Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-13. Ex parte consultations
Unless required for the disposition of ex parte matters authorized by law, members or employees of an agency assigned to render an order or to make findings of fact and conclusions of law in a contested case shall not, directly or indirectly, in connection with any issue of fact, communicate with any person or party, nor, in connection with any issue of law, with any party or his or her representative, except upon notice and opportunity for all parties to participate; but any agency member:
(1) May communicate with other members of the agency, and
(2) May have the aid and advice of one or more personal assistants.
History of Section.
G.L. 1956, § 42-35-13; P.L. 1962, ch. 112, § 1; P.L. 1986, ch. 281, § 9.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-13
- agency: means a state agency, authority, board, bureau, commission, department, district, division, institution, office, officer, quasi-public agency, or other political subdivisions created by the general assembly or the governor, other than the legislature or the judiciary, that is authorized by law of this state to make rules or to determine contested cases. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-1
- Contested case: means a proceeding, including but not restricted to, ratemaking, price fixing, and licensing, in which the legal rights, duties, or privileges of a specific party are required by law to be determined by an agency after an opportunity for hearing. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-1
- Order: means the whole or a part of a final disposition, whether affirmative, negative, injunctive, or declaratory in form, of a contested case. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-1
- Party: means each person or agency named or admitted as a party, or properly seeking and entitled as of right to be admitted as a party. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-1
- Person: means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, the department of environmental management, governmental subdivision, or public or private organization of any character other than an agency. See Rhode Island General Laws 42-35-1