2019 -- H 5170

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LC000253

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES - MERIT SYSTEM

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Corvese, Ucci, Azzinaro, Phillips, and Canario

     Date Introduced: January 23, 2019

     Referred To: House Labor

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 36-4-31 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-4 entitled "Merit

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System" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     36-4-31. Temporary appointment when no list available.

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     (a) Whenever it is not possible to certify the required number of eligible persons for

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appointment to a vacancy in the classified service because no appropriate list exists, the

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appointing authority may nominate a person to the personnel administrator and if the nominee is

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found by the personnel administrator to have had experience and education which appear to

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qualify him or her for the position and meets such other requirements as are established by this

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chapter and the personnel rules, he or she may be temporarily appointed to fill the vacancy. All

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persons with temporary status who have been or who shall be temporarily appointed to those

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vacancies shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority or until removed in accordance

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with other provisions of this chapter. The personnel administrator shall within one year of the

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appointment of the temporary appointee establish an appropriate list. In the event the personnel

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administrator has failed or fails to establish an appropriate list within one year of a temporary

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appointment, the temporary employee shall become a provisional employee until a suitable list is

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established, at which time the appropriate merit system laws, rules, and regulations shall apply.

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     (1) Whenever any provisional employee, who is serving in a competitive branch position

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within the classified service, completes five (5) consecutive years of satisfactory service, and the

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personnel administrator has failed to establish a timely appropriate list, as required by subsection

 

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(a) of this section during that time, that provisional employee shall be deemed to have qualified

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for their position and shall be awarded permanent status, without the need of examination.

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     (2) When an appropriate list is established for a position held by a temporary or

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provisional appointee, the position shall be deemed to be vacant for the purposes of certification

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and appointment, and no salary or other compensation shall be paid to any temporary or

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provisional appointee for services in the position for more than fifteen (15) days after certification

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of at least three (3) available eligibles from the appropriate list.

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     (b) Any employee who holds temporary or provisional status for at least twelve (12)

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consecutive months in the class in which he or she is serving and who takes the appropriate

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examination for the position shall receive in addition to his or her test score five (5) additional

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points for each year of state service, which shall be added to his or her test score, provided,

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however, that in no case shall an employee receive credit for more than four (4) years of service.

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An employee who holds temporary provisional status for at least twelve (12) consecutive months

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in the class in which he or she is serving and is found to be reachable for certification to the

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position he or she holds shall be appointed to the position unless the appointing authority certifies

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to the personnel administrator that the individual's service has been unsatisfactory.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES - MERIT SYSTEM

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     This act would allow a provisional employee in classified service, who has satisfactorily

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served in their position for more than five (5) consecutive years, to be deemed qualified to be

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awarded permanent status in that position, without the need of examination.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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