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art.002/8/002/7/002/6/002/5/002/4/002/3/002/2/002/1

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     ARTICLE 2 AS AMENDED

RELATING TO STATE FUNDS

     SECTION 1. Chapter 35-4 of the General Laws entitled "State Funds" is hereby amended

by adding thereto the following section:

     35-4-21.1. Medical debt relief program.

     (a) There is hereby established a medical debt relief program to be administered by the

general treasurer who has the authority to enter into a contract for the purchase, cancellation and

forgiveness of medical debts upon the following conditions:

     (1) That the debt was incurred in order to obtain medical services, products, and/or devices;

     (2) That the debts are in collection or have been sold or assigned by the original provider;

and

     (3) That the debt is owed by a citizen of the state whose federal adjusted gross income is

four hundred percent (400%) or less than the federal poverty line or whose debt is more than five

percent (5%) of the citizen's adjusted gross income as measured by the prior tax return or the

estimated return in the current year.

     (b) Any citizen of this state whose debt is discharged, cancelled or forgiven under this

section shall be provided notice of the cancellation of the debt, but shall not have the amount

cancelled included in the computation of taxable income for the purpose of state income taxes.

     (c) For the purposes of this section, the definition of medical debts shall be liberally

construed so as to not reduce the types of debt that may be subject to cancellation so long as they

arise from medical transport, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment and/or rehabilitation.

     (d) The general treasurer shall provide quarterly updates on the program to the chairpersons

of the house and senate committees on finance beginning January 1, 2025.

     (e) The general treasurer may promulgate regulations as necessary to effectuate the

provisions of this section.

     SECTION 2. Section 35-4-27 of the General Laws in Chapter 35-4 entitled "State Funds"

is hereby amended to read as follows:

     35-4-27. Indirect cost recoveries on restricted receipt accounts.

     Indirect cost recoveries of ten percent (10%) of cash receipts shall be transferred from all

restricted-receipt accounts, to be recorded as general revenues in the general fund. However, there

shall be no transfer from cash receipts with restrictions received exclusively: (1) From contributions

from nonprofit charitable organizations; (2) From the assessment of indirect cost-recovery rates on

federal grant funds; or (3) Through transfers from state agencies to the department of administration

for the payment of debt service. These indirect cost recoveries shall be applied to all accounts,

unless prohibited by federal law or regulation, court order, or court settlement. The following

restricted receipt accounts shall not be subject to the provisions of this section:

     Executive Office of Health and Human Services

     Organ Transplant Fund

     HIV Care Grant Drug Rebates

     Health System Transformation Project

     Rhode Island Statewide Opioid Abatement Account

     HCBS Support-ARPA

     HCBS Admin Support-ARPA

     Department of Human Services

     Veterans’ home — Restricted account

     Veterans’ home — Resident benefits

     Pharmaceutical Rebates Account

     Demand Side Management Grants

     Veteran’s Cemetery Memorial Fund

     Donations — New Veterans’ Home Construction

     Commodity Supplemental Food Program-Claims

     Department of Health

     Pandemic medications and equipment account

     Miscellaneous Donations/Grants from Non-Profits

     State Loan Repayment Match

     Healthcare Information Technology

     Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals

     Eleanor Slater non-Medicaid third-party payor account

     Hospital Medicare Part D Receipts

     RICLAS Group Home Operations

     Group Home Facility Improvement Fund

     Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

     Emergency and public communication access account

     Department of Environmental Management

     National heritage revolving fund

     Environmental response fund II

     Underground storage tanks registration fees

     De Coppet Estate Fund

     Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission

     Historic preservation revolving loan fund

     Historic Preservation loan fund — Interest revenue

     Department of Public Safety

     E-911 Uniform Emergency Telephone System

     Forfeited property — Retained

     Forfeitures — Federal

     Forfeited property — Gambling

     Donation — Polygraph and Law Enforcement Training

     Rhode Island State Firefighter’s League Training Account

     Fire Academy Training Fees Account

     Attorney General

     Forfeiture of property

     Federal forfeitures

     Attorney General multi-state account

     Forfeited property — Gambling

     Department of Administration

     OER Reconciliation Funding

     Health Insurance Market Integrity Fund

     RI Health Benefits Exchange

     Information Technology restricted receipt account

     Restore and replacement — Insurance coverage

     Convention Center Authority rental payments

     Investment Receipts — TANS

     OPEB System Restricted Receipt Account

     Car Rental Tax/Surcharge-Warwick Share

     Grants Management Administration

     RGGI-Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council Projects

     Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Operating and Maintenance Account

     Executive Office of Commerce Department of Housing

     Housing Resources Commission and Homelessness Restricted Receipt Account

     Housing Production Fund

     Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Fund

     Department of Revenue

     DMV Modernization Project

     Jobs Tax Credit Redemption Fund

     Legislature

     Audit of federal assisted programs

     Department of Children, Youth and Families

     Children’s Trust Accounts — SSI

     Military Staff

     RI Military Family Relief Fund

     RI National Guard Counterdrug Program

     Treasury

     Admin. Expenses — State Retirement System

     Retirement — Treasury Investment Options

     Defined Contribution — Administration - RR

     Violent Crimes Compensation — Refunds

     Treasury Research Fellowship

     Business Regulation

     Banking Division Reimbursement Account

     Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner Reimbursement Account

     Securities Division Reimbursement Account

     Commercial Licensing and Racing and Athletics Division Reimbursement Account

     Insurance Division Reimbursement Account

     Historic Preservation Tax Credit Account

     Marijuana Trust Fund

     Social Equity Assistance Fund

     Judiciary

     Arbitration Fund Restricted Receipt Account

     Third-Party Grants

     RI Judiciary Technology Surcharge Account

     Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

     Statewide Student Transportation Services Account

     School for the Deaf Fee-for-Service Account

     School for the Deaf — School Breakfast and Lunch Program

     Davies Career and Technical School Local Education Aid Account

     Davies — National School Breakfast & Lunch Program

     School Construction Services

     Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner

     Higher Education and Industry Center

     IGT STEM Scholarships

     Department of Labor and Training

     Job Development Fund

     Rhode Island Council on the Arts

     Governors’ Portrait Donation Fund

     Statewide records management system account

     SECTION 3. Sections 37-7-13 and 37-7-15 of the General Laws in Chapter 37-7 entitled

"Management and Disposal of Property" are hereby amended to read as follows:

     37-7-13. Surplus group homes.

     Any group home purchased or built by the state of Rhode Island and licensed pursuant to

house § 40.1-24-3, which is no longer used to house persons with disabilities and is vacant for a

period of one year must be offered for sale on the private housing market forthwith and shall

thereafter remain under the jurisdiction of the zoning enforcement officer and the zoning code of

that municipality in which the home is located. The zoning enforcement officer and zoning code

shall govern the use thereof. The group home shall not acquire any rights of a nonconforming use.

Proceeds from the sale of group homes owned by the State of Rhode Island shall be transferred to

the group home facility improvement fund, pursuant to § 40.1-1-22.

     37-7-15. Sale of state-owned land, buildings and improvements thereon and other real

property.

     (a) Total annual proceeds from the sale of any land and the buildings and improvements

thereon, and other real property, title to which is vested in the state of Rhode Island or title to which

will be vested in the state upon completion of any condemnation or other proceedings, except for

the sale of group homes as referenced in § 37-7-13, shall be transferred to the information

technology restricted receipt account (ITRR account) and made available for the purposes outlined

in § 42-11-2.5(a), unless otherwise prohibited by federal law.

     (b) Provided, however, this shall not include proceeds from the sale of any land and the

buildings and improvements thereon that will be created by the relocation of interstate route 195,

which is sometimes collectively referred to as the “I-195 Surplus Land,” which land is identified

in the “Rhode Island Interstate 195 Relocation Surplus Land: Redevelopment and Market Analysis”

prepared by CKS Architecture & Urban Design dated 2009, and such term means those certain

tracts or parcels of land situated in the city of Providence, county of Providence, state of Rhode

Island, delineated on that certain plan of land captioned “Improvements to Interstate Route 195,

Providence, Rhode Island, Proposed Development Parcel Plans 1 through 10, Scale: 1″=20′, May

2010, Bryant Associates, Inc., Engineers-Surveyors-Construction Managers, Lincoln, Rhode

Island, Maguire Group, Inc., Architects/Engineers/Planners, Providence, Rhode Island.”

     (c) Provided, however, the transfer of proceeds in subsection (a) of this section shall not

include proceeds from the sale of state-owned group homes or “community residences” as that term

is defined in § 40.1-24-1(2) and licensed by the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental

disabilities and hospitals. Proceeds from the sale of these properties will be transferred to the group

home facility improvement fund, pursuant to § 40.1-1-22.

     (c)(d) Subject to the approval of the director of the department of administration, the state

controller is authorized to offset any currently recorded outstanding liability on the part of

developmental disability organizations (DDOs) to repay previously authorized startup capital

advances against the proceeds from the sale of group homes within a fiscal year prior to any sale

proceeds being deposited into the information technology investment fund.

     SECTION 4. Chapter 40.1-1 of the General Laws entitled "Department of Behavioral

Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals" is hereby amended by adding thereto the

following section:

     40.1-1-22. Group home facility improvement fund.

     There is created within the general fund of the state a restricted receipt account to be known

as the “group home facility improvement fund.” Money transferred to this fund shall include, but

is not limited to, the proceeds from the surplus of state-owned group home facilities or “community

residences” as that term is defined in § 40.1-24-1(2) and licensed by the department of behavioral

healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals; and notwithstanding the provisions of §§ 37-

7-1 and 37-7-9, rents collected from provider agencies providing services in state-owned group

homes or “community residences” as that term is defined in § 40.1-24-1(2) and licensed by the

department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals. All money in the

account shall by utilized by the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and

hospitals (“department”) to fund the ongoing upkeep and maintenance of state-owned facilities as

defined by § 40.1-24-1(6). Use of the funds will be directed by the department’s strategic priorities.

The group home facility improvement fund shall be exempt from the indirect cost recovery

provisions of § 35-4-27.

     SECTION 5. Section 42-6.2-3.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-6.2 entitled "2021 Act

on Climate" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     42-6.2-3.1. Funding for the council.

     There is hereby established a restricted receipt account in the general fund of the state and

housed in the budget of the department of administration entitled “RGGI-executive climate change

coordinating council projects.” The express purpose of this account is to record receipts and

expenditures allocated pursuant to § 23-82-6(a)(7), and (8). The state budget officer is hereby

authorized to create restricted receipt sub-accounts in any department of state government that

receives such funding as directed by the executive climate change coordinating council.

     The Rhode Island executive climate change coordinating council shall report annually to

the governor and general assembly within one hundred twenty (120) days of the end of each

calendar year how the funds were used to achieve the statutory objectives of the 2021 Act on

Climate.

     SECTION 6. Section 42-11-2.5 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-11 entitled "Department

of Administration" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     42-11-2.5. Information technology restricted receipt account and large systems

initiatives fund.

     (a) All sums from the sale of any land and the buildings and improvements thereon, and

other real property, title to which is vested in the state, except as provided in §§ 37-7-15(b) and 37-

7-15(c) § 37-7-15(b) through (d), shall be transferred to an information technology restricted receipt

account (ITRR account) that is hereby established. This ITRR account shall consist of such sums

from the sale of any land and the buildings and improvements thereon, and other real property, title

to which is vested in the state, except as provided in §§ 37-7-15(b) and 37-7-15(c) § 37-7-15(b)

through (d), as well as a share of first response surcharge revenues collected under the provisions

of § 39-21.1-14. This ITRR account may also consist of such sums as the state may from time to

time appropriate; as well as money received from the disposal of information technology hardware,

loan, interest, and service charge payments from benefiting state agencies; as well as interest

earnings, money received from the federal government, gifts, bequest, donations, or otherwise from

any public or private source. Any such funds shall be exempt from the indirect cost recovery

provisions of § 35-4-27.

     (1) This ITRR account shall be used for the purpose of acquiring information technology

improvements, including, but not limited to: hardware, software, consulting services, and ongoing

maintenance and upgrade contracts for state departments and agencies.

     (2) The division of enterprise technology strategy and services of the Rhode Island

department of administration shall adopt rules and regulations consistent with the purposes of this

chapter and chapter 35 of this title, in order to provide for the orderly and equitable disbursement

of funds from this ITRR account.

     (3) For all requests for proposals that are issued for information technology projects, a

corresponding information technology project manager shall be assigned.

     (b) There is also hereby established a special fund to be known as the large systems

initiatives fund (LSI fund), separate and apart from the general fund of the state, to be administered

by the chief information officer within the department of administration for the purpose of

implementing and maintaining enterprise-wide software projects for executive branch departments.

The LSI fund shall consist of such sums as the state may from time to time directly appropriate to

the LSI fund. After the completion of any project, the chief digital officer shall inform the state

controller of unexpended sums previously transferred to the LSI Fund for that project and the state

controller shall subsequently transfer any such unexpended funds to the information technology

restricted receipt account.

     (c) For any new project initiated using sums expended from the LSI Fund, as part of its

budget submission pursuant to § 35-3-4 relative to state fiscal year 2025 and thereafter, the

department of administration shall include a statement of project purpose and the estimated project

cost.

     SECTION 7. Section 42-66-4 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-66 entitled "Office of

Healthy Aging" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     42-66-4. Duties of the division.

     (a) The division shall be the principal agency of the state to mobilize the human, physical,

and financial resources available to plan, develop, and implement innovative programs to ensure

the dignity and independence of elderly persons, including the planning, development, and

implementation of a home- and long-term-care program for the elderly in the communities of the

state.

     (b)(1) The division shall serve as an advocate for the needs of the adult with a disability as

these needs and services overlap the needs and services of elderly persons.

     (2) The division shall serve as the state’s central agency for the administration and

coordination of a long-term-care entry system, using community-based access points, that will

provide the following services related to long-term care: information and referral; initial screening

for service and benefits eligibility; and a uniform assessment program for state-supported long-

term care.

     (3) The division shall investigate reports of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-

neglect and shall provide and/or coordinate protective services.

     (c) To accomplish these objectives, the director is authorized:

     (1) To provide assistance to communities in solving local problems with regard to elderly

persons including, but not limited to, problems in identifying and coordinating local resources to

serve the needs of elderly persons;

     (2) To facilitate communications and the free flow of information between communities

and the offices, agencies, and employees of the state;

     (3) To encourage and assist communities, agencies, and state departments to plan, develop,

and implement home- and long-term care programs;

     (4) To provide and act as a clearinghouse for information, data, and other materials relative

to elderly persons;

     (5) To initiate and carry out studies and analyses that will aid in solving local, regional,

and statewide problems concerning elderly persons;

     (6) To coordinate those programs of other state agencies designed to assist in the solution

of local, regional, and statewide problems concerning elderly persons;

     (7) To advise and inform the governor on the affairs and problems of elderly persons in the

state;

     (8) To exercise the powers and discharge the duties assigned to the director in the fields of

health care, nutrition, homemaker services, geriatric day care, economic opportunity, local and

regional planning, transportation, and education and pre-retirement programs;

     (9) To further the cooperation of local, state, federal, and private agencies and institutions

providing for services or having responsibility for elderly persons;

     (10) To represent and act on behalf of the state in connection with federal grant programs

applicable to programs for elderly persons in the functional areas described in this chapter;

     (11) To seek, accept, and otherwise take advantage of all federal aid available to the

division, and to assist other agencies of the state, local agencies, and community groups in taking

advantage of all federal grants and subventions available for elderly persons and to accept other

sources of funds with the approval of the director of administration that shall be deposited as general

revenues;

     (12) To render advice and assistance to communities and other groups in the preparation

and submission of grant applications to state and federal agencies relative to programs for elderly

persons;

     (13) To review and coordinate those activities of agencies of the state and of any political

subdivision of the state at the request of the subdivision, that affect the full and fair utilization of

community resources for programs for elderly persons, and initiate programs that will help ensure

such utilization;

     (14) To encourage the formation of councils on aging and to assist local communities in

the development of the councils;

     (15) To promote and coordinate daycare facilities for the frail elderly who are in need of

supportive care and supervision during the daytime;

     (16) To provide and coordinate the delivery of in-home services to the elderly, as defined

under the rules and regulations adopted by the office of healthy aging;

     (17) To advise and inform the public of the risks of accidental hypothermia;

     (18) To establish a clearinghouse for information and education of the elderly citizens of

the state, including, but not limited to, and subject to available funding, a web-based caregiver

support information center;

     (19) [As amended by P.L. 2019, ch. 110, § 2]. To establish and operate, in collaboration

with the departments of behavioral health, developmental disabilities and hospitals; human

services; and children youth and families regular community agencies supporting caregivers, a

statewide family-caregiver support association and a family-caregiver resource network to provide

and coordinate family-caregiver training and support services to include counseling and elder

caregiver respite services, which shall be subject to available funding, and include home

health/homemaker care, adult day services, assisted living, and nursing facility care; and

     (19) [As amended by P.L. 2019, ch. 130, § 2]. To establish and operate, in collaboration

with the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals; the

department of human services; the department of children, youth and families, and community

agencies supporting caregivers, a statewide family-caregiver support association and a family-

caregiver resource network to provide and coordinate family-caregiver training and support

services to include counseling and caregiver respite services, which shall be subject to available

funding, and include home health/homemaker care, adult day services, assisted living, and nursing

facility care; and

     (20) To supervise the citizens’ commission for the safety and care of the elderly created

pursuant to the provisions of chapter 1.4 of title 12.

     (d) In order to assist in the discharge of the duties of the division, the director may request

from any agency of the state information pertinent to the affairs and problems of elderly persons.

     (e) There is hereby established within the general fund of the state and housed within the

budget of the office of healthy aging a restricted receipt account entitled “commodity supplemental

food program-claims” to account for funds collected in payment of claims for donated food losses,

pursuant to united states department of agriculture guidelines under the commodity supplemental

food program. Expenditures from this account shall be utilized by the office solely for the following

purposes:

     (i) Purchase of replacement foods;

     (ii) Payment of administrative costs;

     (iii) Replacement of lost or improperly used funds;

     (iv) For use as a salvage account in compliance with federal regulations.

     SECTION 8. Chapter 42-140 of the General Laws entitled "Rhode Island Energy

Resources Act" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

     42-140-11. Electric vehicle charging stations operating and maintenance fund.

     (a) There is established a restricted receipts account within the general fund of the state, to

be known as the "electric vehicle charging stations operating and maintenance account”, to be

administered by the office of energy resources for the purposes of installing, operating, and

maintaining electric vehicle charging stations on state properties.

     (b) Effective January 1, 2025, the office of energy resources shall establish electric vehicle

charging station fees for electric vehicle charging stations operating on state properties.

     (c) The office of energy resources shall post the proposed charging station fees on its

website and solicit public comment for a period of thirty (30) days.

     (d) Funds deposited into the electric vehicle charging stations operating and maintenance

account shall be exempt from the indirect cost recovery provisions of § 35-4-27.

     SECTION 9. Section 5 shall take effect as of July 1, 2023. The remainder of the article

takes effect on July 1, 2024.