Posted: | January 12, 2018 11:34 AM |
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From: | Representative Seth M. Grove |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Establishing Standing Oversight Committees in the House and the Senate |
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, like the other 50 states and the Federal Government, is founded on a system of checks and balances. While the legislature is empowered with writing the law, the judiciary is charged with interpreting the law for its compliance with the constitution and the executive branch is charged with executing the laws. Likewise, the legislature is charged with overseeing how the executive branch implements the approved state budget and the laws of the General Assembly. Unfortunately, we have seen in recent years the executive branch in both parties ignore requested information from the General Assembly. Due to the failure of the executive branch to respond to inquiries by members of the General Assembly, it is time to strengthen the oversight powers of the General Assembly. In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to establish Oversight Committees in both the House and Senate. The Senate Committee on Government Oversight shall consist of five members with three members being from the majority party appointed by President Pro-Tempore of the Senate. The remaining two members will be appointed from the minority. The House Committee on Government Oversight shall consist of 7 members with four members from the majority and three members from the minority. The oversight committee in each chamber will review Commonwealth agencies at least once every seven years based on a schedule established by the Speaker of the House or President Pro-Tempore of the Senate. The Chairman of the Senate and House Committee on Government oversight shall determine the scope and subject along with the subject being review regarding the committee’s oversight. Under the proposed legislation any request for information by the oversight committee in the House or Senate must be answered under an oath of affirmation. The committee may request at their discretion a program evaluation, from the agency, which would include:
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Introduced as HB2026