Bill Sponsors
Edwards, Bennett, and Cortvriend
Committee
House State Government & Elections
Summary
Select
This legislation amends the Rhode Island Open Meetings Act regarding the timing of public meeting notices. Currently, public bodies must provide written notice at least 48 hours before a meeting. This bill specifies that weekends and state holidays are excluded from this 48-hour count. This change ensures that the notice period consists of business days, effectively requiring public bodies to post notices earlier than under the current law if a weekend or holiday falls within the timeframe immediately preceding a scheduled meeting.
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Increases government transparency by ensuring that meeting notices are not buried over weekends, giving the public a fairer window of time to become aware of upcoming government actions.
- Enhances accessibility for working-class individuals who may rely on business-day communications to stay informed about local governance and community issues.
- Prevents the tactic of "Friday news dumps" where controversial meetings might be scheduled for a Monday with minimal effective notice to the community.
Cons for Progressives
- May slightly slow down the ability of local governments to react quickly to urgent community needs that do not quite qualify as statutory "emergencies."
- Creates a potential administrative hurdle for volunteer-led boards and commissions, which could lead to technical violations and the invalidation of important votes due to scheduling errors.
- Could result in fewer meetings being scheduled overall due to the increased planning complexity required to meet the extended notice deadlines.
Pros for Conservatives
- Strengthens government accountability by preventing officials from rushing through agendas without giving taxpayers adequate time to review and respond.
- Upholds the rule of law by closing a loophole that allowed the "48-hour" rule to include times when government offices are closed and citizens are less vigilant.
- Empowers citizens to act as a check on government power by ensuring they have actionable time to organize and attend meetings where public resources are discussed.
Cons for Conservatives
- Increases bureaucratic red tape and state-level interference in the operations of local municipal bodies and school committees.
- Reduces the efficiency of local government by imposing stricter scheduling mandates that may delay necessary business decisions.
- May inadvertently punish small, rural towns with limited administrative staff who struggle to meet increasingly complex compliance standards.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Members of Public Bodies
- School Committees
- Town Clerks
- Journalists
- General Public
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
None
Revenue Generated
None
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Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 01/15/2026 Introduced, referred to House State Government & Elections
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Section 42-46-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-46 entitled "Open Meetings" is hereby amended to read as follows:
42-46-6. Notice.
(a) All public bodies shall give written notice of their regularly scheduled meetings at the beginning of each calendar year. The notice shall include the dates, times, and places of the meetings and shall be provided to members of the public upon request and to the secretary of state at the beginning of each calendar year in accordance with subsection (f).
(b) Public bodies shall give supplemental written public notice of any meeting within a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours, excluding weekends and state holidays in the count of hours, before the date. This notice shall include the date the notice was posted; the date, time, and place of the meeting; and a statement specifying the nature of the business to be discussed. Copies of the notice shall be maintained by the public body for a minimum of one year. Nothing contained herein shall prevent a public body, other than a school committee, from adding additional items to the agenda by majority vote of the members. School committees may, however, add items for informational purposes only, pursuant to a request, submitted in writing, by a member of the public during the public comment session of the school committee’s meetings. Said informational items may not be voted upon unless they have been posted in accordance with the provisions of this section. Such additional items shall be for informational purposes only and may not be voted on except where necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public or to refer the matter to an appropriate committee or to another body or official.
(c) Written public notice shall include, but need not be limited to, posting a copy of the notice at the principal office of the public body holding the meeting, or if no principal office exists, at the building in which the meeting is to be held, and in at least one other prominent place within the governmental unit, and electronic filing of the notice with the secretary of state pursuant to subsection (f); however, nothing contained herein shall prevent a public body from holding an emergency meeting, upon an affirmative vote of the majority of the members of the body when the meeting is deemed necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public. If an emergency meeting is called, a meeting notice and agenda shall be posted as soon as practicable and shall be electronically filed with the secretary of state pursuant to subsection (f) and, upon meeting, the public body shall state for the record and minutes why the matter must be addressed in less than forty-eight (48) hours in accordance with subsection (b) of this section and only discuss the issue or issues that created the need for an emergency meeting. Nothing contained herein shall be used in the circumvention of the spirit and requirements of this chapter.
(d) Nothing within this chapter shall prohibit any public body, or the members thereof, from responding to comments initiated by a member of the public during a properly noticed open forum even if the subject matter of a citizen’s comments or discussions were not previously posted, provided such matters shall be for informational purposes only and may not be voted on except where necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public or to refer the matter to an appropriate committee or to another body or official. Nothing contained in this chapter requires any public body to hold an open-forum session to entertain or respond to any topic nor does it prohibit any public body from limiting comment on any topic at such an open-forum session. No public body, or the members thereof, may use this section to circumvent the spirit or requirements of this chapter.
(e) A school committee may add agenda items not appearing in the published notice required by this section when the item(s) added are for the purposes of discussion only and not for the purpose of voting upon the item(s) or under the following conditions:
(1) The revised agenda is electronically filed with the secretary of state pursuant to subsection (f), and is posted on the school district’s website and the two (2) public locations required by this section at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the meeting in accordance with subsection (b) of this section;
(2) The new agenda items were unexpected and could not have been added in time for newspaper publication; LC004109 - Page 2 of 4
(3) Upon meeting, the public body states for the record and minutes why the agenda items could not have been added in time for newspaper publication and need to be addressed at the meeting;
(4) A formal process is available to provide timely notice of the revised agenda to any person who has requested that notice, and the school district has taken reasonable steps to make the public aware of this process; and
(5) The published notice shall include a statement that any changes in the agenda will be posted on the school district’s website and the two (2) public locations required by this section and will be electronically filed with the secretary of state at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the meeting in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.
(f) All notices required by this section to be filed with the secretary of state shall be electronically transmitted to the secretary of state in accordance with rules and regulations that shall be promulgated by the secretary of state. This requirement of the electronic transmission and filing of notices with the secretary of state shall take effect one year after this subsection takes effect.
(g) If a public body fails to transmit notices in accordance with this section, then any aggrieved person may file a complaint with the attorney general in accordance with § 42-46-8.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
42-46-6. Notice.
(a) All public bodies shall give written notice of their regularly scheduled meetings at the beginning of each calendar year. The notice shall include the dates, times, and places of the meetings and shall be provided to members of the public upon request and to the secretary of state at the beginning of each calendar year in accordance with subsection (f).
(b) Public bodies shall give supplemental written public notice of any meeting within a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours, excluding weekends and state holidays in the count of hours, before the date. This notice shall include the date the notice was posted; the date, time, and place of the meeting; and a statement specifying the nature of the business to be discussed. Copies of the notice shall be maintained by the public body for a minimum of one year. Nothing contained herein shall prevent a public body, other than a school committee, from adding additional items to the agenda by majority vote of the members. School committees may, however, add items for informational purposes only, pursuant to a request, submitted in writing, by a member of the public during the public comment session of the school committee’s meetings. Said informational items may not be voted upon unless they have been posted in accordance with the provisions of this section. Such additional items shall be for informational purposes only and may not be voted on except where necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public or to refer the matter to an appropriate committee or to another body or official.
(c) Written public notice shall include, but need not be limited to, posting a copy of the notice at the principal office of the public body holding the meeting, or if no principal office exists, at the building in which the meeting is to be held, and in at least one other prominent place within the governmental unit, and electronic filing of the notice with the secretary of state pursuant to subsection (f); however, nothing contained herein shall prevent a public body from holding an emergency meeting, upon an affirmative vote of the majority of the members of the body when the meeting is deemed necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public. If an emergency meeting is called, a meeting notice and agenda shall be posted as soon as practicable and shall be electronically filed with the secretary of state pursuant to subsection (f) and, upon meeting, the public body shall state for the record and minutes why the matter must be addressed in less than forty-eight (48) hours in accordance with subsection (b) of this section and only discuss the issue or issues that created the need for an emergency meeting. Nothing contained herein shall be used in the circumvention of the spirit and requirements of this chapter.
(d) Nothing within this chapter shall prohibit any public body, or the members thereof, from responding to comments initiated by a member of the public during a properly noticed open forum even if the subject matter of a citizen’s comments or discussions were not previously posted, provided such matters shall be for informational purposes only and may not be voted on except where necessary to address an unexpected occurrence that requires immediate action to protect the public or to refer the matter to an appropriate committee or to another body or official. Nothing contained in this chapter requires any public body to hold an open-forum session to entertain or respond to any topic nor does it prohibit any public body from limiting comment on any topic at such an open-forum session. No public body, or the members thereof, may use this section to circumvent the spirit or requirements of this chapter.
(e) A school committee may add agenda items not appearing in the published notice required by this section when the item(s) added are for the purposes of discussion only and not for the purpose of voting upon the item(s) or under the following conditions:
(1) The revised agenda is electronically filed with the secretary of state pursuant to subsection (f), and is posted on the school district’s website and the two (2) public locations required by this section at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the meeting in accordance with subsection (b) of this section;
(2) The new agenda items were unexpected and could not have been added in time for newspaper publication; LC004109 - Page 2 of 4
(3) Upon meeting, the public body states for the record and minutes why the agenda items could not have been added in time for newspaper publication and need to be addressed at the meeting;
(4) A formal process is available to provide timely notice of the revised agenda to any person who has requested that notice, and the school district has taken reasonable steps to make the public aware of this process; and
(5) The published notice shall include a statement that any changes in the agenda will be posted on the school district’s website and the two (2) public locations required by this section and will be electronically filed with the secretary of state at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the meeting in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.
(f) All notices required by this section to be filed with the secretary of state shall be electronically transmitted to the secretary of state in accordance with rules and regulations that shall be promulgated by the secretary of state. This requirement of the electronic transmission and filing of notices with the secretary of state shall take effect one year after this subsection takes effect.
(g) If a public body fails to transmit notices in accordance with this section, then any aggrieved person may file a complaint with the attorney general in accordance with § 42-46-8.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.