Rhode Island Code of Regulations
Title 100 - Department of State
Chapter 70 - Public Information
Subchapter 00 - N/A
Part 1 - Rules and Regulations Relating to the Rhode Island Lobbying Reform Act
Section 100-RICR-70-00-1.15 - Penalties

Universal Citation: 100 RI Code of Rules 70 00 1.15

Current through September 18, 2024

A. A penalty of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) per violation, and/or revocation of the applicable registration for a period of up to three (3) years may be imposed for a violation of these regulations, including but not limited to:

1. Failure to register;

2. Failure to file reports; or

3. Filing and not correcting non-conforming reports.

B. The amount of the penalty imposed for a violation depends upon the facts and circumstances, and is up to the Secretary's discretion, based upon but not limited to:

1. Whether the violation was willful and knowing or unintentional;

2. Whether and to what degree there have been repeat violations by the same Person within the immediately preceding five (5) years;

3. The severity of the delinquency; and

4. The duration of time between initial notice of the delinquency by the Secretary and the date of compliance.

C. The Secretary will maintain a record of all violations and fines issued, in accordance with the Rhode Island Department of State Records Retention Schedule.

D. The initial penalty for Minor Infractions shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00). Where the minor infraction is not corrected within seven (7) days of the notice of non-compliance provided by the Secretary, an additional penalty of two dollars ($2.00) per day will be assessed from the date of the non-compliance notice until the violation is corrected, up to a maximum of two thousand dollars ($2,000) per violation.

E. Notwithstanding the penalties set forth above, the Secretary may issue a warning and directive to comply with these regulations and the Act to an offender who has not committed any other violations or received any other warnings concerning these regulations in the past five (5) years.

F. The Secretary may refer a knowing and willful violation of these regulations to the attorney general for prosecution. In addition to the civil penalties set forth in this Section, a knowing and willful violation may result in a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) and/or imprisonment for up to one (1) year.

G. In assessing a penalty pursuant to § 1.15(A), the Secretary shall include a written explanation of the factors considered and used in determining the specific amount of the penalty or length of registration revocation imposed on the violator.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Rhode Island may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.