Federal Liability for Rhode Island 9-1-1 Fee

By letter dated April 16, 1990, Senator John H. Chaffee asked that we provide an explanation of the legal bases of our recent decisions which hold that the federal government is constitutionally immune from paying certain 9-1-1 emergency service charges. There is concern about the refusal of federal agencies located in Rhode Island to pay the Rhode Island 9-1-1 charge.