2017 -- H 5775

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LC001471

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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, Tanzi, McEntee, Craven, and Carson

     Date Introduced: March 01, 2017

     Referred To: House Finance

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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

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

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

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     16-32-3. Purposes of university.

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     The board, as now constituted, and their successors, for the terms for which they have

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been or for which they hereafter may be appointed regents, shall continue to be a body politic and

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corporate for the purpose of continuing and maintaining the University of Rhode Island as a

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university where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical

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studies, and including military tactics, to teach any branches of learning as are related to

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agriculture and the mechanic arts, in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the

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industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions of life, as provided in the act of the

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congress of the United States, approved July 2, 1862, entitled "An Act Donating Public Lands to

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the Several States and Territories Which May Provide Colleges for the Benefit of Agriculture and

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the Mechanic Arts," (hereafter the "Morrill Act of 1862"), and for the purpose of continuing and

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maintaining an agricultural experiment station (hereafter the "station") as a department of the

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college university under and in accordance with, and to carry out the purposes of, the act of

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congress approved March 2, 1887, entitled "An Act to Establish Agricultural Experiment Stations

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in Connection with the Colleges Established in the Several States Under the Provisions of An Act

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Approved July 2, 1862, and of the Acts Supplementary Thereto. ," (hereafter the "Smith-Lever

 

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Act of 1914"), and as provided in all subsequent acts of the Congress of the United States which

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modify the Morrill Act of 1862, the Hatch Act of 1887, and/or the Smith-Lever Act of 1914. The

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Station and Cooperative Extension are hereafter collectively referred to as the "land grant

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programs.)

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     16-32-4. Location -- Application of federal funds.

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     The university, and experiment station agricultural experiment station, and administrative

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headquarters for cooperative extension shall, until ordered, continue to be located in the town of

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South Kingstown upon the estate now occupied by them, and all money received after this under

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

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1890, entitled "An Act to Apply a Portion of the Proceeds of the Public Lands to the More

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Complete Endowment and Support of the Colleges for the Benefit of Agriculture and the

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

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

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

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

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university, to be used and applied and accounted for by the trustees council for higher education

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

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respective acts of congress under which the money is received.

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

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station and cooperative extension.

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     The board of governors council for higher education shall have authority over the

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agricultural experiment station, chapter 2 of title 2, "agricultural experiment station", and

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cooperative extension, chapter 3 of title 2, "cooperative extension" of the university located in the

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town of South Kingstown.

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

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     The agricultural experiment station, and cooperative extension, at the University of

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Rhode Island shall continue to expend sums of money received from the United States

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government for experimental work and agricultural extension service extension outreach, in

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compliance with the Hatch Act 1887, and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, as amended, and shall

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also continue to promote and encourage the work of farm bureaus agriculturalists (including

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aquaculturalists), their professional organizations, environmental organizations, conservation

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districts and other agencies of government concerned with agriculture, fisheries and other marine

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industries, the environment, or the purposes of the station or cooperative extension, other units of

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the university and the private sector in cooperation, consistent with the requirements of the Hatch

 

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Act of 1887, and the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, as amended and expend sums of money received

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from federal and state appropriations, subject to budgetary control provided by chapter 3 of title

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35.

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

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

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adding thereto the following sections:

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

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     Beginning in the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2017, the general assembly shall

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annually appropriate a sum to the council on postsecondary education for the exclusive purpose

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

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funds to meet federal mandates that federal funds be matched by state funds, such funds to be

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expended under the direction of the council on postsecondary education and officers of the

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university. The required match will be based on the full amount of federal funds awarded to the

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station under the Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, and Animal Health formula allocations of the

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preceding year and on the full amount of federal funds awarded to cooperative extension under

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the Smith-Lever formula allocations of the preceding year.

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     16-32-4.2. Use of funds to enhance land grant programs.

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     The annual appropriation of funds for the land grant and sea grant programs shall be in

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addition to, and separately accounted for from any funds regularly appropriated to the university

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under §16-32-9, and there shall be no reduction of appropriations to the university pursuant to

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§16-32-9. Funds appropriated for land grant programs shall be used exclusively to enhance the

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activities and capacities of the station, and cooperative extension programs, and are not to be used

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to replace normal salaries for academic faculty or staff, or operating funds for academic

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departments, or for normal maintenance operations of the university, or for any other purpose not

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in accord with the purpose of enhancement of the land grant programs. The use of funds may be

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used for summer salary recontracting of faculty on academic year appointments to participate in

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land grant programs, for technical staff conducting land grant program activities, support of

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undergraduate or graduate students collaborating in land grant program activities, and for capital

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acquisitions and physical plant improvements directly in support of the land grant programs, and

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for all other expenditures directly in support of the land grant programs, including use as a state

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matching contribution to grants received from federal agencies to support research or outreach

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conducted and administered conjointly with activities of the station, or cooperative extension. The

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

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and cooperative extension, including rules governing approval for projects and activities and

 

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expenditure of funds for approved projects and activities.

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     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

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environmental and agricultural research and extension education by authorizing the appropriation

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and separate accounting of additional state funds to provide a dedicated state match required to

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receive annual federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, without a reduction of

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other appropriations by the general assembly as otherwise provided for in the university's general

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operating budget.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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