Rhode Island General Laws Title 35. Public Finance § 35-4-22.2. Use of restricted or special revenue funds

(a) Any restricted or special revenue funds that are received by a state agency that is not otherwise appropriated to that state agency by the annual appropriation acts of the regular session of the general assembly are hereby appropriated for that state agency for the purpose set forth, except that no expenditure shall be made from and no obligation shall be incurred against any restricted receipts or special revenue fund that has not been previously appropriated or reappropriated or approved by the governor, the speaker of the house, and the president of the senate, until that authorization has been transmitted to the state agency to make expenditure therefrom.

(b) State agencies desiring the governor's approval to expend or obligate receipts not appropriated or reappropriated by the general assembly in the annual appropriation act or supplemental appropriation act shall forward a request to the state budget officer, who shall forward a copy to the speaker of the house and the president of the senate.

(c) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the budget officer is hereby authorized to create restricted receipt accounts within the budget of any state agency to account for the receipt and expenditure of a multistate settlement administered by the office of the attorney general. Expenditures from these accounts shall remain subject to the provisions of §§ 35-4-22, 35-4-22.1, 35-4-22.2, and 35-4-27.

(d) Upon the directive of the controller, with the consent of the auditor general, the budget officer is hereby authorized to convert any escrow liability accounts that were established before July 1, 2021, to a restricted receipt account.