{"data":{"id":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-42-35.1-5","jurisdiction":"us-ri","citation":"R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-35.1-5","heading":"Small business enforcement ombudsperson.","body":"(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.\n(b) The ombudsperson shall:\n(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;\n(2) Establish means to receive comments from small business concerns regarding actions by agency employees conducting compliance or enforcement activities;\n(3) Within six (6) months of appointment, work with each regulating entity to develop and publish reporting policies;\n(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;\n(5) Coordinate and report annually on the activities, findings, and recommendations to the general assembly and the directors of affected agencies; and\n(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.","path":["Title 42 State Affairs and Government","Chapter 35.1 Small Business Regulatory Fairness in Administrative Procedures"],"source_url":"https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/Statutes/TITLE42/42-35.1/42-35.1-5.htm","current_through":"site files published 2025-08-13","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T19:59:51Z","sha256":"b75328836966b84fa4e229b5771c7f5e9ae29496511cfa214344f1ef15fb172a","source_id":"us-ri","stale":true,"prev":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-42-35.1-4","next":"us-ri/r.i.-gen.-laws-42-35.1-6"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}