§ 42-64.19-6. Duties of the secretary.
The secretary shall be subject to the direction and supervision of the governor for
the oversight, coordination, and cohesive direction of state economic development
activities of the state and in ensuring the laws are faithfully executed, notwithstanding
any law to the contrary. In this capacity, the secretary of commerce shall be authorized
to:
(1) Coordinate the administration and financing of various departments or divisions within
the office and to supervise the work of the Rhode Island commerce corporation;
(2) Serve as the governor's chief advisor and liaison to federal policymakers on economic
development as well as the principal point of contact in the state on any such related
matters;
(3) Review and ensure the coordination of the development of an overarching economic development
plan as produced by the office;
(4) Receive from department directors, within the timelines specified, any information
and resources the secretary deems necessary in order to perform the reviews authorized
in this section;
(5) Engage in regulatory reform across all state agencies to protect the health and wellbeing
of Rhode Islanders while meeting business needs for a clear, predictable, and reliable
regulatory structure in the state; including the implementation of systems to enhance
customer service by simplifying and expediting state permitting processes;
(6) Prepare and submit to the governor, the chairpersons of the house and senate finance
committees, and the caseload estimating conference, by no later than April 15 of each
year, a comprehensive overview of the Rhode Island economy. The secretary shall determine
the contents of the overview and shall determine the important economic data and information
that will inform the governor, and the revenue estimating committee on the economic
conditions of the state and future issues and forward looking projects of the Rhode
Island economy;
(7) The directors of the departments, as well as local governments and school departments,
shall assist and cooperate with the secretary in fulfilling this responsibility by
providing whatever information and support shall be necessary;
(8) Resolve administrative, jurisdictional, operational, program, or policy conflicts
among departments and their executive staffs and make necessary recommendations to
the governor;
(9) Assure continued progress toward improving the quality, the accountability, and the
efficiency of state-administered programs to support the Rhode Island economy. In
this capacity, the secretary shall:
(i) Direct implementation of reforms in the economic development practices of the departments
that streamline and upgrade services, achieve greater economies of scale and establish
the coordinated system of the staff education, cross-training, and career development
services necessary to recruit and retain a highly-skilled, responsive, and engaged
workforce;
(ii) Encourage departments to utilize consumer-centered approaches to service design and
delivery that expand their capacity to respond efficiently and responsibly to the
diverse and changing needs of the people and communities they serve;
(iii) Develop all opportunities to maximize resources by leveraging the state's purchasing
power, centralizing fiscal service functions related to budget, finance, and procurement,
centralizing communication, policy analysis and planning, and information systems
and data management, pursuing alternative funding sources through grants, awards and
partnerships and securing all available federal financial participation for programs
and services provided through the departments; and
(iv) Strengthen the financial support system for business and enterprises program integrity,
quality control and collections, and recovery activities by consolidating functions
within the office in a single unit that ensures all affected parties pay their fair
share of the cost of services and are aware of alternative financing.
(10) Prepare and integrate comprehensive budgets for the commerce services departments
and functions and duties assigned to the office. The budgets shall be submitted to
the state budget office by the secretary, for consideration by the governor, on behalf
of the state's commerce agencies in accordance with the provisions set forth in § 35-3-4;
(11) Utilize objective data to evaluate economic development policy goals, resource use
and outcome evaluation and to perform short and long-term policy planning and development;
(12) Establishment of an integrated approach to interdepartmental information and data
management that complements and furthers the goals of the council of economic advisors
and that will facilitate the transition to consumer-centered system of state administered
economic development programs and services;
(13) At the direction of the governor or the general assembly, conduct independent reviews
of state-administered economic development programs, policies and related agency actions
and activities and assist the department directors in identifying strategies to address
any issues or areas of concern that may emerge thereof. The department directors shall
provide any information and assistance deemed necessary by the secretary when undertaking
such independent reviews;
(14) Provide regular and timely reports to the governor and make recommendations with respect
to the state's economic development agenda;
(15) Employ such personnel and contract for such consulting services as may be required
to perform the powers and duties lawfully conferred upon the secretary; and
(16) Implement the provisions of any general or public law or regulation related to the
disclosure, confidentiality and privacy of any information or records, in the possession
or under the control of the executive office or the departments assigned to the executive
office, that may be developed or acquired for purposes directly connected with the
secretary's duties set forth herein.