§ 28-40-2 — § 28-40-2. Exemption of employee dependent on spiritual healing.

§ 28-40-2. Exemption of employee dependent on spiritual healing.

An employee who adheres to the faith or teachings of any church, sect, or denomination and in accordance with its creed, tenets, or principles, depends for healing upon prayer or spiritual means in the practice of religion, shall be exempt from chapters 39 — 41 of this title and excluded from these provisions upon the filing with the director and with his or her employer, affidavits, in duplicate, stating that adherence and dependence, and disclaiming any and all benefits under those chapters whether or not arising before the passage of these provisions, and stating the name of the employer of that employee, which affidavits shall contain certifications by the president of the church which that employee attends, or certifications of any practitioner in the state who is authorized to practice healing based upon prayer or spiritual means, stating the adherence and dependence of that employee. Subsequently, that employee and his or her employer shall be exempt from liability for contributions with respect to that employee provided for under chapters 39 — 41 of this title, and the employer shall be entitled to rely upon the affidavit filed with it unless and until it receives notice from the director that these provisions have not been complied with or that the affidavit is not in proper form. In case the employee, after the filing of the affidavits, obtains new employment, he or she must file new affidavits as provided in this section in order to be exempt from chapters 39 — 41 of this title.

Legislative History

P.L. 1942, ch. 1200, § 4; P.L. 1943, ch. 1368, § 1; P.L. 1946, ch. 1744, § 3; P.L. 1947, ch. 1923, art. 2, § 5; P.L. 1949, ch. 2176, § 1; P.L. 1951, ch. 2828, § 1; impl. am. P.L. 1953, ch. 3206, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 28-40-2.