Rhode Island § 5-94-2 - Facilitating Business Rapid Response to State Declared Disaster Act of 2024

§ 5-94-2. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) “Critical infrastructure” means property and equipment located in this state that is owned or used by communications networks, cable, video, or broadband networks; gas and electric distribution systems and water pipelines, railways, public roads and bridges and related support facilities that service multiple customers or citizens including, but not limited to, real and personal property such as buildings, offices, lines, poles, pipes, structures, and equipment.

(2) “Declared state disaster or emergency” means a disaster or emergency event for which a governor’s state of emergency proclamation has been issued or for which a presidential declaration of a federal major disaster or emergency has been issued.

(3) “Disaster or emergency-related work” means repairing, renovating, installing, building, rendering services or other business activities that relate to critical infrastructure that has been damaged, destroyed, or lost as a result of the declared state disaster or emergency during the disaster period.

(4) “Disaster period” means a period that begins within ten (10) days of the first day of the governor’s proclamation or the president’s declaration (whichever occurs first) and that extends for a period of sixty (60) calendar days after the end of the declared disaster or emergency period.

(5) “Out-of-state business” means a business entity that, except for disaster or emergency-related work, has no presence in the state and conducts no business in the state whose services are requested by a registered business or by a state or local government for purposes of performing disaster or emergency-related work in the state. This definition shall also include a business entity that is affiliated with the registered business in the state solely through common ownership. The “out-of-state business” has no registrations or tax filings or nexus in the state prior to the declared state disaster or emergency, other than disaster or emergency-related work during the tax year immediately preceding the declared state disaster or emergency.

(6) “Out-of-state employee” means an employee who does not work in the state, except for disaster or emergency-related work during the disaster response period.

(7) “Registered business in the state” or “registered business” means a business entity that is currently registered to do business in the state prior to the declared state disaster or emergency.