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Current Resources: Legislation, Regulations, and Courts
This page will help you find current information related to Rhode Island's legislative decisions, regulations, and courts. Most of these resources are provided electronically by the Rhode Island government. A few of the resources are available in print at the library. Use the call numbers listed to locate them. If you need help locating materials or completing your research, please contact the Research Help Desk.
- BillsPresents the "complete and updated text of all bills introduced in the [current] session of the R.I House of Representatives. Bills may be searched by the four digit number, by bill sponsor, by R.I. General Laws citation, or by typing key words and phrases."
- Code of Rhode Island RulesURI Ref KFR35 .A24 (22 vols)
Text of all state regulations on file. Arranged by an 8-digit numbering system based on issuing agency. Indexed by subject, rule number, and citing authority. - Final Rules and Regulations DatabaseHosted by the Department of the Secretary of State, which maintains the rules and regulations filed by state agencies, boards and commissions, this database allows you to search all regulations filed since January 2002. For proposed Regulations, see the link to the "Proposed Rules and Regulations Database" below.
- General Assembly Web SiteIncludes text of bills and legislative action taken for the current year. Full text of Public Laws back to 1994. Also includes related files such as election results and the Rhode Island constitution. Most files may be searched by keyword, sponsor, or legal citation.
- General LawsPresents the text of the R.I. General Laws. Be aware that the web site is updated frequently but it warns, "This information is provisional. For matters affecting legal rights, please refer to the printed version of the appropriate official publication." These are available via the link to Nexis Uni listed below.
- House JournalsOfficial recording pf the daily proceedings of the House of Representatives. The issues are in pdf files only but may be searched using the "find" function on your computer.
- Legislative Committee CalendarPresents an up-to-date legislative committee calendar.
- National Survey of State Laws (HeinOnline) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? National Survey of State Laws (NSSL) provides an overall view of some of the most-asked-about and controversial legal topics in the United States. The database is derived from Richard Leiter’s National Survey of State Laws print editions. The current 8th edition (2018), along with the 7th (2015), 6th (2008), and 5th (2005) editions are available. Presented in an interactive chart format, NSSL allows users to make basic state-by-state comparisons of current state laws. The database is updated regularly as new laws are passed or updated.
- Nexis Uni (LexisNexis) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? News, law, and business information service. Includes news from national and international newspapers; wire services and articles from hundreds of periodicals; and a number of other reference sources. All sources are full-text. Updated daily.
- Proposed Rules and Regulations DatabaseHosted by the Department of the Secretary of State, which maintains the rules and regulations filed by state agencies, boards and commissions, this database allows for the search of regulations that are currently proposed by such agencies, boards and commissions. Final regulations can be found in the "Final Rules and Regulations Database" above.
- Public LawsPresents the current Public Laws. Sort by Chapter Number, Bill Number, or Subject.
- Rhode Island Government RegisterURI Ref KFR36 .R48
1998- Latest on Reference, earlier volumes in Serial Stacks
Text of latest state rules. Includes regulations, executive orders, appointments to state offices, and opinions of the Attorney General. Subject index in the latest issue cumulates for the current year. - Senate JournalsOfficial recording pf the daily proceedings of the Seante. The issues are in pdf files only but may be searched using the "find" function on your computer.