Rhode Island General Laws
Chapter 42-6 - Departments of State Government
Section 42-6-3. - Appointment of directors.

§ 42-6-3. Appointment of directors.
(a) At the January session following his or her election to office, the governor shall appoint a director of administration, a director of revenue, a director of public safety, a director of human services, a director of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, a director of transportation, a director of business regulation, a director of labor and training, a director of environmental management, a director for children, youth and families, and a director of corrections. The governor shall, in all cases of appointment of a director while the senate is in session, notify the senate of his or her appointment and the senate shall, within sixty (60) legislative days after receipt of the notice, act upon the appointment. If the senate shall, within sixty (60) legislative days, vote to disapprove the appointment, it shall so notify the governor, who shall forthwith appoint and notify the senate of the appointment of a different person as director and so on in like manner until the senate shall fail to so vote disapproval of the governor’s appointment. If the senate shall fail, for sixty (60) legislative days next after notice, to act upon any appointment of which it has been notified by the governor, the person so appointed shall be the director. The governor may withdraw any appointment of which he or she has given notice to the senate, at any time within sixty (60) legislative days thereafter and before action has been taken thereon by the senate.
(b) Except as expressly provided in § 42-6-9, and except that the governor may enter into a contract of employment for a director of the department of children, youth and families for a period of time up to three (3) years, no director of any department shall be appointed or employed pursuant to any contract of employment for a period of time greater than the remainder of the governor’s current term of office. Any contract entered into in violation of this section after July 1, 1994, is hereby declared null and void.
History of Section.P.L. 1939, ch. 660, § 4; P.L. 1941, ch. 1070, § 2; impl. am. P.L. 1951, ch. 2727, art. 1, § 3; P.L. 1951, ch. 2752, § 22; G.L. 1956, § 46-6-3; P.L. 1961, ch. 99, § 1; impl. am. P.L. 1964, ch. 233; impl. am. P.L. 1965, ch. 137; impl. am. P.L. 1968, ch. 197; impl. am. P.L. 1970, ch. 111, § 1; Reorg. Plan No. 1, 1970; P.L. 1974, ch. 100, § 3; P.L. 1976, ch. 290, § 10; P.L. 1977, ch. 182, § 15; P.L. 1978, ch. 7, § 1; P.L. 1980, ch. 191, § 2; P.L. 1983, ch. 23, § 1; P.L. 1985, ch. 181, art. 61, § 13; P.L. 1985, ch. 365, § 2; P.L. 1991, ch. 206, § 12; P.L. 1993, ch. 216, § 1; P.L. 1993, ch. 422, § 9; P.L. 1994, ch. 14, § 9; P.L. 1994, ch. 111, § 1; P.L. 1994, ch. 428, § 1; P.L. 1995, ch. 370, art. 12, § 5; P.L. 1996, ch. 100, art. 29, § 8; P.L. 1997, ch. 254, § 2; P.L. 2004, ch. 590, § 2; P.L. 2006, ch. 246, art. 38, § 7; P.L. 2008, ch. 100, art. 9, § 9; P.L. 2019, ch. 88, art. 4, § 12; P.L. 2021, ch. 162, art. 3, § 9, effective July 6, 2021.

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