R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-8.1-10
Every public officer who has public records in his or her custody shall consult periodically with the state archivist together with the state auditor, and the attorney general, and those officers shall determine whether the records in question are permanent records . Those records unanimously determined not to be permanent records shall be disposed of by such method as specified by § 38-3-6. A list of all records so disposed of, together with a certification of records destruction certifying compliance with § 38-3-6, signed by the state archivist, shall be filed and preserved in the office from which the records were drawn. Public records in the custody of the state archivist with the approval of the secretary of state, or designee, may be disposed of based upon approved records control schedules.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-8.1-10