2017 -- H 5371

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO EDUCATION -- UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Representatives Fogarty, Maldonado, Craven, Winfield, and Williams

     Date Introduced: February 03, 2017

     Referred To: House 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

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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.

     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, 2017, 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 2017, 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

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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 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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