§ 38-1-1 Delivery of records on leaving
public office. –
Every person who shall hold a public office shall, upon leaving the office,
deliver to his or her successor in office, or, if there is no successor, to the
public records administration program of the office of secretary of state, all
records, books, writings, letters, and documents, kept or received by him or
her in the transaction of his or her official business, and to the director of
the department of administration all money in his or her hands which he or she
shall have received as trust funds from any person or otherwise in the course
of his or her official business; and every person who shall, without just
cause, refuse or neglect for the space of ten (10) days after request made in
writing by any citizen of the state, to deliver as herein required those
records, books, writings, letters, or documents, or to pay over those moneys,
to the person authorized to receive the requested items, shall be fined not
exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) and be imprisoned not exceeding five (5)
years.
(G.L. 1896, ch. 31, § 1; G.L. 1909, ch. 41, § 1; G.L. 1923, ch. 42,
§ 1; G.L. 1938, ch. 494, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 38-1-1; P.L. 1981,
ch. 353, § 2; P.L. 1997, ch. 326, § 167; P.L. 2000, ch. 233, §
1.)