Rhode Island § 42-46-4 § 42-46-4. Closed meetings.

Rhode Island Statutes

§ 42-46-4 — § 42-46-4. Closed meetings.

Rhode Island § 42-46-4

Title 42State Affairs and Government

Ch. 42-46Open Meetings

This text of Rhode Island § 42-46-4 (§ 42-46-4. Closed meetings.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Rhode Island primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-4 (2026).

Text

§ 42-46-4. Closed meetings.
(a) By open call, a public body may hold a meeting closed to the public upon an affirmative
            vote of the majority of its members. A meeting closed to the public shall be limited
            to matters allowed to be exempted from discussion at open meetings by § 42-46-5. The vote of each member on the question of holding a meeting closed to the public
            and the reason for holding a closed meeting, by a citation to a subdivision of § 42-46-5(a), and a statement specifying the nature of the business to be discussed, shall be
            recorded and entered into the minutes of the meeting. No public body shall discuss
            in closed session any public matter th

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§ 42-46-4. Closed meetings.

(a) By open call, a public body may hold a meeting closed to the public upon an affirmative vote of the majority of its members. A meeting closed to the public shall be limited to matters allowed to be exempted from discussion at open meetings by § 42-46-5. The vote of each member on the question of holding a meeting closed to the public and the reason for holding a closed meeting, by a citation to a subdivision of § 42-46-5(a), and a statement specifying the nature of the business to be discussed, shall be recorded and entered into the minutes of the meeting. No public body shall discuss in closed session any public matter that does not fall within the citations to § 42-46-5(a) referred to by the public body in voting to close the meeting, even if these discussions could otherwise be closed to the public under this chapter.

(b) All votes taken in closed sessions shall be disclosed once the session is reopened; provided, however, a vote taken in a closed session need not be disclosed for the period of time during which its disclosure would jeopardize any strategy, negotiation, or investigation undertaken pursuant to discussions conducted under § 42-46-5(a).

Legislative History

G.L. 1956, § 42-46-4; P.L. 1976, ch. 330, § 2; P.L. 1988, ch. 84, § 29; P.L. 1988, ch. 659, § 1, P.L. 1990, ch. 201, § 1; P.L. 1998, ch. 379, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 340, § 37.