§ 42-35.1-5 — § 42-35.1-5. Small business enforcement ombudsperson.

Rhode Island § 42-35.1-5

• Jurisdiction: Rhode Island
• Title 42: State Affairs and Government
• Ch. 42-35.1: Small Business Regulatory Fairness in Administrative Procedures

Text

§ 42-35.1-5. Small business enforcement ombudsperson.

(a) The director of the department of business regulation shall designate an existing staff member as a "small business regulatory enforcement ombudsperson,� who shall report to the director of business regulation.

(b) The ombudsperson shall:

(1) Work with each agency with regulatory authority over small businesses to ensure that small business concerns that receive or are subject to an audit, on-site inspection, compliance assistance effort, or other enforcement-related communication or contact by agency personnel are provided with a means to comment on the enforcement activity conducted by such personnel;

(2) Establish means to receive comments from small business concerns regarding actions by agency employees conducting compliance or enforcement activities;

(3) Within six (6) months of appointment, work with each regulating entity to develop and publish reporting policies;

(4) Based on substantiated comments received from small business concerns, the ombudsperson shall annually report to the general assembly and affected agencies evaluating the enforcement activities of agency personnel, including a rating of the responsiveness of the regulatory agencies policies;

(5) Coordinate and report annually on the activities, findings, and recommendations to the general assembly and the directors of affected agencies; and

(6) Provide the affected agency with an opportunity to comment on reports prepared pursuant to this chapter, and include a section of the final report in which the affected agency may make such comments as are not addressed by the ombudsperson.

Legislative History

P.L. 2009, ch. 229, § 1; P.L. 2009, ch. 230, § 1; P.L. 2014, ch. 145, art. 14, § 5; P.L. 2019, ch. 88, art. 4, § 16.