Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 4-13 - Dogs

• Acknowledged parent: means an individual who has established a parent-child relationship pursuant to article 3 of this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
• Adjudicated parent: means an individual who has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to be a parent of a child. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Alleged genetic parent: means an individual who is alleged to be, or alleges that the individual is, a genetic parent or possible genetic parent of a child whose parentage has not been adjudicated. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Assisted reproduction: means a method of causing pregnancy other than through sexual intercourse and includes, but is not limited to:

  (i)  Intrauterine, intracervical, or vaginal insemination;

  (ii)  Donation of gametes;

  (iii)  Donation of embryos;

  (iv)  In vitro fertilization and transfer of embryos; and

  (v)  Intracytoplasmic sperm injection. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102

• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Birth: includes stillbirth and fetal death. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Birth order: means those orders declaring parentage of a child, which may be obtained from a court of competent jurisdiction before or after birth of a child. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Buyer: means both the actual and prospective purchaser, but does not include persons who purchase for resale. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-35-2
• Caffeine: means that central nervous-system stimulant and known alkaloid commonly found in cocoa and coffee seeds or beans; and

  (2)  "Powdered caffeine" means any concentrated powdered form of the stimulant caffeine, or any powder substance sold or marketed as pure or concentrated caffeine. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-37-2

• Chambers: A judge's office.
• Child: means an individual of any age whose parentage may be determined pursuant to this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Consumer: means an individual who purchases or accepts food or beverages for use or consumption. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-27.3-1
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Contract: means all of the collective written agreements subscribed by a buyer at the time of sale relating to the purchase of a home food service plan, except promissory notes or other financing agreements. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-35-2
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Council: means the inter-agency food and nutrition policy advisory council. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-36-2
• Covered establishment: includes , but is not limited to:

  (i)  A "food service establishment" which shall have the same meaning set forth in § 21-27-1. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-27.3-1

• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Determination of parentage: means establishment of a parent-child relationship by a judicial or administrative proceeding or signing of a valid acknowledgement of parentage pursuant to article 3 of this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Disposable food service container: means service ware designed for one-time use. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-27.3-1
• Donee: The recipient of a gift.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Donor: means an individual who contributes a gamete or gametes or an embryo or embryos to another individual intended for assisted reproduction or gestation, whether or not for consideration. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Drug paraphernalia: includes , but is not limited to, all of the following:

  (1)  Kits intended for use or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, or harvesting of any species of plant which is a controlled substance or from which a controlled substance can be derived;

  (2)  Kits intended for use or designed for use in manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, or preparing controlled substances;

  (3)  Isomerization devices intended for use or designed for use in increasing the potency of any species of plant that is a controlled substance;

  (4)  Testing equipment intended for use or designed for use in identifying or in analyzing the strength, effectiveness, or purity of controlled substances;

  (5)  Scales and balances intended for use or designed for use in weighing or measuring controlled substances;

  (6)  Dilutants and adulterants, such as quinine hydrochloride, mannitol, mannite, dextrose, and lactose, intended for use or designed for use in cutting controlled substances;

  (7)  Separation gins and sifters intended for use or designed for use in removing twigs and seeds from, or in cleaning or refining, marijuana;

  (8)  Blenders, bowls, containers, spoons, and mixing devices intended for use or designed for use in compounding controlled substances;

  (9)  Capsules, balloons, envelopes, and other containers intended for use or designed for use in packaging small quantities of controlled substances;

  (10)  Containers and other objects intended for use or designed for use in storing or concealing controlled substances; and

  (11)  Objects intended for use or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling, or introducing marijuana, cocaine, hashish, or hashish oil into the human body, such as:

  (i)  Metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone, plastic, or ceramic pipes with or without screens, permanent screens, hashish heads, or punctured metal bowls;

  (ii)  Water pipes;

  (iii)  Carburetion tubes and devices;

  (iv)  Smoking and carburetion masks;

  (v)  Roach clips, meaning objects used to hold burning material, such as a marijuana cigarette that has become too small or too short to be held in the hand;

  (vi)  Miniature cocaine spoons, and cocaine vials;

  (vii)  Chamber pipes;

  (viii)  Carburetor pipes;

  (ix)  Electric pipes;

  (x)  Air-driven pipes;

  (xi)  Chillums;

  (xii)  Bongs;

  (xiii)  Ice pipes or chillers; and

  (xiv)  Wide rolling papers which are designed for drug use. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-28.5-1

• Embryo: means a cell or group of cells containing a diploid complement of chromosomes or a group of such cells, not including a gamete, that has the potential to develop into a live born human being if transferred into the body of a person under conditions in which gestation may be reasonably expected to occur. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Food items: means each edible product sold as part of a home food service plan, including, but not limited to, each constituent part or kind of meat cut from a primal source, each kind of whole poultry or poultry part, seafood products, and other like products. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-35-2
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Gamete: means sperm, egg, or any part of a sperm or egg. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Gestational carrier: means an adult individual who is not an intended parent and who enters into a gestational carrier agreement to bear a child conceived using the gametes of another individual and not the gestational carrier's own, except that an individual who carries a child for a family member using the gestational carrier's own gametes and who fulfills the requirements of article 8 of this chapter is a gestational carrier. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Gestational carrier agreement: means a contract between an intended parent or parents and a gestational carrier intended to result in a live birth. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Habeas corpus: A writ that is usually used to bring a prisoner before the court to determine the legality of his imprisonment. It may also be used to bring a person in custody before the court to give testimony, or to be prosecuted.
• Home food service plan: means the offering for sale to a consumer of any food item, or food item in combination with any non-food product and/or services, whether or not a membership fee or similar charge is involved, for a total price in excess of two hundred dollars ($200) if either: (i) the item or items are to be delivered to the dwelling of the household consumer, or (ii) the contract is entered into at the dwelling of the household consumer. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-35-2
• Identifying information: means :

  (i)  The full name of a donor;

  (ii)  The date of birth of the donor; and

  (iii)  The permanent and, if different, current address of the donor at the time of the donation. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-901

• Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
• in writing: include printing, engraving, lithographing, and photo-lithographing, and all other representations of words in letters of the usual form. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-16
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Intended parent: means an individual, whether married or unmarried, who manifests an intent to be legally bound as a parent of a child conceived through assisted reproduction or a gestational carrier agreement. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Item price: means the price of a food or non-food item sold as part of a home food service plan computed to the nearest whole cent and exclusive of any service charge(s) and expressed in relation to the appropriate unit of weight, measure, or count of the item. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-35-2
• Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
• Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Majority leader: see Floor Leaders
• Marriage: means and includes civil union and any legal relationship that provides substantially the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities as marriage and is recognized as valid in the state or jurisdiction in which it was entered. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Medical history: means information regarding any of the following:

  (i)  Present illness of a donor;

  (ii)  Past illness of the donor; and

  (iii)  Social, genetic, and family history pertaining to the health of the donor. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-901

• Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Non-food item: means each inedible product sold as part of a home food service plan, including, but not limited to, paper products, health and beauty products, detergents, cleaners and disinfectants, rolls of wrapping, and like products. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-35-2
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Packaged bakery product: when used in this chapter means a packaged bakery or bakery-type product, consisting of flour and other ingredients having a normal shelf life as established by the manufacturer or distributor of sixty (60) days or less. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-33-1
• Parent: means an individual who has established parentage that meets the requirements of this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Parentage: means the legal relationship between a child and a parent as established under this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Point of order: A claim made by a legislator from the floor that a rule of the legislature is being violated. If the Chair sustains the point of order, the action in violation of the rule is not permitted.
• Polystyrene foam: means blown polystyrene and expanded or extruded foams using a styrene monomer. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-27.3-1
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• President pro tempore: A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore (or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Presumed parent: means a person who is presumed to be the parent of a child under Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Primal source: means the following cuts: (i) for beef, the primal sources are the round, flank, loin, rib, plate, brisket, chuck and shank; (ii) for veal and lamb or mutton, the primal sources are the leg, flank, loin, rack (rib) and shoulder; and (iii) for pork, the primal source as the belly, loin, ham, spareribs, shoulder, and jowl. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-35-2
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Pull date: as used in this chapter is the final date or day as established by the packer or manufacturer upon which a packaged bakery product may be sold, except as provided in § 21-33-3. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-33-1
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Seller: means any person, partnership, corporation or association, however organized, engaged in the sale of a home food service plan. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-35-2
• Service charge: means the aggregate price for any additional features, services and processing associated with the purchase of a home food service plan including, but not limited to, cutting, wrapping, freezing, delivery, and membership fees. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-35-2
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Service ware: means a container, bowl, plate, tray, carton, cup, lid, sleeve, stirrer, or other item designed to be used to contain, transport, serve, or consume prepared foods. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-27.3-1
• Sexual assault: shall include sexual assault as provided in § 11-37-2, child molestation as provided in Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Sign: means , with the intent to authenticate or adopt a record, to:

  (i)  Execute or adopt a tangible symbol; or

  (ii)  Attach to or logically associate with the record an electronic symbol, sound, or process. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102

• Single-use plastic straw: means a single-use, disposable tube made predominantly of plastic derived from either petroleum or a biologically based polymer, such as corn or other plant sources, used to transfer a beverage from a container to the mouth of the person drinking the beverage. See Rhode Island General Laws 21-27.2-1
• Spouse: includes a partner in a civil union or a partner in a legal relationship that provides substantially the same rights, benefits, and responsibilities as marriage and is recognized as valid in the state or jurisdiction in which it was entered. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Subpoena duces tecum: A command to a witness to produce documents.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• town: may be construed to include city; the words "town council" include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9
• town council: include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9
• Transfer: means a procedure for assisted reproduction by which an embryo or sperm is placed in the body of the individual who will give birth to the child. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• United States: include the several states and the territories of the United States. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-8
• Witnessed: means that at least one individual is authorized to sign and has signed a record to verify that the individual personally observed a signatory sign the record. See Rhode Island General Laws 15-8.1-102
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.