

(12) To assign office and storage space and to rent and lease land and buildings for the use of the several state departments and agencies in the manner provided by law;

(13) To control and supervise the acquisition, operation, maintenance, repair, and replacement of state-owned motor vehicles by state agencies;

(14) To maintain and operate central duplicating and mailing service for the several state departments and agencies;

(15) To furnish the several departments and agencies of the state with other essential office services;

(16) To survey and examine the administration and operation of the state departments and agencies, submitting to the governor proposals to secure greater administrative efficiency and economy, to minimize the duplication of activities, and to effect a better organization and consolidation of functions among state agencies;

(17) To operate a merit system of personnel administration and personnel management as defined in § 36-3-3 in connection with the conditions of employment in all state departments and agencies within the classified service;

(18) To assign or reassign, with the approval of the governor, any functions, duties, or powers established by this chapter to any agency within the department;

(19) To establish, maintain, and operate a data processing center or centers, approve the acquisition and use of electronic data processing services by state agencies, furnish staff assistance in methods, systems and programming work to other state agencies, and arrange for and effect the centralization and consolidation of punch card and electronic data processing equipment and services in order to obtain maximum utilization and efficiency;

(20) To devise, formulate, promulgate, supervise, and control a comprehensive and coordinated statewide information system designed to improve the database used in the management of public resources, to consult and advise with other state departments and agencies and municipalities to assure appropriate and full participation in this system, and to encourage the participation of the various municipalities of this state in this system by providing technical or other appropriate assistance toward establishing, within those municipalities, compatible information systems in order to obtain the maximum effectiveness in the management of public resources;

(i) The comprehensive and coordinated statewide information system may include a Rhode Island geographic information system of land-related economic, physical, cultural and natural resources.

(ii) In order to ensure the continuity of the maintenance and functions of the geographic information system, the general assembly may annually appropriate such sum as it may deem necessary to the department of administration for its support.

(iii) In order to establish a full, comprehensive, and integrated statewide geographic information system, and with input from the League of Cities and Towns, the department shall, by January 31, 2025, publish a report to the speaker of the house, the president of the senate, and the secretary of housing, that evaluates:

(A) The cost to establish and maintain a statewide platform;

(B) The personnel needed to establish and maintain the system;

(C) The organizational changes, if any, needed;

(D) The data security costs and requirements;

(E) The types of data needed from agencies and local governments to maintain the system and the timeframe for obtaining that data; and

(F) Other items deemed integral to this goal;

In furtherance of the preparation of the plan, the department shall request surveys or reports from state agencies and cities and towns that detail whether the agency or municipality utilizes a geographic information system; what platform is used; the costs for such system on an annual basis; and what data is utilized in each respective system;

(21) To administer a statewide planning program including planning assistance to the state departments and agencies;

(22) To administer a statewide program of photography and photographic services;

(23) To negotiate with public or private educational institutions in the state, in cooperation with the department of health, for state support of medical education;

(24) To promote the expansion of markets for recovered material and to maximize their return to productive economic use through the purchase of materials and supplies with recycled content by the state of Rhode Island to the fullest extent practically feasible;

(25) To approve costs as provided in § 23-19-32;

(26) To provide all necessary civil service tests for individuals seeking employment as social workers at the department of human services at least once a quarter of each year and to maintain an adequate hiring list for this position at all times;

(27)(i) To prepare a report every three (3) months of all current property leases or rentals by any state agency to include the following information:

(A) Name of lessor;

(B) Description of the lease (purpose, physical characteristics, and location);

(C) Cost of the lease;

(D) Amount paid to date;

(E) Date initiated; and

(F) Date covered by the lease;

(ii) [Deleted by P.L. 2024, ch. 117, art. 10, § 2.]

(28) To prepare a report to the chairs of the house and senate finance committees by February 15, 2025, and each year thereafter of all current property owned by the state or leased by any state agency to include the following information:

(i) Total square feet for each building or leased space;

(ii) Total square feet for each building and space utilized as office space currently;

(iii) Location of each building or leased space;

(iv) Ratio and listing of buildings owned by the state versus leased;

(v) Total occupancy costs which shall include capital expenses, provided a proxy should be provided to compare properties that are owned versus leased by showing capital expenses on owned properties as a per square foot cost at industry depreciation rates;

(vi) Expiration dates of leases;

(vii) Number of workstations per building or leased space;

(viii) Total square feet divided by number of workstations;

(ix) Total number of vacant workstations;

(x) Percentage of vacant workstations versus total workstations available;

(xi) Date when an action is required by the state to renew or terminate a lease;

(xii) Strategic plan for leases commencing or expiring by June 30, 2022, and each subsequent year thereafter;

(xiii) Master facility plans as required by § 42-11-2.9(a)(2);

(xiv) Map of all state buildings that provides: cost per square foot to maintain, total number of square feet, total operating cost, date each lease expires, number of persons per building and total number of vacant seats per building; and

(xv) Industry benchmark report related to office space that shall include total operating cost by full-time equivalent employee, total operating cost by square foot and total square feet divided by full-time equivalent employee;

(29) To provide by December 31, 1995, the availability of automatic direct deposit to any recipient of a state benefit payment, provided that the agency responsible for making that payment generates one thousand (1,000) or more such payments each month;

(30) To encourage municipalities, school districts, and quasi-public agencies to achieve cost savings in health insurance, purchasing, or energy usage by participating in state contracts, or by entering into collaborative agreements with other municipalities, districts, or agencies. To assist in determining whether the benefit levels including employee cost sharing and unit costs of such benefits and costs are excessive relative to other municipalities, districts, or quasi-public agencies as compared with state benefit levels and costs; and

(31) To administer a health benefit exchange in accordance with chapter 157 of this title.