Rhode Island General Laws Title 42. State Affairs and Government § 42-64-1.1. Change of name

(a) The corporation known as the “Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation” shall now be known as the “Rhode Island Commerce Corporation.” Whenever in any general law, public law, rule, regulation and/or bylaw, reference is made to the “department of economic development” or the “Rhode Island port authority and economic development corporation”, or the “Rhode Island economic development corporation”, the reference shall be deemed to refer to and mean the “Rhode Island commerce corporation,” which may also be referred to as the “commerce corporation.”

(b) Whenever in any general or public law, reference is made to the “director of the department of economic development” or the “executive director of the Rhode Island port authority and economic development corporation”, the reference shall be deemed to refer to and mean the “executive director of the Rhode Island economic development corporation”. Upon the appointment of a secretary of commerce; whenever in any general or public law, reference is made to the “director of the department of economic development” or the “executive director of the Rhode Island port authority and economic development corporation,” or the “executive director of the Rhode Island economic development corporation,” the reference shall be deemed to refer to and mean the chief executive officer of the Rhode Island commerce corporation, who shall also be the secretary of the Rhode Island executive office of commerce.

(c) Whenever in any general or public law, reference is made to the “economic development council”, the reference shall be deemed to refer to and mean the “board of directors of the Rhode Island commerce corporation”.

(d) Nothing in this act shall be construed to change or modify the corporate existence of the former Rhode Island economic development corporation, which shall now be known as the “Rhode Island commerce corporation,” or to change or modify any contracts or agreements of any kind by, for, between, or to which the economic development corporation is a party or to effect in any way the property or assets of the Rhode Island economic development corporation. The commerce corporation is the successor in interest to the Rhode Island economic development corporation and the secretary of state shall change the name of the corporation on the articles of incorporation on file with the secretary of state from the Rhode Island economic development corporation to the Rhode Island commerce corporation effective as of January 1, 2014.