§ 23-1-17. Additional general powers.
(a) In addition to the other powers given to the director of health or the department of health by other provisions of the general laws, and in order to permit the director to properly perform the duties given to the director by the general assembly, and to enforce the rules and regulations the director is authorized to promulgate and adopt, the director is further authorized to promulgate and adopt rules and regulations for the establishment of information collection, minimum sanitary requirements, and other duties given to the director by § 23-1-1 or by any other provision of law, and to enforce those rules and regulations. The director is further authorized to issue licenses or permits, and to revoke, suspend, or annul them, to aid in the enforcement of those rules and regulations.
(b) In the event of a public health emergency, the director is authorized to grant a temporary Rhode Island healthcare provider license for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days and limited to those healthcare providers who hold an active valid license in another state. The director is authorized to promulgate and adopt rules and regulations to establish a process for this temporary emergency license.
(c) In the event an application for professional licensure is delayed as a result of a board of licensure’s inability to establish a quorum, the director shall have the authority to review and issue licenses for any pending applications pursuant to all applicable rules and regulations.
(1) Review of applications by the director shall apply to those boards that have business pending but have been unable to establish a quorum for more than thirty (30) business days.
(2) The authority granted by this subsection shall not extend to any pending disciplinary actions.
History of Section.
P.L. 1966, ch. 109, § 1; P.L. 1967, ch. 61, § 1; P.L. 2010, ch. 51, § 1; P.L. 2010,
ch. 67, § 1; P.L. 2025, ch. 312, § 1, effective June 30, 2025; P.L. 2025, ch. 314,
§ 1, effective June 30, 2025.