§ 42-64.34-2. Powers and duties.
(a) The department of housing shall be the state’s lead agency for housing, homelessness, and community development in the state of Rhode Island.
(b) The secretary of housing shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) All powers and duties pursuant to this chapter;
(2) To supervise the work of the department of housing and to act as its chief administrative officer;
(3) To coordinate the administration and financing of various departments or offices within the department of housing;
(4) To serve as the governor’s chief advisor and liaison to federal policymakers on housing, homelessness, and community development as well as the principal point of contact on any such related matters;
(5) To coordinate the housing, homelessness, and community development programs of the state of Rhode Island and its departments, agencies, commissions, corporations, and subdivisions;
(6) To employ such personnel and contracts for such consulting services as may be required to perform the powers and duties conferred upon the secretary of housing;
(7) To oversee and direct the administration of funds that may be appropriated from time to time to the department of housing; and
(8) Creation of a written guide for consumers relating to the rights and duties of landlords and tenants pursuant to chapter 18 of title 34, which the secretary shall update at minimum on an biennial basis. The guide shall be posted on the website of the department of housing and shall be published in both English and Spanish.
(c) In addition to such other powers as may otherwise be delegated elsewhere to the department of housing, the department is hereby expressly authorized, by and through the secretary of housing:
(1) To purchase, receive, lease, or otherwise acquire, own, hold, improve, use, and otherwise deal in and with, real or personal property, or any interest in real or personal property, wherever situated;
(2) To accept any gifts or grants or loans of funds or property or financial or other aid in any form from the federal government or any agency or instrumentality of the federal government, or from the state or any agency or instrumentality of the state, or from any other source and to comply, subject to the provisions of this chapter, with the terms and conditions of the gifts, grants, or loans;
(3) Subject to the provisions of § 37-2-1 et seq., to negotiate and to enter into contracts, agreements, and cooperative agreements with agencies and political subdivisions of the state, not-for-profit corporations, for-profit corporations, and other partnerships, associations, and persons for any lawful purpose necessary and desirable to effectuate the purposes of the department of housing; and
(4) To carry out this chapter and perform the duties of the general laws and public laws insofar as those provisions relate to any regulatory areas within the jurisdiction of the department of housing.
History of Section.
P.L. 2022, ch. 388, § 2, effective June 30, 2022; P.L. 2022, ch. 442, § 2, effective
June 30, 2022; P.L. 2023, ch. 79, art. 6, § 3, effective June 16, 2023; P.L. 2023,
ch. 165, § 1, effective January 1, 2024; P.L. 2023, ch. 166, § 1, effective January
1, 2024; P.L. 2024, ch. 117, art. 7, § 18, effective June 17, 2024.