Rhode Island General Laws 16-93.1-7. Duties and responsibilities of the commission
The commission shall:
(1) Gather and disseminate Holocaust and genocide information throughout this state;
(2) Take inventory of current statewide Holocaust and genocide education programs and initiatives, and partner with the department of elementary and secondary education to prepare a comprehensive educational program to fill program and initiative gaps;
(3) Plan and publicize Holocaust and Genocide Remembrance Month activities to be commemorated annually in April of each year, and promote public awareness of issues relating to the Holocaust and genocide education through public education programs;
(4) Advise and educate the governor, general assembly, and state departments and agencies regarding the nature, magnitude, and priorities of Holocaust and genocide education, and develop policies and programs to address those needs;
(5) Seek opportunities to provide resources for schools to effectively teach about the Holocaust and genocide;
(6) Apply for and accept grants and gifts from public and private sources to be administered by the commission or subcontracted to local public or nonprofit agencies that shall use the grants and gifts for the purpose intended;
(7) Review and approve grants that are administered or subcontracted by the commission;
(8)(i) Establish advisory committees for special subjects, as needed, to facilitate and maximize community participation and subject matter expertise in the operation of the commission;
(ii) Advisory committees shall be comprised of members representing community organizations, charitable institutions, elementary and secondary schools, higher education institutions, faith-based organizations, public officials, and other persons as determined by the office;
(9) Establish relationships with local and state governments, federal officials, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to promote and ensure the highest standards of Holocaust and genocide education;
(10) Endeavor to ensure that Holocaust and genocide survivors, liberators, educators, and others involved in Holocaust and genocide education have access to decision-making bodies in local, state, national, and international departments, agencies, and genocide education and memorial organizations; and
(11) Submit a written annual report of the commission’s activities, accomplishments, and recommendations to the governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives.
History of Section.
P.L. 2021, ch. 274, § 2, effective July 9, 2021; P.L. 2021, ch. 275, § 2, effective July 9, 2021.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 16-93.1-7
- Genocide: means any act committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in substantial part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group such as:
(i) Killing members of that group;
(ii) Causing serious bodily injury to members of that group;
(iii) Causing permanent impairment of the mental faculties of members of the group through drugs, torture, or similar techniques;
(iv) Subjecting the group to conditions of life that are intended to cause the physical destruction of the group in whole or in part;
(v) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; or
(vi) Forcibly transferring or attempting to transfer children of the group to another group, as defined by the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (Rhode Island General Laws 16-93.1-2
- Holocaust: means the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million (6,000,000) Jews and five million (5,000,000) other individuals by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. See Rhode Island General Laws 16-93.1-2