PRINTER'S NO. 2836
No. 2172 Session of 1976
INTRODUCED BY FINEMAN, IRVIS, MANDERINO, ENGLEHART, BUTERA,
RYAN, PARKER, BERLIN, REED, BENNETT, TOLL, MEBUS, WOJDAK AND
PRENDERGAST, FEBRUARY 25, 1976
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FEDERAL-STATE-RELATIONS,
FEBRUARY 25, 1976
AN ACT
1 Creating and establishing the Legislative Office for Research
2 Liaison; providing for its functions and duties, and creating
3 the Legislative Committee for Research Liaison and the
4 University Committee for Research Liaison; providing for the
5 membership of each such committee, prescribing the powers,
6 functions and duties of each such committee, and making an
7 appropriation.
8 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9 hereby enacts as follows:
10 Section 1. A Legislative Office for Research Liaison is
11 hereby created to provide the General Assembly, its committees
12 and its individual members with a source of independent
13 information, evaluation, and expertise on public issues through
14 the use of the vast resources of knowledge available at colleges
15 and universities located in the Commonwealth.
16 Section 2. The operation of the Legislative Office for
17 Research Liaison shall be under the control and direction of the
18 Legislative Committee for Research Liaison which shall consist
19 of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Majority
1 Leader of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of
2 the House of Representatives, one member of the Minority Party
3 of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker,
4 the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Majority Leader of
5 the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, one member of the
6 Minority Party of the Senate to be appointed by the President
7 pro tempore, one representative from a participating college or
8 university to be appointed by the Speaker and one representative
9 from a participating college or university to be appointed by
10 the President pro tempore. The Speaker, the President pro
11 tempore, and the Majority and Minority Leaders of the House of
12 Representatives and the Senate may designate another member of
13 their respective Houses to be a member of the committee in their
14 stead or to temporarily act on behalf of such officer. Members
15 of the committee who are members of the General Assembly shall
16 serve during each regular session of the General Assembly, and
17 shall continue as members until the first Tuesday in January of
18 the next odd-numbered year and until their respective successors
19 shall qualify, provided they continue to be members of the House
20 of Representatives or the Senate. Members of the committee who
21 are representatives of a participating college or university
22 shall serve during the calendar year in which they are appointed
23 and until their respective successors shall qualify. Such
24 committee members who are representatives of a participating
25 college or university shall be chosen from the University
26 Committee for Research Liaison. The committee has a continuing
27 existence and may meet and conduct its business during sessions
28 of Legislature or any recess thereof and in the interim between
29 sessions.
30 Section 3. The Legislative Committee for Research Liaison
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1 shall organize within 30 days after the final enactment of this
2 act, and thereafter within 30 days after the convening of the
3 regular session of the General Assembly. The committee shall
4 elect a chairman, a vice-chairman, and such other officers
5 deemed necessary, except that for the remainder of the regular
6 session in which this act is finally enacted the Speaker of the
7 House of Representatives shall be the chairman.
8 The committee shall meet at least quarterly during each
9 calendar year. The time and place of meetings of the committee
10 shall be at the call of the chairman. Six members of the
11 committee shall constitute a quorum and an affirmative vote of
12 six members shall be necessary to pass on any matter requiring
13 committee action.
14 Section 4. The Legislative Committee for Research Liaison
15 shall have the following powers and duties:
16 (1) To establish and operate the Legislative Office for
17 Research Liaison.
18 (2) To appoint and employ an executive director, who shall
19 be the chief executive officer of the committee, a professional
20 supporting staff, and such other personnel as the committee may
21 deem necessary in the performance of its duties and to fix the
22 compensation of such executive director and other personnel. The
23 committee shall seek the advice of the University Committee for
24 Research Liaison in the selection of an executive director.
25 (3) To enter into contracts for such professional, expert,
26 or technical services as the committee may deem necessary in the
27 performance of its duties.
28 (4) To purchase or rent such equipment and supplies as the
29 committee may deem necessary in the performance of its duties.
30 (5) To rent such office space as may be necessary to carry
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1 out the purposes of this act.
2 (6) To make such rules and regulations as the committee may
3 deem necessary to properly fulfill its powers and duties.
4 (7) To determine the long term major research projects to be
5 undertaken by the Legislative Office for Research Liaison. Such
6 determination shall be made with the advice of the University
7 Committee for Research Liaison.
8 (8) To monitor and evaluate the performance of the
9 Legislative Office for Research Liaison.
10 (9) To accept on behalf of the Legislative Office for
11 Research Liaison monetary aid or grants from the Federal
12 Government, any college or university or any foundation or
13 agency. Any such aid or grants are appropriated to the
14 Legislative Office for Research Liaison to carry out the
15 purposes of this act.
16 Section 5. The executive director shall perform such duties
17 as shall be assigned to him by the Legislative Committee for
18 Research Liaison and shall have the following qualifications to
19 be eligible for appointment:
20 (1) an earned doctorate degree from an accredited
21 institution of higher learning in a physical science, a life
22 science, or a social science; and
23 (2) a knowledge of the functions of the Legislative branch
24 of government and of colleges and universities which has been
25 gained through experience.
26 In lieu of the above qualifications the committee may
27 determine that the educational background and work experience of
28 a person is such that they are the equivalent of the above
29 qualifications and that such person is capable of performing the
30 duties of executive director.
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1 Section 6. The interaction of the participating colleges and
2 universities with the Legislative Office for Research Liaison
3 shall be coordinated by the University Committee for Research
4 Liaison which shall consist of the Speaker of the House of
5 Representatives, the President pro tempore of the Senate, two
6 representatives from each participating college and university,
7 and the executive director of the Legislative Office for
8 Research Liaison who shall be chairman. The Speaker and the
9 President pro tempore may each designate another member of their
10 respective Houses to be a member of the committee in their stead
11 or to act temporarily on behalf of such officer. The Speaker and
12 the President pro tempore shall each appoint one member for each
13 participating college and university after consultation with the
14 chief executive officer of each participating college and
15 university. Of the two representatives of each participating
16 college and university, one shall be an official concerned with
17 relations between such college and university and the
18 Commonwealth and one shall be an official concerned with
19 research. Such members shall serve during each regular session
20 of the General Assembly and until their respective successors
21 shall qualify.
22 The committee shall meet at the call of the chairman and
23 shall be responsible for recommending to the Legislative
24 Committee for Research Liaison those policies and operating
25 procedures which would contribute to the objectives of the
26 Legislative Office for Research Liaison; advising the director
27 of the Legislative Office for Research Liaison on means to
28 facilitate and make more mutually beneficial the relationship of
29 the Legislative Office of Research Liaison with the
30 participating colleges and universities; developing
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1 recommendations for the participating colleges and universities
2 in their use of resource data and personnel in responding to a
3 request from the Legislative Office for Research Liaison; and
4 consulting with the Legislative Committee for Research Liaison
5 in the determination of those long-term major research projects
6 to be undertaken under the auspices of the Legislative Office
7 for Research Liaison.
8 Section 7. The following shall be the initial participating
9 colleges and universities for purposes of this act:
10 (1) Drexel University.
11 (2) Lincoln University.
12 (3) Temple University.
13 (4) The Pennsylvania State University.
14 (5) University of Pennsylvania.
15 (6) University of Pittsburgh.
16 Section 8. The General Assembly, its committees or its
17 members may request assistance from the Legislative Office for
18 Research Liaison on any public issue. The response to each
19 request shall be made in accordance with guidelines to be
20 established and adopted by the Legislative Committee for
21 Research Liaison.
22 Section 9. During the first year of operation of the
23 Legislative Office for Research Liaison the Legislative
24 Committee for Research Liaison shall appoint a Program
25 Evaluation Group including, but not limited to, persons from the
26 participating colleges and universities, staff of appropriate
27 units of the National Science Foundation, officials of
28 corresponding programs in other states, and members of the
29 General Assembly. It shall be the function of the group to
30 evaluate the operation of the Legislative Office for Research
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1 Liaison and its relationships to the participating colleges and
2 universities in the performance of its duties. At the end of the
3 first year of operation of the office the group shall convene
4 for the purpose of issuing an interim evaluation with
5 recommendations for modifications and improvements based on the
6 experience of the first year. The group shall convene at the end
7 of the second year of operation of the office for the purpose of
8 issuing a comprehensive evaluation of the entire program.
9 Section 10. The members of the Legislative Committee for
10 Research Liaison, the University Committee for Research Liaison
11 and the Program Evaluation Group shall serve without
12 compensation but shall be reimbursed for their expenses incurred
13 while attending sessions of the committee or group of which they
14 are members or of any subcommittee thereof, or while engaged on
15 other committee or group business authorized by the committee or
16 group, and in going to and coming from meetings of the committee
17 or group or of any subcommittee thereof or for travel and other
18 committee or group business when authorized by the committee or
19 group.
20 Section 11. The sum of $50,000, or as much thereof as may be
21 necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Legislative Office for
22 Research Liaison for purposes of this act.
23 Section 12. This act shall take effect immediately.
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