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H 8297Public Services

State Affairs and Government - Administrative Procedures

This bill simplifies the five-year rule review process for state agencies and removes the requirement to publish notices in newspapers.

Signed into law65 Yea6 Nay4 Not voting
Population
Affected
25
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 13, 2026Committee House State Government & Elections

Plain-English Summary

This legislation updates the procedure for state agencies to maintain their rules and regulations. Currently, agencies must "refile" their rules every five years. This bill changes that requirement to a "confirmation" process, where agencies must file an electronic notice with the Secretary of State every five years attesting that they have reviewed their rules and that they remain effective. Additionally, the bill removes the requirement for agencies to publish a notice in newspapers or provide thirty days' advance notice to the public specifically for this periodic review process.

For younger readers

Imagine a school has a list of rules for the playground. Right now, every few years, the teachers have to rewrite the whole list and put an ad in a newspaper to say the rules are still the same. This bill changes that. Now, the teachers just have to send a message to the principal saying, "We checked the list, and we are keeping these rules." This saves time and paper because they don't have to announce it to everyone again if they aren't changing anything.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
State AgenciesSecretary of StateNewspaper PublishersGovernment AdministratorsGeneral Public
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Increases government efficiency by streamlining administrative tasks, allowing state agencies to focus more resources and time on delivering services to the public.
  • Reduces wasteful government spending by eliminating the requirement to purchase expensive newspaper advertisements for routine administrative confirmations.
  • Maintains a mandatory review cycle (every five years), ensuring that agencies must still periodically acknowledge and validate their existing regulations.
  • Reduces transparency by removing the requirement for public notice in newspapers, potentially excluding residents who rely on print media or lack internet access.
  • Eliminates the thirty-day advance notice window, which limits the public's opportunity to be aware that an agency is reviewing its standing rules.
  • Shifting from "refiling" to "confirmation" may encourage a passive "rubber stamp" approach by agencies rather than a rigorous re-evaluation of whether old rules are still serving the community effectively.
For Conservatives
  • Reduces bureaucratic red tape by simplifying the administrative burden on state agencies, making government operations leaner.
  • Saves taxpayer money by cutting the requirement for state agencies to pay for newspaper advertisements for routine rule maintenance.
  • Modernizes government procedures by utilizing electronic notification systems rather than outdated and costly print media requirements.
  • Makes it easier for the "administrative state" to perpetuate existing regulations without facing a formal public notification period or scrutiny.
  • Reduces public oversight mechanisms by removing the requirement to publish notices, making it harder for citizens to track government activity.
  • Allows agencies to simply "confirm" rules remain in force, potentially protecting obsolete regulations from being challenged or removed.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 12 additions · 17 deletions

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 42-35-4.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-35 entitled "Administrative Procedures" is hereby amended to read as follows: 42-35-4.1. Refiling of rules and regulations Confirmation of effective rules and regulations.

(a) Each agency shall, on or before January 2, 2002 on the first Tuesday in January of every successive fifth year, according to a schedule and process specified by the secretary of state, file with the secretary of state an electronic list of notice listing all its lawfully adopted rules that are in force on the date of the filing said notice attesting that all its lawfully adopted rules have been reviewed by the agency and thereby confirm all its lawfully adopted rules shall remain effective as previously promulgated. Notwithstanding the electronic notice and the filing thereof as prescribed in this section, any adoption, amendment, repeal, or other promulgation activity, as defined in § 42- 35-1, shall be undertaken only in accordance with the rulemaking process set forth in this chapter.

(b) Each agency shall give notice thirty (30) days prior to refiling any rule or regulation in order to comply with this section. Each agency shall also give notice, thirty (30) days prior to that agency’s due date for refiling, of which rules and regulations it shall not be refiling. The notices shall include a statement of the intended action and a description of the subjects and issues involved. The public notice of the refile shall be provided to all persons who have made timely request of the agency for advance notice of its rulemaking proceedings, and published in a newspaper, or newspapers, having aggregate general circulation throughout the state.

(c) Agency compliance with this section shall be coordinated in accordance with a schedule established by the secretary of state for agency refiling of rules.

SECTION 2. Section 42-35-4.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-35 entitled "Administrative Procedures" is hereby repealed. 42-35-4.2. Periodic refiling of rules and regulations. All rules on file with the secretary of state pursuant to § 42-35-4.1 shall be refiled on the first Tuesday in January 2007 and on the first Tuesday in January of every successive fifth year.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.