2024 -- S 2995 | |
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LC005873 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- DEPARTMENT OF | |
ADMINISTRATION | |
| |
Introduced By: Senator Tiara T. Mack | |
Date Introduced: April 16, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Housing & Municipal Government | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Sections 42-11-2 and 42-11-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-11 entitled |
2 | "Department of Administration" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 42-11-2. Powers and duties of department. |
4 | The department of administration shall have the following powers and duties: |
5 | (1) To prepare a budget for the several state departments and agencies, subject to the |
6 | direction and supervision of the governor; |
7 | (2) To administer the budget for all state departments and agencies, except as specifically |
8 | exempted by law; |
9 | (3) To devise, formulate, promulgate, supervise, and control accounting systems, |
10 | procedures, and methods for the state departments and agencies, conforming to such accounting |
11 | standards and methods as are prescribed by law; |
12 | (4) To purchase or to contract for the supplies, materials, articles, equipment, printing, and |
13 | services needed by state departments and agencies, except as specifically exempted by law; |
14 | (5) To prescribe standard specifications for those purchases and contracts and to enforce |
15 | compliance with specifications; |
16 | (6) To supervise and control the advertising for bids and awards for state purchases; |
17 | (7) To regulate the requisitioning and storage of purchased items, the disposal of surplus |
18 | and salvage, and the transfer to or between state departments and agencies of needed supplies, |
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1 | equipment, and materials; |
2 | (8) To maintain, equip, and keep in repair the state house, state office building, and other |
3 | premises owned or rented by the state for the use of any department or agency, excepting those |
4 | buildings, the control of which is vested by law in some other agency; |
5 | (9) To provide for the periodic inspection, appraisal or inventory of all state buildings and |
6 | property, real and personal; |
7 | (10) To require reports from state agencies on the buildings and property in their custody; |
8 | (11) To issue regulations to govern the protection and custody of the property of the state; |
9 | (12) To assign office and storage space and to rent and lease land and buildings for the use |
10 | of the several state departments and agencies in the manner provided by law; |
11 | (13) To control and supervise the acquisition, operation, maintenance, repair, and |
12 | replacement of state-owned motor vehicles by state agencies; |
13 | (14) To maintain and operate central duplicating and mailing service for the several state |
14 | departments and agencies; |
15 | (15) To furnish the several departments and agencies of the state with other essential office |
16 | services; |
17 | (16) To survey and examine the administration and operation of the state departments and |
18 | agencies, submitting to the governor proposals to secure greater administrative efficiency and |
19 | economy, to minimize the duplication of activities, and to effect a better organization and |
20 | consolidation of functions among state agencies; |
21 | (17) To operate a merit system of personnel administration and personnel management as |
22 | defined in § 36-3-3 in connection with the conditions of employment in all state departments and |
23 | agencies within the classified service; |
24 | (18) To assign or reassign, with the approval of the governor, any functions, duties, or |
25 | powers established by this chapter to any agency within the department; |
26 | (19) To establish, maintain, and operate a data processing center or centers, approve the |
27 | acquisition and use of electronic data processing services by state agencies, furnish staff assistance |
28 | in methods, systems and programming work to other state agencies, and arrange for and effect the |
29 | centralization and consolidation of punch card and electronic data processing equipment and |
30 | services in order to obtain maximum utilization and efficiency; |
31 | (20) To devise, formulate, promulgate, supervise, and control a comprehensive and |
32 | coordinated statewide information system designed to improve the database used in the |
33 | management of public resources, to consult and advise with other state departments and agencies |
34 | and municipalities to assure appropriate and full participation in this system, and to encourage the |
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1 | participation of the various municipalities of this state in this system by providing technical or other |
2 | appropriate assistance toward establishing, within those municipalities, compatible information |
3 | systems in order to obtain the maximum effectiveness in the management of public resources; |
4 | (i) The comprehensive and coordinated statewide information system may shall be publicly |
5 | available online and include a Rhode Island geographic information system of land-related |
6 | economic, physical, cultural and natural resources, as well as zoning, wetlands and floodplain |
7 | information. |
8 | (ii) In order to ensure the continuity of the maintenance and functions of the geographic |
9 | information system, the general assembly may annually appropriate such sum as it may deem |
10 | necessary to the department of administration for its support; |
11 | (21) To administer a statewide planning program including planning assistance to the state |
12 | departments and agencies; |
13 | (22) To administer a statewide program of photography and photographic services; |
14 | (23) To negotiate with public or private educational institutions in the state, in cooperation |
15 | with the department of health, for state support of medical education; |
16 | (24) To promote the expansion of markets for recovered material and to maximize their |
17 | return to productive economic use through the purchase of materials and supplies with recycled |
18 | content by the state of Rhode Island to the fullest extent practically feasible; |
19 | (25) To approve costs as provided in § 23-19-32; |
20 | (26) To provide all necessary civil service tests for individuals seeking employment as |
21 | social workers at the department of human services at least twice each year and to maintain an |
22 | adequate hiring list for this position at all times; |
23 | (27)(i) To prepare a report every three (3) months of all current property leases or rentals |
24 | by any state or quasi-state agency to include the following information: |
25 | (A) Name of lessor; |
26 | (B) Description of the lease (purpose, physical characteristics, and location); |
27 | (C) Cost of the lease; |
28 | (D) Amount paid to date; |
29 | (E) Date initiated; |
30 | (F) Date covered by the lease. |
31 | (ii) To prepare a report by October 31, 2014, of all current property owned by the state or |
32 | leased by any state agency or quasi-state agency to include the following information: |
33 | (A) Total square feet for each building or leased space; |
34 | (B) Total square feet for each building and space utilized as office space currently; |
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1 | (C) Location of each building or leased space; |
2 | (D) Ratio and listing of buildings owned by the state versus leased; |
3 | (E) Total occupancy costs which shall include capital expenses, provided a proxy should |
4 | be provided to compare properties that are owned versus leased by showing capital expenses on |
5 | owned properties as a per square foot cost at industry depreciation rates; |
6 | (F) Expiration dates of leases; |
7 | (G) Number of workstations per building or leased space; |
8 | (H) Total square feet divided by number of workstations; |
9 | (I) Total number of vacant workstations; |
10 | (J) Percentage of vacant workstations versus total workstations available; |
11 | (K) Date when an action is required by the state to renew or terminate a lease; |
12 | (L) Strategic plan for leases commencing or expiring by June 30, 2016; |
13 | (M) Map of all state buildings which provides: cost per square foot to maintain, total |
14 | number of square feet, total operating cost, date each lease expires, number of persons per building |
15 | and total number of vacant seats per building; and |
16 | (N) Industry benchmark report which shall include total operating cost by full-time |
17 | equivalent employee, total operating cost by square foot and total square feet divided by full-time |
18 | equivalent employee; |
19 | (28) To prepare a report to the chairs of the house and senate finance committees by |
20 | December 15, 2021, and each year thereafter of all current property owned by the state or leased |
21 | by any state agency or quasi-state agency to include the following information: |
22 | (i) Total square feet for each building or leased space; |
23 | (ii) Total square feet for each building and space utilized as office space currently; |
24 | (iii) Location of each building or leased space; |
25 | (iv) Ratio and listing of buildings owned by the state versus leased; |
26 | (v) Total occupancy costs which shall include capital expenses, provided a proxy should |
27 | be provided to compare properties that are owned versus leased by showing capital expenses on |
28 | owned properties as a per square foot cost at industry depreciation rates; |
29 | (vi) Expiration dates of leases; |
30 | (vii) Number of workstations per building or leased space; |
31 | (viii) Total square feet divided by number of workstations; |
32 | (ix) Total number of vacant workstations; |
33 | (x) Percentage of vacant workstations versus total workstations available; |
34 | (xi) Date when an action is required by the state to renew or terminate a lease; |
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1 | (xii) Strategic plan for leases commencing or expiring by June 30, 2022, and each |
2 | subsequent year thereafter; |
3 | (xiii) Map of all state buildings that provides: cost per square foot to maintain, total number |
4 | of square feet, total operating cost, date each lease expires, number of persons per building and |
5 | total number of vacant seats per building; and |
6 | (xiv) Industry benchmark report that shall include total operating cost by full-time |
7 | equivalent employee, total operating cost by square foot and total square feet divided by full-time |
8 | equivalent employee; |
9 | (29) To provide by December 31, 1995, the availability of automatic direct deposit to any |
10 | recipient of a state benefit payment, provided that the agency responsible for making that payment |
11 | generates one thousand (1,000) or more such payments each month; |
12 | (30) To encourage municipalities, school districts, and quasi-public agencies to achieve |
13 | cost savings in health insurance, purchasing, or energy usage by participating in state contracts, or |
14 | by entering into collaborative agreements with other municipalities, districts, or agencies. To assist |
15 | in determining whether the benefit levels including employee cost sharing and unit costs of such |
16 | benefits and costs are excessive relative to other municipalities, districts, or quasi-public agencies |
17 | as compared with state benefit levels and costs; and |
18 | (31) To administer a health benefit exchange in accordance with chapter 157 of this title. |
19 | 42-11-10. Statewide planning program. |
20 | (a) Findings. The general assembly finds that the people of this state have a fundamental |
21 | interest in the orderly development of the state; the state has a positive interest and demonstrated |
22 | need for establishment of a comprehensive, strategic state planning process and the preparation, |
23 | maintenance, and implementation of plans for the physical, economic, and social development of |
24 | the state; the continued growth and development of the state presents problems that cannot be met |
25 | by the cities and towns individually and that require effective planning by the state; and state and |
26 | local plans and programs must be properly coordinated with the planning requirements and |
27 | programs of the federal government. |
28 | (b) Establishment of statewide planning program. |
29 | (1) A statewide planning program is hereby established to prepare, adopt, and amend |
30 | strategic plans for the physical, economic, and social development of the state and to recommend |
31 | these to the governor, the general assembly, and all others concerned. |
32 | (2) All strategic planning, as defined in subsection (c) of this section, undertaken by all |
33 | departments and agencies of the executive branch unless specifically exempted, shall be conducted |
34 | by or under the supervision of the statewide planning program. The statewide planning program |
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1 | shall consist of a state planning council, and the division of planning, which shall be a division |
2 | within the department of administration. |
3 | (c) Strategic planning. Strategic planning includes the following activities: |
4 | (1) Establishing or identifying general goals; |
5 | (2) Refining or detailing these goals and identifying relationships between them; |
6 | (3) Formulating, testing, and selecting policies and standards that will achieve desired |
7 | objectives; |
8 | (4) Preparing long-range or system plans or comprehensive programs that carry out the |
9 | policies and set time schedules, performance measures, and targets; |
10 | (5) Preparing functional, short-range plans or programs that are consistent with established |
11 | or desired goals, objectives, and policies, and with long-range or system plans or comprehensive |
12 | programs where applicable, and that establish measurable, intermediate steps toward their |
13 | accomplishment of the goals, objectives, policies, and/or long-range system plans; |
14 | (6) Monitoring the planning of specific projects and designing of specific programs of short |
15 | duration by the operating departments, other agencies of the executive branch, and political |
16 | subdivisions of the state to ensure that these are consistent with, and carry out the intent of, |
17 | applicable strategic plans; and |
18 | (7) Reviewing the execution of strategic plans, and the results obtained, and making |
19 | revisions necessary to achieve established goals. |
20 | (d) State guide plan. Components of strategic plans prepared and adopted in accordance |
21 | with this section may be designated as elements of the state guide plan. The state guide plan shall |
22 | be comprised of functional elements or plans dealing with land use; physical development and |
23 | environmental concerns; economic development; housing production; energy supply, including the |
24 | development of renewable energy resources in Rhode Island, and energy access, use, and |
25 | conservation; human services; climate change and resiliency; and other factors necessary to |
26 | accomplish the objective of this section. The state guide plan shall be a means for centralizing, |
27 | integrating, and monitoring long-range goals, policies, plans, and implementation activities related |
28 | thereto. State agencies concerned with specific subject areas, local governments, and the public |
29 | shall participate in the state guide planning process, which shall be closely coordinated with the |
30 | budgeting process. |
31 | (e) Membership of state planning council. The state planning council shall consist of the |
32 | following members: |
33 | (1) The director of the department of administration as chairperson; |
34 | (2) The director, policy office, in the office of the governor, as vice-chairperson; |
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1 | (3) The governor, or his or her designee; |
2 | (4) [Deleted by P.L. 2019, ch. 88, art. 4, § 13.] |
3 | (5) The chairperson of the housing resources commission; |
4 | (6) The highest-ranking administrative officer of the division of planning, as secretary; |
5 | (7) The president of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns or his or her designee; |
6 | (8) The executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns; |
7 | (9) Three (3) chief elected officials of cities and towns appointed by the governor after |
8 | consultation with the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, one of whom shall be from a |
9 | community with a population greater than 40,000 persons; one of whom shall be from a community |
10 | with a population of between 20,000 and 40,000 persons; and one of whom shall be from a |
11 | community with a population less than 20,000 persons; |
12 | (10) One representative of a nonprofit community development or housing organization |
13 | appointed by the governor; |
14 | (11) Four (4) public members, appointed by the governor, one of whom shall be an |
15 | employer with fewer than fifty (50) employees; one of whom shall be an employer with greater |
16 | than fifty (50) employees; one of whom shall represent a professional planning or engineering |
17 | organization in Rhode Island; and one of whom shall represent a chamber of commerce or |
18 | economic development organization; |
19 | (12) Two (2) representatives of private, nonprofit, environmental or environmental justice |
20 | advocacy organizations, both to be appointed by the governor; |
21 | (13) The director of planning and development for the city of Providence; |
22 | (14) The director of the department of transportation; |
23 | (15) The director of the department of environmental management; |
24 | (16) The director of the department of health; |
25 | (17) The chief executive officer of the commerce corporation; |
26 | (18) The commissioner of the Rhode Island office of energy resources; |
27 | (19) The chief executive officer of the Rhode Island public transit authority; |
28 | (20) The executive director of Rhode Island housing; |
29 | (21) The executive director of the coastal resources management council; and |
30 | (22) The director of the Rhode Island emergency management agency. |
31 | (f) Powers and duties of state planning council. The state planning council shall have |
32 | the following powers and duties: |
33 | (1) To adopt strategic plans as defined in this section and the long-range state guide plan, |
34 | and to modify and amend any of these, following the procedures for notification and public hearing |
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1 | set forth in § 42-35-3, and to recommend and encourage implementation of these goals to the |
2 | general assembly, state and federal agencies, and other public and private bodies; approval of |
3 | strategic plans by the governor; and to ensure that strategic plans and the long-range state guide |
4 | plan are consistent with the findings, intent, and goals set forth in § 45-22.2-3, the “Rhode Island |
5 | comprehensive planning and land use regulation act”; |
6 | (2) To coordinate the planning and development activities of all state agencies, in |
7 | accordance with strategic plans prepared and adopted as provided for by this section; |
8 | (3) To review and comment on the proposed annual work program of the statewide |
9 | planning program; |
10 | (4) To adopt rules and standards and issue orders concerning any matters within its |
11 | jurisdiction as established by this section and amendments to it; |
12 | (5) To establish advisory committees and appoint members thereto representing diverse |
13 | interests and viewpoints as required in the state planning process and in the preparation or |
14 | implementation of strategic plans. At minimum, the state planning council shall appoint permanent |
15 | committees: |
16 | (i) A technical committee, comprised of public members from different geographic areas |
17 | of the state representing diverse interests along with officials of state, local, and federal |
18 | government, who shall review all proposed elements of the state guide plan, or amendment or repeal |
19 | of any element of the plan, and shall advise the state planning council thereon before the council |
20 | acts on any such proposal. This committee shall also advise the state planning council on any other |
21 | matter referred to it by the council; and |
22 | (ii) An executive committee consisting of major participants of a all Rhode Island |
23 | geographic information system with oversight responsibility for its activities systems; and |
24 | (iii) A transportation advisory committee, made up of diverse representation, including, |
25 | but not limited to, municipal elected and appointed officials; representatives of various |
26 | transportation sectors, departments, and agencies; and other groups and agencies with an interest |
27 | in transportation operations, maintenance, construction, and policy, who shall review |
28 | transportation-related plans and amendments and recommend action to the state planning council; |
29 | (6) To adopt, amend, and maintain, as an element of the state guide plan or as an |
30 | amendment to an existing element of the state guide plan, standards and guidelines for the location |
31 | of eligible, renewable energy resources and renewable energy facilities in Rhode Island with due |
32 | consideration for the location of such resources and facilities in commercial and industrial areas, |
33 | agricultural areas, areas occupied by public and private institutions, and property of the state and |
34 | its agencies and corporations, provided these areas are of sufficient size, and in other areas of the |
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1 | state as appropriate; |
2 | (7) To act as the single, statewide metropolitan planning organization for transportation |
3 | planning, and to promulgate all rules and regulations that are necessary thereto; and |
4 | (8) To assist the Rhode Island infrastructure bank in establishing review criteria, evaluating |
5 | applications, approving and issuing grants, and to assist municipalities pursuant to the provisions |
6 | of chapter 11.4 of this title, and any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder. |
7 | (g) Division of statewide planning. |
8 | (1) The division of statewide planning shall be the principal staff agency of the state |
9 | planning council for preparing and/or coordinating strategic plans for the comprehensive |
10 | management of the state’s human, economic, and physical resources. The division of statewide |
11 | planning shall recommend to the state planning council specific guidelines, standards, and |
12 | programs to be adopted to implement strategic planning and the state guide plan and shall undertake |
13 | any other duties established by this section and amendments thereto. |
14 | (2) The division of statewide planning shall maintain records (which shall consist of files |
15 | of complete copies) of all plans, recommendations, rules, and modifications or amendments thereto |
16 | adopted or issued by the state planning council under this section. The records shall be open to the |
17 | public. |
18 | (3) The division of statewide planning shall manage and administer the a combined and |
19 | comprehensive Rhode Island geographic information system of land-related resources, and shall |
20 | coordinate these efforts with other state departments and agencies, including the university of |
21 | Rhode Island towns and cities, other agencies and nonprofits who have such systems in place, and |
22 | the university of Rhode Island, which shall provide technical support and assistance in the |
23 | development and maintenance of the system and its associated database. The division of statewide |
24 | planning, in conjunction with other state agencies, the university of Rhode Island, towns and cities |
25 | and other agencies and nonprofits who maintain similar geographic information systems, shall work |
26 | to ensure by January 1, 2026, that there is a publicly available online comprehensive statewide |
27 | geographic information system which includes all thirty-nine (39) towns and cities. The system |
28 | shall include all available information, including, but not limited to, property information, existing |
29 | land uses, zoning districts, flood zones, estimated wetlands locations, areas serviced by water and |
30 | sewer, and dedicated open space areas. |
31 | (4) The division of statewide planning shall coordinate and oversee the provision of |
32 | technical assistance to political subdivisions of the state in preparing and implementing plans to |
33 | accomplish the purposes, goals, objectives, policies, and/or standards of applicable elements of the |
34 | state guide plan and shall make available to cities and towns data and guidelines that may be used |
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1 | in preparing comprehensive plans and elements thereof and in evaluating comprehensive plans and |
2 | elements thereby. |
3 | (h) [Deleted by P.L. 2011, ch. 215, § 4, and by P.L. 2011, ch. 313, § 4.] |
4 | (i) The division of planning shall be the principal staff agency of the water resources board |
5 | established pursuant to chapter 15 of title 46 (“Water Resources Board”) and the water resources |
6 | board corporate established pursuant to chapter 15.1 of title 46 (“Water Supply Facilities”). |
7 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC005873 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- DEPARTMENT OF | |
ADMINISTRATION | |
*** | |
1 | This act would require, by January 1, 2026, the creation of an online, publicly available, |
2 | comprehensive statewide geographic information system of land related resources to include |
3 | information from all towns and cities. |
4 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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LC005873 | |
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