Chapter 266
2019 -- S 0728
Enacted 07/15/2019

A N   A C T
RELATING TO PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES - MERIT SYSTEM

Introduced By: Senators Ciccone, Lombardo, Lombardi, and McCaffrey
Date Introduced: March 21, 2019

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
     SECTION 1. Section 36-4-31 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-4 entitled "Merit
System" is hereby amended to read as follows:
     36-4-31. Temporary appointment when no list available.
     (a) Whenever it is not possible to certify the required number of eligible persons for
appointment to a vacancy in the classified service because no appropriate list exists, the
appointing authority may nominate a person to the personnel administrator and if the nominee is
found by the personnel administrator to have had experience and education which that appear to
qualify him or her for the position and meets such other requirements as are established by this
chapter and the personnel rules, he or she may be temporarily appointed to fill the vacancy. All
persons with temporary status who have been or who shall be temporarily appointed to those
vacancies shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority or until removed in accordance
with other provisions of this chapter. The personnel administrator shall within one year of the
appointment of the temporary appointee establish an appropriate list. In the event the personnel
administrator has failed or fails to establish an appropriate list within one year of a temporary
appointment, the temporary employee shall become a provisional employee until a suitable list is
established, at which time the appropriate merit system laws, rules, and regulations shall apply.
     (1) Whenever any provisional employee, who is serving in a competitive branch position
within the classified service, completes five (5) consecutive years of satisfactory service, and the
personnel administrator has failed to establish a timely appropriate list, as required by subsection
(a) of this section during that time, that provisional employee shall be deemed to have qualified
for their his or her position and shall be awarded permanent status, without the need of
examination.
     (2) When an appropriate list is established for a position held by a temporary or
provisional appointee, the position shall be deemed to be vacant for the purposes of certification
and appointment, and no salary or other compensation shall be paid to any temporary or
provisional appointee for services in the position for more than fifteen (15) days after certification
of at least three (3) available eligibles from the appropriate list.
     (b) Any employee who holds temporary or provisional status for at least twelve (12)
consecutive months in the class in which he or she is serving and who takes the appropriate
examination for the position shall receive in addition to his or her test score five (5) additional
points for each year of state service, which shall be added to his or her test score,; provided,
however, that in no case shall an employee receive credit for more than four (4) years of service.
An employee who holds temporary provisional status for at least twelve (12) consecutive months
in the class in which he or she is serving and is found to be reachable for certification to the
position he or she holds shall be appointed to the position unless the appointing authority certifies
to the personnel administrator that the individual's service has been unsatisfactory.
     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC002157
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