In Re Advisory Opinion to the Governor (Depco)

593 A.2d 943, 1991 WL 113250
CourtSupreme Court of Rhode Island
DecidedJune 24, 1991
Docket91-198-M.P. and 91-217-Appeal
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 593 A.2d 943 (In Re Advisory Opinion to the Governor (Depco)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Advisory Opinion to the Governor (Depco), 593 A.2d 943, 1991 WL 113250 (R.I. 1991).

Opinion

593 A.2d 943 (1991)

In re ADVISORY OPINION TO THE GOVERNOR (DEPCO).
Jack KAYROUZ et al.
v.
RHODE ISLAND DEPOSITORS ECONOMIC PROTECTION CORP. By and Through its Chairman, Bruce SUNDLUN.

Nos. 91-198-M.P. and 91-217-Appeal.

Supreme Court of Rhode Island.

June 24, 1991.

*945 Sheldon Whitehouse, Providence, for Governor.

Robin E. Feder, Asst. Atty. Gen., Julio C. Mazzoli, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., Providence, for amicus curiae, Dept. of Atty. Gen.

Philip W. Noel and Gary R. Pannone, McGovern Noel Falk Pannone Procaccini & O'Leary, Ltd., Providence, for amicus curiae, R.I. Central Credit Union.

Peter Lawson Kennedy and Paul V. Curcio, Adler, Pollock & Sheehan, Inc., Providence, for amicus curiae, Davisville Credit Union and Cent. Credit Union.

Everett A. Petronio, Johnston, for amicus curiae Columbian Credit Union.

Kevin A. McKenna, McKenna & Fallon, Providence, for plaintiffs Jack Kayrouz, et al.

*946 OPINION

MURRAY, Justice.

This matter is before the Supreme Court pursuant to a formal request of the Governor of the State of Rhode Island for an advisory opinion under article 10, section 3, of the Rhode Island Constitution. On April 25, 1991, the Governor requested the opinion of this court on four questions of law regarding the constitutionality of the Rhode Island Depositors Economic Protection Act of 1991 (DEPCO act), P.L. 1991, ch. 3, §§ 1-5. On May 2, 1991, a trial justice of the Providence County Superior Court certified four essentially similar questions to this court for determination pursuant to G.L. 1956 (1985 Reenactment) § 9-24-27. These matters were consolidated, and on May 22, 1991, the court heard oral argument on them.[1] Following conference thereon, we issued an order wherein we announced our responses to the four questions propounded by the Governor. In re Advisory Opinion to the Governor (DEPCO), No. 91-198-M.P. (R.I., filed May 28, 1991). That order was issued prior to the release of this opinion because of the need for an expeditious resolution of the matter.

It is well settled that a legislative enactment is presumed to be constitutional and that a party challenging the legislation has the burden of persuading the court otherwise. Brennan v. Kirby, 529 A.2d 633, 639 (R.I. 1987). The challenging party must convince the court beyond a reasonable doubt that the act is contrary to a provision either expressly stated in the State or the Federal Constitution or necessarily implied from language therein. In re Advisory Opinion to the House of Representatives, 485 A.2d 550, 552 (R.I. 1984). If the act is susceptible of more than one construction, we shall adopt that construction that avoids unconstitutionality. Id.

As we stated in our earlier order, we find the DEPCO act constitutional. The act amends the receivership laws for banks and other financial institutions regulated by the Department of Business Regulation (DBR) by granting to depositors a priority in payment over other unsecured creditors upon the liquidation of such financial institutions. General Laws 1956 (1989 Reenactment) § 19-15-7, as amended by P.L. 1991, ch. 3, § 1. The act also creates the Depositors Economic Protection Corporation (corporation) to remedy the economic disaster arising from the failure of the Rhode Island Share and Deposit Indemnity Corporation (RISDIC) and the subsequent banking crisis. General Laws 1956 (1988 Reenactment) § 42-116-4, as amended by P.L. 1991, ch. 3, § 4. Thus it is a comprehensive plan enacted to deal with an overwhelming economic and human crisis.

I
Adequacy of the Act's Legislative Majority
"Whether the purposes for which the Rhode Island General Assembly enacted the Depositors Economic Protection Act constitute public purposes, and not local or private purposes within the meaning of Article VI, Section 11 of the Rhode Island Constitution, thereby permitting the General Assembly constitutionally to have authorized by a simple majority the appropriations set forth in the Depositors Economic Protection Act?"

"The assent of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the general assembly shall be required to every bill appropriating the public money or property for local or private purposes." R.I. Const. art. 6, sec. 11. The DEPCO act was passed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate by a simple majority rather than by a two-thirds vote. Therefore, the issue presented is whether the purposes for which the General Assembly enacted the DEPCO act constitute public purposes and not local or private purposes.

*947 The undisputed circumstances that prompted passage of the DEPCO act are set forth in the act as legislative findings:

"(1) Certain credit unions, loan and investment companies, banks and trust companies organized and existing under the laws of the state of Rhode Island whose deposits were previously insured by the Rhode Island Share and Deposit Indemnity Corporation, are presently unable to obtain adequate deposit insurance as required by section 19-11-9 of the general laws.
"(2) As a result thereof, a proclamation of the Governor dated January 1, 1991 declared a banking emergency under title 19, chapter 18 of the general laws with respect to certain of those institutions pursuant to which operations of such financial institutions have been suspended pending their obtaining adequate deposit insurance, and a number of them have obtained federal deposit insurance and have been permitted to resume operations.
"(3) There remain more than twelve (12) such institutions that remain subject to orders suspending their operations, which orders preclude approximately 190,000 members and/or depositors of such institutions from having access to approximately 300,000 separate accounts that in the aggregate total more than one billion dollars.
"(4) The inability of depositors in such remaining institutions to withdraw their deposits has created hardships not only for such depositors and their families but also for a broad sector of citizens and businesses in the state of Rhode Island that depend on payments from depositors for goods and services supplied to them.
"(5) It is hereby determined to be necessary in order to preserve and restore liquidity to the economy of the state, to protect deposits of state funds in such institutions, and to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the people of the state of Rhode Island, for the general assembly to exercise its constitutional and other powers to enact measures to achieve these essential public purposes by providing for the relief of persons affected by the suspension of withdrawals from the financial institutions affected by the banking emergency by expediting access by depositors to funds and assets in such institutions.
"(6) The numbers of people, accounts and funds adversely affected indicate that, without prompt state legislative action, there will be a serious negative impact on the health, safety and general welfare of the people of the state and the economy of the state, already weakened by current economic conditions.
"(7)

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593 A.2d 943, 1991 WL 113250, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-advisory-opinion-to-the-governor-depco-ri-1991.