2016 -- S 2194

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LC004195

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2016

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senators Sosnowski, Crowley, Jabour, Gallo, and Sheehan

     Date Introduced: January 27, 2016

     Referred To: Senate Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Sections 16-32-3, 16-32-4, 16-32-5 and 16-32-6 of the General Laws in

Chapter 16-32 entitled "University of Rhode Island [See Title 16 Chapter 97 - The Rhode Island

Board of Education Act]" are hereby amended to read as follows:

     16-32-3. Purposes of university. -- The board, as now constituted, and their successors,

for the terms for which they have been or for which they hereafter may be appointed regents,

shall continue to be a body politic and corporate for the purpose of continuing and maintaining

the University of Rhode Island as a university where the leading object shall be, without

excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach any

branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts, in order to promote the

liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of

life, as provided in the act of the congress of the United States, approved July 2, 1862, entitled

"An Act Donating Public Lands to the Several States and Territories Which May Provide

Colleges for the Benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts," (hereafter the "Morrill Act of

1862"), and for the purpose of continuing and maintaining an agricultural experiment station

(hereafter the "station") as a department of the college university under and in accordance with,

and to carry out the purposes of, the act of congress approved March 2, 1887, entitled "An Act to

Establish Agricultural Experiment Stations in Connection with the Colleges Established in the

Several States Under the Provisions of An Act Approved July 2, 1862, and of the Acts

Supplementary Thereto (hereafter the "Smith-Lever Act of 1914"), and as provided in all

subsequent acts of the congress of the United States which modify the Morrill Act of 1862, the

Hatch Act of 1887, and/or the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. The Station and Cooperative Extension

are hereafter collectively referred to as the "land grant programs."

     16-32-4. Location -- Application of federal funds. -- The university and experiment

station university, agricultural experiment station, and administrative headquarters for

cooperative extension shall, until ordered, continue to be located in the town of South Kingstown

upon the estate now occupied by them, and all money received after this under the act of

congress, approved March 2, 1887, and under the act of congress approved August 30, 1890,

entitled "An Act to Apply a Portion of the Proceeds of the Public Lands to the More Complete

Endowment and Support of the Colleges for the Benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts,

Established Under the Provisions of an Act of Congress Approved July Second, Eighteen

Hundred Sixty-two," land grant programs and all other money which shall be received by the

state for the promotion of agriculture or the mechanic arts at land grant colleges under or by

virtue of an act of congress shall, as and when received, be paid over to the treasurer of the

university, to be used and applied and accounted for by the trustees board of governors for higher

education and officers of the university, with the approval of the state controller, as required by

the respective acts of congress under which the money is received.

     16-32-5. Authority over experiment station Authority over agricultural experiment

station and cooperative extension. -- The board of governors for higher education shall have

authority over the agricultural experiment station, cooperative extension and Rhode Island sea

grant of the university located in the town of South Kingstown.

     16-32-6. Activities of experiment station Activities of the land grant and sea grant

programs. -- The agricultural experiment station, cooperative extension and Rhode Island sea

grant at the University of Rhode Island shall continue to expend sums of money received from the

United States government for experimental work and agricultural extension service, extension

outreach, in compliance with the Hatch Act of 1887, the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, and the Sea

Grant Act of 1966 and shall also continue to promote and encourage the work of farm bureaus

agriculturalists (including aquaculturalists), their professional organizations, environmental

organizations, conservation districts and other agencies of government concerned with

agriculture, the environment, or the purposes of the station or cooperative extension, and the

private sector collaborating with the station or cooperative extension, consistent with the

requirements of the Hatch Act of 1887 and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, and the Sea Grant Act

of 1966 and expend sums of money received from federal and state appropriations, subject to

budgetary control provided by chapter 3 of title 35.

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     SECTION 2. Chapter 16-32 of the General Laws entitled "University of Rhode Island

[See Title 16 Chapter 97 - The Rhode Island Board of Education Act]" is hereby amended by

adding thereto the following sections:

     16-32-4.1. Appropriation of state funds for the land grant programs. -- Beginning in

the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2016, the general assembly shall annually appropriate a sum

to the board of governors for higher education for the exclusive purpose of defraying the

expenses of the land grant programs as defined in §16-32-3, to provide state funds to meet federal

mandates that federal funds be matched by state funds, such funds to be expended under the

direction of the board of governors for higher education and officers of the university. The

required match will be based on the full amount of federal funds awarded to the station under the

Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, and Animal Health formula allocations of the preceding year and on the

full amount of federal funds awarded to cooperative extension under the Smith-Lever formula

allocations of the preceding year.

     16-32-4.2. Appropriations of state funds for the Rhode Island sea grant program. --

Beginning in fiscal year 2016, the general assembly shall annually appropriate a sum to the board

of governors for higher education for the exclusive purpose of defraying the expenses of the

Rhode Island sea grant program to provide state funds to meet federal mandates that federal funds

be matched by state funds, such funds to be expended under the direction of the board of

governors for higher education and officers of the university. The required match will be based on

the full amount of federal funds awarded to the sea grant program under United States

Department of Commerce allocations of the preceding year.

     16-32-4.3. Use of funds to enhance land grant and sea grant programs. -- The annual

appropriation of funds for the land grant and sea grant programs shall be in addition to, and

separate from any funds regularly appropriated to the university under §16-32-9, and there shall

be no reduction of appropriations to the university pursuant to §16-32-9. Funds appropriated for

land grant programs shall be used exclusively to enhance the activities and capacities of the

station, cooperative extension, and sea grant programs, and are not to be used to replace normal

salaries for academic faculty or staff, or operating funds for academic departments, or for normal

maintenance operations of the university, or for any other purpose not in accord with the purpose

of enhancement of the land grant and sea grant programs. The use of funds may be used for

summer salary recontracting of faculty on academic year appointments to participate in land grant

or sea grant programs, for technical staff conducting land grant or sea grant program activities,

for support of undergraduate or graduate students collaborating in land grant or sea grant program

activities, and for capital acquisitions and physical plant improvements directly in support of the

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land grant or sea grant programs, and for all other expenditures directly in support of the land

grant or sea grant programs, including use as a state matching contribution to grants received

from federal agencies to support research or outreach conducted and administered conjointly with

activities of the station, cooperative extension, or Rhode Island sea grant. The expenditure of

funds shall follow rules promulgated in the official federal manuals of the station, cooperative

extension, and sea grant, including rules governing approval for projects and activities and

expenditure of funds for approved projects and activities.

     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

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     This act would promote the capability of the University of Rhode Island in the areas of

environmental and agricultural research and extension education by authorizing the appropriation

of additional state funds to match annual federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

without a reduction of other appropriations by the general assembly as otherwise provided for in

the university’s general operating budget.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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