Rhode Island HB 8164: AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION -- UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND

Bill Text

2026 -- H 8164
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LC005600
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO EDUCATION -- UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
Introduced By: Representatives Fogarty, Tanzi, Spears, and McEntee
Date Introduced: February 27, 2026
Referred To: House Finance

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Sections 16-32-2, 16-32-9, 16-32-27 and 16-32-34 of the General Laws in 1
Chapter 16-32 entitled "University of Rhode Island [See Title 16 Chapter 97 — The Rhode Island 2
Board of Education Act]" are hereby amended to read as follows: 3
16-32-2. Board of Trustees established. 4
(a) There is hereby created a board of trustees for the university of Rhode Island, sometimes 5
referred to as the “board” or “board of trustees,” which shall be and is constituted a public 6
corporation, empowered to sue and be sued in its own name; to borrow money; to compromise and 7
settle claims; to have a seal; and to make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary or 8
convenient to the exercise of its powers; and to exercise all the powers, in addition to those 9
specifically enumerated in this chapter, usually appertaining to public corporations entrusted with 10
control of postsecondary educational institutions and functions. Upon its organization, the board 11
shall be vested with the legal title to all property, real and personal, now owned by and/or under 12
the control or in the custody of the council on postsecondary education for the use of the university 13
of Rhode Island, including all its departments, divisions, and branches, sometimes referred to as 14
the property, and as such the provisions of chapter 6 of title 37 ("acquisition of land"), including 15
the rules, regulations, and procedures of the committee promulgated thereunder, and the provisions 16
of chapter 7 of title 37 ("management and disposal of property"), shall not apply to the board or the 17
property except for approval of proposed actions to sell the property or to lease the property for a 18
period greater than five (5) years. 19

LC005600 - Page 2 of 11
(b) The board is empowered to hold and operate the property in trust for the state; to 1
acquire, hold, and dispose of the property and other like property as deemed necessary for the 2
execution of its corporate purposes, and the board may, in its discretion, adopt or promulgate its 3
own rules and regulations with respect thereto. The board is made successor to all powers, rights, 4
duties, and privileges for the university of Rhode Island formerly belonging to the council on 5
postsecondary education pertaining to postsecondary education and the board of governors for 6
higher education. 7
(c) The board shall be the employer of record for the university. It shall retain all authority 8
formerly vested in the council on postsecondary education and the board of education regarding 9
the employment of faculty and staff at the university of Rhode Island. The board shall appoint the 10
president of the university and shall review their performance on an annual basis. 11
(1) The board is empowered to enter into contracts and agreements with the council on 12
postsecondary education and/or the department of administration related to employee benefits, 13
including but not limited to retirement benefits, health, dental, vision and life insurance, disability 14
insurance, workers’ compensation, and tuition waivers to maximize the state’s and university’s 15
purchasing and investment portfolio and educational opportunities for the benefit of its employees. 16
(2) The board is empowered to enter into collective bargaining agreements as appropriate 17
with its employees and all existing collective bargaining agreements in effect when the board is 18
established pursuant to § 16-32-2.2 shall be transferred from the council on postsecondary 19
education to the board. 20
(d) The board shall make rules and regulations for the control and use of all public 21
properties and highways under its care, and for violations of those rules and regulations; penalties, 22
up to one hundred dollars ($100) and costs for any one offense, may be imposed by any district 23
court or police court in the city or town where the violation occurs; and, in general, the board shall 24
take all actions necessary for the proper execution of the powers and duties granted to, and imposed 25
upon, the board by the terms of this chapter. 26
(e) The board shall make and maintain rules and regulations pursuant to chapter 2 of title 27
37 to implement its responsibilities as a public agency for procurement purposes as defined in § 28
37-2-7(16). The university’s vice president of administration and finance is designated the chief 29
purchasing officer for the university. 30
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of § 37-2-22, small procurements made by the board 31
and the university shall not exceed an aggregate amount of fifty thousand dollars ($5