PRINTER'S NO. 986
No. 874 Session of 1977
INTRODUCED BY PARKER, RITTER, STEWART, WILT, PYLES AND SWEET,
APRIL 18, 1977
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FEDERAL-STATE RELATIONS,
APRIL 18, 1977
AN ACT
1 Creating a commission on Pennsylvania's future; setting forth
2 its duties and making an appropriation.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Commission on Pennsylvania's future.
6 There is hereby created a commission on Pennsylvania's future
7 hereinafter referred to as the "commission."
8 Section 2. Membership.
9 (a) The commission shall consist of 50 members who shall be
10 appointed by the Governor. Of the members appointed there shall
11 be at least one from each Congressional district in the
12 Commonwealth.
13 (b) The members of the commission shall serve for a term
14 ending December 30, 1981.
15 (c) The Lieutenant Governor shall be the chairman of the
16 commission. The Governor shall fill vacancies by appointing
17 members similarly qualified to the members being replaced.
1 (d) The Secretary of Community Affairs, the Budget
2 Secretary, the Secretary of Administration, the Secretary of
3 Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the
4 Office of State Planning and Development shall serve as ex
5 officio members of the commission.
6 Section 3. Compensation.
7 The members of the commission, except for ex officio members,
8 shall be paid $50 for each day the commission shall meet. In
9 addition, each member shall be allowed actual and necessary
10 expenses incurred in the discharge of his duty, in the manner
11 and amount of State employees.
12 Section 4. Duties.
13 The duties of the commission shall be: to prepare, for
14 consideration by the Governor and the General Assembly, a
15 proposed State growth and development strategy; to prepare
16 reports assembling relevant information regarding the State's
17 future; to examine the long range plans of State departments and
18 agencies and to assess their possible impact on State growth and
19 development; and to report to the Governor and the General
20 Assembly at regular intervals on the development implications of
21 major State decisions. A report of the commission shall be
22 submitted to the Governor not later than November 30 of each
23 year. This requirement in no way affects the freedom of the
24 commission to submit recommendations and legislative proposals
25 whenever it considers it appropriate to do so. Recommendations
26 and proposals shall be to the fullest extent possible, in the
27 form of alternatives from which the Governor and the General
28 Assembly can select a preferred course of action, policy, plan,
29 strategy or legislative program. In the performance of these
30 duties, the commission shall, whenever possible, consult with
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1 citizen groups, farm, business and labor organizations, and
2 other agencies and organizations, including agencies of the
3 Federal Government concerned with Pennsylvania's future.
4 Section 5. Access to information; State agencies.
5 The commission shall be provided information, reports, or
6 other assistance from any agency, department, legislative
7 committee or other instrumentality of the State, with the
8 consent of the head thereof. All State agencies and other
9 official State organizations and all persons shall provide to
10 the commission all relevant information and reasonable
11 assistance on any matter of research or data within their
12 knowledge or control. The joint legislative committee shall have
13 equal access to all the resources mentioned above. A common data
14 base shall be employed by the commission and the joint
15 committee.
16 Section 6. Administration and staff support.
17 The Office of State Planning and Development together with
18 the Department of Community Affairs shall provide all necessary
19 and administrative and professional support to the commission.
20 All staff employed by the commission shall be considered either
21 employees of the Office of State Planning and Development or the
22 Department of Community Affairs and shall be appointed by the
23 director or secretary after consultation with the chairman of
24 the commission.
25 Section 7. Joint legislative review.
26 A joint legislative committee shall be established by the
27 commission to review the commission reports, evaluate the
28 alternatives, identify legislative priorities and develop a
29 planning capability consistent with the task of this commission.
30 This committee shall consist of three Senators appointed by the
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1 President pro tempore; three by the minority leader; three
2 Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House; and three
3 by the House Minority Leader. All shall serve at the will and
4 pleasure of the appointing authority as long as they are members
5 of the General Assembly and vacancies shall be filled within 60
6 days. All shall be ex officio members of the commission.
7 Section 8. Expiration.
8 This act shall be effective until December 30, 1981.
9 Section 9. Appropriation.
10 The sum of $100,000 or as much thereof as may be necessary is
11 hereby appropriated to the Office of State Planning and
12 Development and a like amount to the Department of Community
13 Affairs to carry out the provisions of this act.
14 Section 10. Effective date.
15 This act shall take effect immediately.
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