PRINTER'S NO. 97
No. 87 Session of 1977
INTRODUCED BY IRVIS, HASKELL, WHITE, HARPER, PANCOAST AND
RICHARDSON, FEBRUARY 7, 1977
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 7, 1977
AN ACT
1 Creating a Joint Legislative Committee for Internships and
2 Fellowships for the purpose of establishing a program of
3 internships and fellowships in the General Assembly; placing
4 certain limitations upon such programs; creating an Advisory
5 Board and making an appropriation.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1. Young people, especially students in our colleges
9 and universities, need to acquire a better understanding of the
10 responsibilities and operations of the General Assembly of
11 Pennsylvania. At the same time, the General Assembly stands to
12 benefit from the infusion of enthusiasm and new ideas which
13 would result from the employment of such persons by the General
14 Assembly. It is with the purpose of combining these two
15 advantages that the General Assembly enacts the following
16 legislation.
17 Section 2. There is hereby created a Joint Legislative
18 Committee for Internships and Fellowships consisting of the
19 Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the House of
1 Representatives and the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of
2 the Senate, hereinafter called the committee.
3 Section 3. The committee is authorized to create a program
4 of internships, not to exceed ten for any fiscal year, in which
5 undergraduate students or law students are employed by the
6 committee subject to the following conditions:
7 (1) Internships may be full-time or part-time, but in no
8 event shall the duration of an internship be for a period
9 exceeding 12 months.
10 (2) The committee may pay all or part of the stipend of
11 an intern, but in no case shall the total amount paid to any
12 single intern by the committee exceed $1,200.
13 Section 4. The committee is hereby authorized to create a
14 program of fellowships, not to exceed six for any fiscal year,
15 in which graduate students, including law students, are employed
16 by the committee subject to the following conditions:
17 (1) Fellowships may be full-time or part-time, but in no
18 event shall the duration of a fellowship be for a period
19 exceeding 12 months.
20 (2) The committee may pay all or part of the stipend of
21 a fellow, but in no case shall the total amount paid to any
22 single fellow by the committee exceed $5,000.
23 Section 5. Interns and fellows shall be appointed by the
24 committee upon recommendation of the Advisory Board and shall be
25 assigned by the committee to a member of the Senate or House of
26 Representatives, or to any agency of the General Assembly:
27 Provided, That in no event shall the intern or fellow be
28 employed by such member or agency otherwise than upon public
29 business: And, provided further, That not more than one-half of
30 the total number of interns and fellows appointed for any single
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1 fiscal year shall be assigned to members of any one political
2 party.
3 Section 6. An Advisory Board is hereby created with the
4 authority to recommend to the committee each year the number of
5 interns and fellows authorized by the committee. Each of the
6 following persons shall appoint one member of the Advisory
7 Board: the President of Temple University, the President of
8 Pennsylvania State University, the Chancellor of the University
9 of Pittsburgh, the President of Lincoln University, the Chairman
10 of the Board of State College Presidents and the Chairman of the
11 Commission of Independent Colleges and Universities of the
12 Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities. In
13 addition, the Advisory Board shall consult with and advise the
14 committee when requested to do so by the committee.
15 Section 7. The committee is hereby authorized to employ a
16 part-time executive director at a salary not to exceed $5,000
17 per annum who shall supervise the work of the several interns
18 and fellows with a view to maximizing the educational value of
19 their experience and their usefulness to the General Assembly.
20 The executive director shall be responsible to the committee and
21 may be dismissed at any time. The executive director is hereby
22 authorized to receive and disburse funds appropriated to carry
23 out the provisions of this act, subject to rules and regulations
24 of the committee.
25 Section 8. The committee is hereby authorized to make such
26 rules and regulations, and to incur additional expenses as may
27 be necessary to carry out the purposes of this act.
28 Section 9. The sum of $150,000 is hereby appropriated to the
29 committee for the fiscal year July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978 for
30 the purposes of this act.
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1 Section 10. The committee is authorized to cooperate with
2 and accept grants and assistance from any agency of the Federal
3 Government, any foundation, or from any other source whatsoever.
4 All moneys received from such sources are hereby appropriated to
5 the committee and the committee is authorized to expend such
6 moneys for the purposes of this act.
7 Section 11. This act shall take effect immediately.
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