PRINTER'S NO. 1762
No. 127 Session of 1977
INTRODUCED BY BUTERA, JULY 6, 1977
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, JULY 11, 1977
In the House of Representatives, July 6, 1977
1 WHEREAS, Among our natural resources, the most valuable is
2 the potential that all men and women possess to live creative
3 and productive lives. However, in order to release this
4 potential, an individual must be secure in knowing that all his
5 or her basic needs will be met; and
6 WHEREAS, Government has tried to supplement our Nation's
7 security and safety by improving housing, by offering equal
8 opportunity to education, by establishing welfare and
9 unemployment programs, and by policing the streets and highways
10 for citizen safety. Yet, we may be overlooking the most basic
11 need of all: food to maintain life; and
12 WHEREAS, Dick Gregory walked across the United States to
13 alert the well-fed peoples of our Nation to the plight of those
14 who are hungry; and
15 WHEREAS, Clergymen attending the 1976 Ecumenical Conference
16 held in Philadelphia reinforced Mr. Gregory's conscious-raising
17 efforts and urged that we put aside all prejudices and implement
18 individual or group efforts to feed the hungry; and
1 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as a prime
2 agricultural State of the United States, is in a unique position
3 to take meaningful steps toward feeding the hungry; therefore be
4 it
5 RESOLVED, That the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader of
6 the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 shall appoint a special committee to study the magnitude of the
8 hunger problem as it affects the citizens of Pennsylvania and
9 the agricultural industry of Pennsylvania as it affects the
10 United States and the world; and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That the committee shall be composed of eight
12 members of the House of Representatives and eight individuals
13 from the community at large, half of each of which shall be
14 appointed by the Majority Leader and half by the Minority
15 Leader; and be it further
16 RESOLVED, That the committee may hold hearings, take
17 testimony, and make its investigations at such places as it
18 deems necessary. It may issue subpoenas under the hand and seal
19 of its chairman commanding any person to appear before it and to
20 answer questions touching matters properly being inquired into
21 by the committee and to produce such books, papers, records, and
22 documents as the committee deems necessary. Such subpoenas may
23 be served upon any person and shall have the force and effect of
24 subpoenas issued out of the courts of this Commonwealth. Any
25 person who willfully neglects or refuses to testify before the
26 committee or to produce any books, papers, records or documents,
27 shall be subject to the penalties provided by the laws of the
28 Commonwealth in such case. Each member of the committee shall
29 have power to administer oaths and affirmations to witnesses
30 appearing before the committee; and be it further
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1 RESOLVED, That within thirty calendar days after the
2 committee has made its report, the chairman of the committee
3 shall cause a record of all expenses incurred by the committee,
4 or the members thereof, which are payable at Commonwealth
5 expense, to be filed with the Speaker of the House of
6 Representatives and the Speaker shall cause the same to be
7 entered in the journal thereof. No expenses incurred by the
8 committee or any member thereof shall be reimbursable by the
9 Chief Clerk unless such expense shall first have been included
10 as an expense item in the record heretofore required; and be it
11 further
12 RESOLVED, That the committee report its findings to the House
13 of Representatives as soon as possible.
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