Chapter 128
2022 -- S 2810
Enacted 06/21/2022

A N   A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- STATE ARCHIVES

Introduced By: Senator Dawn M. Euer

Date Introduced: March 24, 2022

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
     SECTION 1. Sections 42-8.1-2, 42-8.1-3, 42-8.1-4, 42-8.1-5, 42-8.1-6, 42-8.1-7, 42-8.1-
9, 42-8.1-10, 42-8.1-11, 42-8.1-12, 42-8.1-13, 42-8.1-15, 42-8.1-16, 42-8.1-17 and 42-8.1-20 of
the General Laws in Chapter 42-8.1 entitled "State Archives" are hereby amended to read as
follows:
     42-8.1-2. Definitions.
     For the purpose of this chapter:
     (1) "Agency" or "public body" means any executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory,
administrative body of the state or any political subdivision thereof; including, but not limited to
the leadership of the general assembly, chairperson in the house and senate, public officials elected
or appointed and any department, division, agency, commission, board, office, bureau, authority,
any school, fire, or water district, or other agency or quasi-public agency of state or local
government which that exercises governmental functions, any other public or private agency,
person, partnership, corporation, or business entity acting on behalf of any public agency.
     (2) "Archive" means an establishment maintained primarily for the storage, servicing,
security, and processing of records that must be preserved permanently for historical, legal, or other
value and need not be retained in office equipment and space.
     (3)(14) "Archivist" "State archivist" means the state archivist, the director of the division
of state archives individual who coordinates, directs, and administers the activities and
responsibilities of the state archives.
     (4) "Authenticated copies" means exact copies or reproductions of records or other
materials that are certified as such under seal and that need be legally accepted as evidence.
     (5) "Commission" means the Rhode Island historical records commission.
     (6)(5) "Custodian" means and includes the official custodian or any authorized person
having personal custody and control of the public records in question.
     (7)(6) "Division" means the division of state archives of the department of state.
     (8)(7) "Official custodian" means and includes any officer or employee of the state or any
agency, institution, or political subdivision thereof, who is responsible for the maintenance, care,
and keeping of public records, regardless of whether such records are in his or her actual personal
custody and control.
     (8) "Permanent records" means public records or records which that are established in the
records retention schedule at the time of creation, which shall not be destroyed, and are determined
to have enduring, legal, and historical value to the state.
     (9) "Person" means and includes any natural person, corporation, partnership, firm, or
association.
     (10) "Personal paper(s)" means documents unrelated to work but maintained at a place of
work by an employee or general officers of the state government of Rhode Island.
     (10)(11) "Political subdivision" means and includes every city, town, school district, fire
district, water or sanitation district, or any other special district or other quasi-public agency within
the state.
     (11)(12) "Public record" or "public records" means public records as defined in chapter 2
of title 38, "Access to Public Records".
     (12)(13) "Records" means all books, letters, papers, maps, photographs, tapes, films, sound
recordings, machine-readable records, or any other documentary materials, regardless of physical
form or characteristics, made or received by any governmental agency, office, or general officer in
pursuance of law or in connection with the transaction of public business and preserved or
appropriate for preservation by the agency or its legitimate successor as evidence of the
organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the
government or because of the value of the official government data contained therein. As used in
this part 1, the following are excluded from the definition of records:
     (i) Materials preserved or appropriate for preservation because of the value of the data
contained therein other than that of an official government nature or because of the historical value
of the materials themselves;
     (ii) Library books, pamphlets, newspapers, or museum material made, acquired, or
preserved for reference, historical, or exhibition purposes;
     (iii) Private papers, manuscripts, letters, diaries, pictures, biographies, books, and maps,
including materials and collections previously owned by persons other than the state or any political
subdivision thereof;
     (iv) Extra copies of publications or duplicated documents preserved for convenience of
reference; and
     (v) Stocks of publications.
     (13)(14)(3) "State archives" or "archives of the state" "Archives of the state" means those
official records that have been determined by the state archivist to have sufficient historical, legal,
or other permanent value to warrant their continued preservation by the state, and have been
accepted by the state archivist for deposit in his or her custody.
     (14)(15) "State archives" means an establishment maintained by the division for the
preservation of those public records that have been determined by the division to have sufficient
historical or other value to warrant their continued preservation by the state and have been accepted
by the division for deposit in its custody the official state repository or any other repository
approved by the state archivist for long-term or permanent records.
     (15) "Trust fund" means the archives trust fund.
     42-8.1-3. State archives created.
     (a) There shall be an establishment known as "the archives of the state of Rhode Island",
also referred to in this chapter as "the state archives" or "the division".
     (b) The state archives shall be a division of the department of state, as mandated by § 42-
8-19.
     (c) Except as provided by §§ 42-10-9 and 38-3-6, the division shall be the official custodian
and trustee for the state of all public permanent records, of permanent historical, legal or other
value, regardless of physical form or characteristics, which that are transferred to it from any public
office of the state or any political subdivision thereof.
     42-8.1-4. Officers.
     (a) The chief administrative officer of the division shall be the state archivist.
     (b) The state archivist shall be appointed by the secretary of state:
     The state archivist shall be appointed based upon the professional qualifications required
to perform the duties and responsibilities of the office of state archivist. The state archivist may be
removed by shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary of state.
     (c) There shall be in the division a deputy state archivist who shall be appointed by the
secretary of state and who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary of state. The deputy state
archivist shall perform such functions as the state archivist shall designate. During any absence or
disability of the state archivist, the deputy state archivist shall act as state archivist. In the event of
a vacancy in the office of the state archivist, the deputy state archivist shall act as state archivist
until an a state archivist is appointed under subsection (b) of this section.
     (d) The state archivist and deputy state archivist shall be compensated at a salary to be
determined by the secretary of state, which salary shall be reviewed and approved by the department
of administration.
     42-8.1-5. Duties and responsibilities.
     (a) The state archivist under the direction of the secretary of state shall be responsible for
the proper administration of public permanent records, of permanent historical or other value
including public records with a minimum retention of twenty (20) years, possessing enduring value
pursuant to § 38-3-6. It shall be his or her duty to determine and direct the administrative and
technical procedures of the division. He or she shall study the problems of preservation and
disposition of records as defined in this chapter and based on such the study shall formulate and
put into effect, to the extent authorized by law, within the division or otherwise, such programs as
he or she deems advisable or necessary for public records of permanent historical or other value by
agencies of the state or political subdivisions thereof.
     (b) The state archives shall reserve and administer such those records as shall be transferred
to its custody, and to accept, arrange, and preserve them, according to approved archival practices
and to permit them at reasonable times and under the supervision of the division to be inspected,
examined, and copied; provided that any record placed in the keeping of the division under special
terms or conditions restricting their use shall be made accessible only in accordance with such terms
and conditions.
     (c) The state archivist shall cooperate with and assist insofar as practicable, state
institutions, departments, agencies, the counties, municipalities, and individuals engaged in
activities in the field of state archives, manuscripts, and to accept from any person any papers,
books, records, and similar materials which that in the judgment of the division warrant
preservation in the state archives.
     (d) Except as otherwise expressly provided by law, the state archivist may delegate any of
the functions of the state archivist to such officers and employees of the division as the state
archivist may deem to be necessary or appropriate. A delegation of the functions by the state
archivist shall not relieve the state archivist of responsibility for the administration of such the
functions.
     (e) The secretary of state may organize the division as he or she finds necessary or
appropriate.
     (f) The secretary of state may establish advisory committees to provide advice with respect
to any function of the state archivist or the division. Members of any such committee shall serve
without compensation.
     (g) The state archivist shall advise and consult with interested federal, state, and local
agencies with a view to obtaining their advice and assistance in carrying out the purposes of this
chapter.
     (h) The state archivist shall provide a public research room where, under policies
established by the division, the materials in the state archives may be studied.
     (i) The state archivist shall conduct, promote, and encourage research in Rhode Island
history, government, and culture, and to maintain a program of information, assistance,
coordination, and guidance for public officials, educational institutions, libraries, the scholarly
community, and the general public engaged in such research.
     (j) The state archivist, with the approval of the secretary of state, shall cooperate with and,
insofar as practicable, assist agencies, libraries, institutions, and individuals in projects designed to
preserve original source materials relating to the state history, government, and culture, and to
prepare and publish in cooperation with the public records administration, handbooks, guides,
indexes, and other literature directed toward encouraging the preservation and use of the state's
documentary resources.
     (k) The state archivist shall serve as a member of the coordinating council for state library,
archival and information services.
     (l) The state archivist shall submit to the general assembly, as part of the annual report for
the state archives, a yearly preservation plan for addressing the preservation needs and objectives
for the division to be accomplished during the coming year. This report will include a review of
past preservation initiatives within the department as well as the projected cost(s) for new
initiatives.
     (m) The state archivist shall submit a disaster preparedness plan for the state archives. The
plan will be placed on file with the secretary of state, department of state library services, and the
general assembly and will be updated annually.
     42-8.1-6. Personnel and services.
     (a) The secretary of state is authorized to select, appoint, and employ such unclassified
officers and employees, as are necessary to perform the functions of the state archivist and the
division.
     (b) The secretary of state is authorized to obtain the services of experts and consultants as
necessary for the performance of the functions of the state archivist and the division.
     (c) The state archivist, in carrying out the functions of the state archivist or the division, is
authorized to utilize the services of officials, officers, and other personnel in other agencies of the
state and its political subdivisions, with the consent of the head of the agency concerned.
     (d) The state archivist is authorized to accept and utilize voluntary and uncompensated
services.
     42-8.1-7. Administration of state archives.
     (a) The state archivist, whenever it appears to him or her to be in the public interest, is
hereby authorized:
     (1) To accept for deposit with the state archives the permanent records of any state or local
agency, general officer, or of the general assembly that are determined to have sufficient historical
or other value to warrant their continued preservation by the state archives;
     (2) To provide access to the permanent records of any state or local agency, general officer,
or of the general assembly upon transfer in accordance with § 38-2-2, with exception only for
records not deemed public for purposes of § 38-2-2;
     (2)(3) To direct and effect, with the approval of the head of the originating agency (or if
the existence of such the agency shall have been terminated, then with the approval of his or her
successor in function, if any) the transfer of permanent records of permanent legal or historical
value to into the archives of the state provided, that the title to such the records shall be vested in
the state archives; and
     (3)(4) To direct and effect the transfer of materials from private sources authorized to be
received by the state archivist under the provisions of this chapter.
     (b) The state archivist shall be responsible for the custody, use, and withdrawal of records
transferred to him or her; provided, that whenever any records the use of which is subject to
statutory limitations and restrictions are so transferred, permissive and restrictive statutory
provisions with respect to the examination and use of the records applicable to the head of the
agency from which the records were transferred or to employees of that agency shall thereafter
likewise be applicable to the archivist, and to the employees of the state archives respectively;
provided, further that whenever the head of any agency shall specify in writing restrictions that
appear to him or her to be necessary or desirable in the public interest, on the use or examination
of records being considered for transfer from his or her custody, to the state archivist shall impose
such restrictions in accordance with § 38-2-2(4) on the records so transferred, and shall not remove
or relax the restrictions without the concurrence in writing of the head of the agency from which
the material shall have been transferred (or if the existence of the agency shall have been
terminated, then he or she shall not remove or relax such restrictions without the concurrence of
the successor in function, if any, of the agency head); provided, however, that statutory and other
restrictions referred to in the provisions of this subsection shall remain in force or effect after the
records have been in existence for a maximum of fifty (50) years unless the archivist by order shall
determine with respect to specific bodies of records that the restrictions shall remain in force and
effect for a longer period; and provided further that restrictions on the use or examination of records
deposited with the archives of the state heretofore imposed and now in force and effect shall
continue in force and effect regardless of the expiration of the tenure of office of the official who
imposed them but may be removed or relaxed by the archivist with the concurrence in writing of
the head of the agency from which material has been transferred (or if the existence of the agency
shall have been terminated, then with the concurrence in writing of his or her successor in function,
if any).
     (c) The state archivist shall make provisions for the preservation, arrangement, repair and
rehabilitation, duplication and reproduction (including microfilms), description, and exhibition of
records transferred to him or her as may be needful or appropriate., including the preparation and
publication of inventories, indexes, catalogs, and other finding aids or guides facilitating their use;
and, when When approved by the secretary of state, he or she may also publish such historical
works and collections of sources as seem appropriate for printing or otherwise recording at the
public expense.
     (d) The state archivist, with the approval of the secretary of state, shall make provisions
and maintain such facilities as he or she deems necessary or desirable for servicing records in his
or her custody. The facilities shall meet recognized archival standards.
     (e) The state archivist may accept for deposit pursuant to the state archives collection and
acquisition policy, in consultation with agencies, and approved by the secretary of state:
     (1) The personal papers and other personal historical documentary materials of
predecessors or successors of the following officials: Rhode Island general office holders, general
assembly leadership and chairpersons, mayors, and town administrators as the state archivist may
designate, offered for deposit under restrictions respecting their use specified in writing by the
prospective depositors; provided, that restrictions so specified on the materials, or any portions
thereof, accepted by the state archivist for deposit shall have force and effect during the lifetime of
the depositor or for a period not to exceed twenty-five (25) years, whichever is longer, unless sooner
terminated in writing by the depositor or his or her legal heirs; and provided, further, that the state
archivist determines that the materials accepted for deposit will have continuing historical or other
value;
     (2) The original executive orders, official correspondence, and other records of government
business of predecessors or successors of the following officials: Rhode Island general office
holders, general assembly leadership and chairpersons, mayors, and town administrators;
     (2)(3) The original acts, resolutions, and other proceedings of the general assembly shall
be deposited and safely kept in the division of state archives of the department of state, and shall
not be removed therefrom except upon the order of the general assembly, or upon process issued
by the supreme or superior court or by a justice of either of said courts per the provisions of § 43-
2-3;
     (3)(4) Motion-picture films, still pictures, and sound recordings from public and private
sources that are appropriate for preservation by the state government as evidence of its organization,
functions, policies, decisions, procedures, and transactions. Title to materials so deposited under
this subsection shall pass to and vest in the state archives.; and
     (4)(5) Burial records from any private or nonprofit cemetery association or perpetual care
society or any funeral director which has ceased operations.
     (f) The state archivist is hereby authorized to preserve video tapes, motion-picture films,
still pictures, and sound recordings pertaining to and illustrative of the historical development of
the state and its activities, and to make provisions for preparing, editing, titling, scoring, processing,
duplicating, reproducing, exhibiting, and releasing for nonprofit educational purposes, motion-
picture films, still pictures, and sound recordings in his or her custody.
     (g)(1) The state archivist is hereby authorized to establish a unit within the division which
shall be known as the local government records program and which shall be primarily responsible
for assisting cities and towns with the care and management of their public records. The program
shall be charged with designing and implementing a training program for local government records
keepers; publishing retention schedules for the proper disposition of public records in local
governments; and providing technical and advisory assistance in the storage, preservation, and
ongoing maintenance of the records of local governments.
     (2) The state archivist shall submit a yearly report on the progress of the local government
records program to the general officers and to the general assembly. The state archivist shall be
permitted to request funding as part of the operating budget of the office of secretary of state to
operate this program.
     42-8.1-9. Access to public records.
     The state archivist, in person or through a deputy, shall have the right of reasonable access
to all public records in the state, or any public offices or general officers of the state or any city,
municipality, district, or political subdivision thereof, and research, with a view to securing their
safety and determining the measures necessary to secure their preservation and conservation.
     42-8.1-10. Determination of value.
     Every public officer who has public records in his or her custody shall consult periodically
with the state archivist together with the state auditor, and the attorney general, and those officers
shall determine whether the records in question are of permanent records legal or historical value.
Those records unanimously determined not to be of permanent legal or historical value records
shall be disposed of by such tbe method as specified by § 38-3-6. A list of all records so disposed
of, together with a statement certification of records destruction certifying compliance with § 38-
3-6, signed by the state archivist, shall be filed and preserved in the office from which the records
were drawn. Public records in the custody of the state archivist with the approval of the secretary
of state , or designee, may be disposed of upon a similar determination by the attorney general, the
auditor general, and the head of the agency from which the records were received or its legal
successor based upon approved records control schedules.
     42-8.1-11. Transfer of records to archives.
     (a) Those records deemed by the public officer having custody thereof to be unnecessary
for the transaction of the business of his or her office and yet deemed by the public records
administrator, attorney general, or the auditor general and the state archivist to be of permanent or
historical value, records may shall be transferred, with the consent of the state archivist, to the
custody of the division of state archives. A list of all records so transferred, together with a
statement certifying compliance with the provisions of this chapter signed by the state archivist,
shall be preserved in the files of the office from which the records were drawn and in the files of
the division.
     (b) Those records created or received by general officers, immediate staff, or a unit or
individual of the executive office whose function is to advise and assist general officers, in the
course of conducting activities which that relate to or have an effect upon the carrying out of the
constitutional, statutory, or other official duties carried out on behalf of the state. Such materials
shall be transferred at the end of the official's final term within thirty (30) days of leaving such the
office.
     (b)(c) Items in the care, custody, and trusteeship of the state archivist which that are not
records as defined by chapter 2 of title 38 and items which that are not records which that are
proposed for disposition but determined to be of historical or museum interest or value by the state
archivist may be transferred to the custody of the Rhode Island historical society or other local
historical societies.
     (c)(d) Qualified researchers, scholars, and students and other appropriate persons
performing qualified research shall have the right of reasonable access to all records in the custody
of the state archivist for purposes of historical reference, research, and information, subject to the
provisions of chapter 2 of title 38. Copies of records, having historical, or museum interest or value
shall be furnished by the state archivist upon request of any person, society, state agency, or
political subdivision, subject to restraints of standard archival practices.
     (d)(e) In the event of disagreement as to the custody of any records as defined in § 38-3-6,
the archivist with the advice of the attorney general and auditor general shall make final and
conclusive determination, and order and direct custody accordingly per § 38-3-6.
     42-8.1-12. Violations.
     (a) The state archivist shall, whenever he or she finds that any provisions of this title have
been or are being violated, inform in writing the head of the agency concerned of the violations and
make recommendations regarding means of correcting them. Unless corrective measures
satisfactory to the archivist are inaugurated within a reasonable time, the archivist shall submit a
written report thereon to the governor, and the general assembly.
     (b)(b) The attorney general, on behalf of the state and the division of state archives, may
replevin any public records which that were formerly part of the state of Rhode Island's records.
     (b)(c) The administrator is hereby empowered to bring an action in the superior court for
restraining orders and injunctive relief to restrain and enjoin violations or threatened violations of
any provision of this chapter.
     42-8.1-13. Legal status of reproductions.
     (a) When any copy or reproduction, furnished under the terms hereof, is authenticated by
the official seal and certified by the state archivist, the copy or reproduction shall be admitted in
evidence equally with the original from which it was made.
     (b) The state archivist or any other public officer of the state or any city, municipality,
district, or legal subdivision thereof may cause any or all public records, papers, or documents kept
by him or her to be photographed, microphotographed, or reproduced on film or non-erasable
optical disc or through other processes which that accurately reproduce or form a durable medium
for reproducing and preserving the original records. These reproduction processes shall comply
with the standards approved for the reproduction of permanent records under § 38-3-5.1. These
photographs, microphotographs, photographic films, optical discs, or other reproductions shall be
deemed to be original records for all purposes including introductions introduction in evidence in
all courts or administrative agencies. A transcript, exemplification, or certified copy thereof, for all
purposes recited in this section, shall be deemed to be a transcript, exemplification, or certified
copy of the original.
     (c) Whenever these photographs, microphotographs, or reproductions on film or non-
erasable optical discs, or other reproductions properly certified, are placed in conveniently
accessible files and provisions made for preserving, examining, and using the same, any public
officer may cause the original records from which the reproductions have been made, or any part
thereof, to be disposed of according to methods prescribed by §§ 38-1-10 and 38-3-6. These copies
shall be certified by their custodian as true copies of the originals before the originals are destroyed
or lost, and the copies so certified shall have the same force and effect as the originals, provided
the copies meet the standards established under § 42-8-4. Copies of public records transferred from
the office of their origin to the division, when certified by the state archivist or the deputy state
archivist, shall have the same legal force and effect as if certified by the original custodian of the
records.
     42-8.1-15. Copying and authenticating charges.
     The state archivist may charge a fee set to recover the costs for making or authenticating
copies or reproductions of materials transferred to his or her custody. This fee shall be fixed by the
secretary of state, at a level which will recover, so far as practicable, all elements of the above costs,
and may include increments for the estimated replacement cost of equipment.
     42-8.1-16. Annual report. Annual reports report - Disaster Preparedness.
     (a) The secretary of state shall submit for the public records administrator, all general office
holders, to the governor, and the general assembly, and the state publications clearinghouse an
annual report concerning the administration of functions of the state archivist and the division. The
report may include a yearly preservation plan for addressing the preservation needs and objectives
for the division to be accomplished during the coming year. This report shall include a review of
past preservation initiatives within the department as well as the projected cost(s) for new
initiatives.
     (b) The secretary of state shall submit a disaster preparedness plan for the state archives.
The plan will be placed on file in a secure location with the secretary of state, the office of library
and information services, the Rhode Island emergency management agency, and the division of
capital asset management and maintenance and will be updated periodically.
     42-8.1-17. Duties of agencies.
     It shall be the duty of each agency of the state and political subdivision thereof to:
     (1) Cause to be made and preserved records Assist in the creation of record control
schedules containing adequate and proper documentation of the organization, functions, policies,
decisions, procedures, and essential transactions of the agency and designed to furnish the
information necessary to protect the legal rights of the government and of the persons directly
affected by agency's activities public records created or received by the agency until they have met
retention;
     (2) Cooperate fully with the division in complying with the provisions of this chapter;
     (3) Establish and maintain an active and continuing program for the preservation of
permanent records of permanent legal or historical value and assist the division to implement the
provisions of this chapter. Agencies that do not transfer permanent records to the state archives
shall submit an annual preservation report to the state archives; and
     (4) Establish necessary safeguards against the removal or loss of records. These safeguards
shall include notification to all officials and employees of the agency that no records in the custody
of the agency are to be alienated or destroyed except in accordance with the provisions of this
chapter, §§ 38-1-10 and 38-3-6;.
     (5) Designate an agency records officer who shall establish and operate an archives and
records management program for the agency in cooperation with the division of state archives and
the public records administration. This officer may also serve as the agency forms management
representative as required by § 42-84-5.
     42-8.1-20. Rhode Island Historical Records Trust established.
     (a) There is hereby established a special fund to be known as the Rhode Island Historical
Records Trust (hereinafter called Trust).
     (b) There is hereby imposed an additional assessment of four dollars ($4.00) for every
instrument filed for recording pursuant to §§ 33-22-21 and 34-13-7.
     (c) On the first of every month, the municipal clerk shall transmit to the state archives three
dollars ($3.00) of the additional assessment collected under subsection (b) of this section for deposit
in the Rhode Island Historical Records Trust. The remaining one dollar ($1.00) of each such
additional assessment shall remain with the local government and be deposited in a local Historical
Records Trust.
     (d) All monies retained by a local government shall be placed in a Historical Record
Records Trust Fund maintained by the local government. The expenditure of these monies shall be
restricted solely to the preservation of public records of historical value maintained by the
municipal clerk or by a municipal archives.
     (e) Use of these funds by the state archives shall be for the development and ongoing
maintenance of a full-time local government records management program component, pursuant
to § 38-3-4, and the state archives and records program. Such program shall be responsible for
providing aid, advice, and assistance to all local governments of this State state concerning the
proper management and preservation of the public records in their custody or care, as required by
other provisions of statute. Funds shall be expended to support administrative and other costs
associated with the provision of consultative and technical services including, but not limited to,
educational programming, micrographics services, and ongoing storage and preservation of local
government records.
     (f) All monies received by the General Treasurer general treasurer and other moneys
appropriated or received for the purposes stated in subsection (b) above shall be deposited in a
restricted account which shall be administered by the state archives.
     (g) Each year the state archives shall review and make recommendations on a proposed
operational and expenditure plan for the RI Rhode Island Historical Records Trust.
     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC005322
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