Requires the rule adopting agency to send a copy of the certified rule to all members of the general assembly, within twenty (20) days of filing a final rule.
Summary
H5522 amends Rhode Island’s Administrative Procedures Act to add a new notice requirement for agency rulemaking. After an agency files a final rule with the secretary of state, the agency must also send a copy of the certified final rule by email to every member of the General Assembly within 20 days. The bill also reinforces existing filing and publication procedures by requiring agencies to use a standardized submission form, allowing the secretary of state to reject improperly filed rules, and specifying that final rules are not effective or enforceable until properly submitted and accepted.
The bill further clarifies the timing and contents of final rule filings. It requires agencies to file a final rule within 180 days after the close of the public-comment period or restart the rulemaking process, and it requires the filing to include the rule text, the signing date, legal authority, required findings, effective date, and a concise explanatory statement. It also states that rules generally become effective 20 days after filing, subject to statutory exceptions for later effective dates, emergency rules, and direct final rules. The secretary of state must maintain a permanent register of filed rules and explanatory statements and publish notice of each final rule in the state register.
Impact
This act would amend Chapter 42-35 of the Rhode Island General Laws governing administrative procedures and rulemaking. Its main practical effect is to increase legislative access to agency regulations by requiring direct electronic notice to all legislators after a final rule is filed, while also tightening procedural compliance for agencies and clarifying when rules become effective and enforceable. The secretary of state’s role in reviewing, rejecting, correcting, registering, and publishing rules is also more explicitly defined.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received positively and without controversy in the recorded votes. It passed the House unanimously 69-0 on June 3, 2025, and passed the Senate unanimously 34-0 on June 21, 2025. No committee transcripts were provided, but the unanimous votes suggest broad bipartisan support for the measure’s transparency and administrative-process provisions.
Contention
No notable opposition is reflected in the available record. The bill’s likely policy focus is transparency and legislative oversight of agency rulemaking, which may have appealed to lawmakers across party lines. Any potential concern would likely center on administrative burden for agencies and the secretary of state, but no such objection appears in the votes or other available discussion materials.
Reforms the organizational structure for the Department of Transportation and Development including its duties, powers, and responsibilities of officers and employees (EN INCREASE SD EX See Note)
A bill for an act providing for certain business entities acting under the jurisdiction of the secretary of state by providing for the removal of information from a filing based on a sworn affidavit and administrative dissolution based on the response to interrogatories.(See HF 2678.)