PRINTER'S NO. 2897
No. 2319 Session of 1993
INTRODUCED BY LYNCH, ROBERTS, PHILLIPS, FAIRCHILD, LEE, STERN,
SEMMEL, BUNT, EGOLF, SATHER, HUTCHINSON AND STEIL,
DECEMBER 7, 1993
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, DECEMBER 7, 1993
AN ACT
1 Providing deadlines and voting requirements for budgetary
2 actions by the General Assembly; providing for negotiation
3 sessions; and imposing certain sanctions.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Budget Reform
8 Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Balanced budget." A budget that sets forth in detail:
14 (1) The amounts to be appropriated to the General
15 Assembly, the Judicial Department, the Governor and the
16 several administrative departments, boards and commissions of
17 the State government, and to institutions within this
18 Commonwealth, and for all public purposes, classified by
1 department or agency and by program, including those
2 institutions covered under section 30 of Article III of the
3 Constitution of Pennsylvania. Total appropriations, including
4 executive authorizations and augmentations, from any fund
5 shall not exceed the estimated revenues or receipts from that
6 fund as defined in paragraph (2).
7 (2) The total estimated revenues or receipts available
8 from all current and proposed sources for Federal
9 appropriations, including executive authorizations and
10 augmentations, from the General Fund, for State
11 appropriations, including executive authorizations and
12 augmentations, from the General Fund and for appropriations,
13 including executive authorizations and augmentations, made by
14 the General Assembly from any other funds.
15 Section 3. Required budget introduction.
16 No later than the first week of May, the Majority Leader and
17 the Minority Leader of the Senate or the chairman or minority
18 chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the
19 Majority Leader and the Minority Leader of the House of
20 Representatives or the chairman or minority chairman of the
21 Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives shall
22 introduce, jointly or separately, a balanced budget along with
23 any legislation concerning proposals for new revenues and
24 receipts included in the total estimated revenues or receipts.
25 Section 4. Negotiations open to members.
26 Notwithstanding any provision of the act of July 3, 1986
27 (P.L.388, No.84), known as the Sunshine Act, to the contrary,
28 any negotiations on the budget involving members of both
29 political parties shall be open to each member of the General
30 Assembly. Notice of each negotiation session shall be posted in
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1 the Office of Chief Clerk of the Senate and the Office of Chief
2 Clerk of the House of Representatives. Notice shall be posted at
3 least five hours before the negotiation session begins. The
4 chief clerks shall ensure that at least 20 members in addition
5 to the negotiators can be accommodated in the meeting room.
6 Section 5. Initial passage of proposed budget.
7 No later than June 15, the Senate and the House of
8 Representatives shall each be required to pass a balanced budget
9 along with any legislation concerning proposals for new revenues
10 and receipts included in the total estimated revenues or
11 receipts.
12 Section 6. Budgetary limitation on conference committees.
13 No committee of conference on the budget for the ensuing
14 fiscal year can meet until both chambers have passed a balanced
15 budget bill along with any legislation concerning proposals for
16 new revenues and receipts as required under section 5.
17 Section 7. Voting.
18 No vote may be taken in either chamber on a bill raising
19 revenue or for the general operation of State government unless
20 the printed bill has been in the hands of the members of the
21 chamber for at least 48 hours prior to the vote. The first vote
22 on a general appropriation bill may not be taken in either
23 chamber until the members have had the opportunity to review the
24 bill for at least one month prior to the vote.
25 Section 8. Final passage and certification.
26 (a) Material to be printed.--The report of the committee of
27 conference on the budget for the ensuing fiscal year may not be
28 brought to a final vote in either chamber until 48 hours after
29 the report has been signed.
30 (b) Final passage.--No later than June 30, the General
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1 Assembly shall finally pass a balanced budget and all
2 legislation necessary for the implementation of the budget. The
3 Majority Leader and the Minority Leader of the Senate and the
4 Majority Leader and the Minority Leader of the House of
5 Representatives shall certify to the President pro tempore of
6 the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives
7 that legislative authorization has passed for the expenditure of
8 all funds appropriated in the passed budget.
9 Section 9. Sanctions.
10 (a) Failure to comply with section 3.--In the event that the
11 Chief Clerk of the Senate or the Chief Clerk of the House of
12 Representatives, respectively, has determined that the Majority
13 Leader or the Minority Leader of the Senate or the Majority
14 Leader or the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives by
15 the first week of May has not complied with the requirements of
16 section 3, then the salary appropriations and per diem expenses
17 of that leader's caucus of the General Assembly shall be
18 withheld so that no moneys can be expended from such
19 appropriations for salaries and per diem expenses of senators or
20 for salaries and per diem expenses of representatives and extra
21 compensation to the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
22 respectively, until the requirements of section 3 are met
23 without regard to date.
24 (b) Failure to comply with section 8.--
25 (1) In the event that the Chief Clerk of the Senate has
26 determined that the Senate by June 30 has not complied with
27 the requirements of section 8, then the appropriations for
28 salaries and per diem expenses of senators holding leadership
29 positions shall be withheld until the provisions of section 8
30 are complied with. As used in this paragraph, the term
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1 "leadership positions" shall include the President pro
2 tempore, the Majority Leader, the Majority Whip, the Majority
3 Caucus Chairman, the Majority Caucus Secretary, the Majority
4 Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, the Majority Policy
5 Committee Chairman and the Majority Caucus Administrator of
6 the Senate.
7 (2) In the event that the Chief Clerk of the House of
8 Representatives has determined that the House of
9 Representatives by June 30 has not complied with the
10 requirements of section 8, then the appropriations for
11 salaries and per diem expenses of representatives holding
12 leadership positions shall be withheld until the provisions
13 of section 8 are complied with. As used in this paragraph,
14 the term "leadership positions" shall include the Speaker,
15 the Majority Leader, the Majority Whip, the Majority Caucus
16 Chairman, the Majority Caucus Secretary, the Majority Policy
17 Committee Chairman, the Majority Caucus Administrator and the
18 Majority Chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the
19 House of Representatives.
20 Section 10. Rules and procedures.
21 Each chamber of the General Assembly shall adopt rules and
22 procedures necessary to implement this legislation.
23 Section 11. Effective date.
24 This act shall take effect immediately.
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