§ 42-13-2. Organization and functions of the department. (a) The department shall be organized in accordance with a project management-based program and shall utilize an asset management system.

(1) A project management-based program manages the delivery of the department's portfolio of transportation improvement projects from project conception to the project completion. Project management activities include:

(i) Managing and reporting on the delivery status of portfolio projects;

(ii) Developing overall workload and budget for the portfolio;

(iii) Developing and implementing the tools to estimate the resources necessary to deliver the projects; and

(iv) Developing and implementing processes and tools to improve the management of the projects.

(2) Asset management is the process used for managing transportation infrastructure by improving decision making for resource allocation. Asset management activities include a systemic process based on economic, engineering, and business principles which includes the following functions:

(i) Completing a comprehensive inventory of system assets;

(ii) Monitoring system performance; and

(iii) Performing analysis utilizing accurate data for managing various assets within the transportation network.

(b) The director of transportation shall appoint a chief operating officer to oversee the day-to-day operations of the department.

(c) The department shall be organized into such divisions as are described in this section and such other divisions, subdivisions, and agencies as the director shall find are necessary to carry out the responsibilities of the department, including: division of finance; division of planning; division of project management; division of operations and maintenance; office of civil rights; office of safety; office of external affairs; office of legal; office of personnel; office of information services.

(d) The director may assign such other responsibilities as he or she shall find appropriate and may reassign functions other than as set out in this section if he or she finds the reassignment necessary to the proper and efficient functioning of the department or of the state's transportation system.

(e) The department shall submit a report annually no later than March 31 to the speaker of the house, the president of the senate, and the house and senate fiscal advisors concerning the status of the ten-year (10) transportation plan.

(f) Any functions, duties, and staff relating to the Rhode Island department of transportation's external audit section shall be transferred to the Rhode Island department of administration's office of internal audit, or its successor, upon passage [Feb. 11, 2016].

(1) The chief of the office of internal audit, or its successor, who shall be the administrative head of the office of internal audit, or its successor, shall supervise, coordinate, and/or conduct audits, civil and administrative investigations, and inspections or oversight reviews, when necessary, relating to programs and operations listed in § 42-13-2.

(2) The office of internal audit's (or its successor's) authorization shall include, but not be limited to, evaluating the efficiency of operations and internal controls, preventing and detecting fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement in the expenditure of public funds, whether state, federal or those revenues collected by the use of tolls and related to any and all transportation-related programs and operations as well as the procurement of any supplies, services, or construction, by the department of transportation or related institutions of the department of transportation. Investigations may include the expenditures by nongovernmental agencies of federal, state, and local public funds. As deemed necessary or expedient by the office of internal audit, or its successor, audits may be made relative to the financial affairs or the economy and efficiency of management of the department of transportation or related institutions.

History of Section. (G.L. 1956, § 42-13-2; P.L. 1970, ch. 111, § 2; P.L. 1972, ch. 164, § 1; P.L. 1990, ch. 309, § 3; P.L. 1994, ch. 70, art. 21, § 2; P.L. 1997, ch. 344, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 633, § 1; P.L. 2015, ch. 141, art. 15, § 5; P.L. 2016, ch. 3, § 3; P.L. 2016, ch. 4, § 3; P.L. 2016, ch. 142, art. 4, § 11.)