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 19770H0127R1762 - 2 -
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. E26L67JS/19770H0127R1762 - 3 -