PRINTER'S NO. 884
No. 790 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY BOSCOLA, FUMO, WAGNER, COSTA, HUGHES, BELL,
SCHWARTZ, WOZNIAK, WILLIAMS AND LOGAN, APRIL 12, 2001
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, APRIL 12, 2001
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of December 10, 1968 (P.L.1158, No.365),
2 entitled "An act creating and establishing the Legislative
3 Data Processing Committee: providing for its membership;
4 prescribing its powers, functions and duties; and making an
5 appropriation," providing for public access via computer
6 technology to State legislative information.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Section 2(1.2) of the act of December 10, 1968
10 (P.L.1158, No.365), entitled "An act creating and establishing
11 the Legislative Data Processing Committee: providing for its
12 membership; prescribing its powers, functions and duties; and
13 making an appropriation," amended May 7, 1998 (P.L.352, No.55),
14 is amended and the section is amended by adding paragraphs to
15 read:
16 Section 2. The committee shall have the following powers and
17 duties:
18 * * *
19 [(1.2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1.1), to provide access to
1 information relating to bills, legislative histories and session
2 calendars to the Governor's Office, the Office of Attorney
3 General, the Auditor General, the State Treasurer, the heads of
4 other departments and such other offices within State government
5 as the committee, with the approval of the Senate Committee on
6 Management Operations and the Bi-partisan Management Committee
7 of the House of Representatives, shall determine.]
8 (1.3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1.1), to make the following
9 information available in electronic form to the public,
10 immediately upon the effective date of this paragraph,
11 including, but not limited to, State universities and colleges,
12 public libraries, school districts and individual residents of
13 this Commonwealth or the country:
14 (i) The text of each bill introduced in each current
15 legislative session, including each amended form of each bill
16 and the text of each amendment introduced.
17 (ii) The bill history of each bill introduced and amended in
18 each current legislative session.
19 (iii) The bill status of each bill introduced and amended in
20 each current legislative session.
21 (iv) The topic index for bills introduced in the current
22 legislative session.
23 (v) The legislative calendar of the General Assembly.
24 (vi) The schedule of committee hearings.
25 (vii) Current statutes of the Commonwealth, including the
26 chronological history of each statute.
27 (viii) The Constitution of Pennsylvania.
28 (ix) The Pennsylvania Code and Pennsylvania Bulletin.
29 (x) Any veto message concerning a bill in the current
30 session.
20010S0790B0884 - 2 -
1 (xi) Roll call votes of the Senate and the House of
2 Representatives.
3 (xii) Election results for Statewide public offices and the
4 General Assembly for the previous six years.
5 (xiii) A listing of all registered lobbyists of the General
6 Assembly, including their addresses, telephone numbers and
7 organizations or individuals they represent.
8 (1.4) Notwithstanding paragraph (1.1), to make the following
9 information available in electronic form to the public, within
10 two years of the effective date of this paragraph, including,
11 but not limited to, State universities and colleges, public
12 libraries, school districts and individual residents of this
13 Commonwealth or the country:
14 (i) Directory of the Commonwealth departments in all
15 branches of government.
16 (ii) Legislative journals of the General Assembly.
17 (iii) Press releases of members of the General Assembly.
18 (iv) Analyses of legislative bills considered by either
19 house of the General Assembly.
20 * * *
21 Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
22 Section 2.1. (a) The information under section 2(1.1),
23 (1.3) and (1.4) shall be made available to the public by means
24 of access by way of a large nonproprietary, nonprofit
25 cooperative public computer network. The information shall be
26 made available in one or more formats and by one or more means
27 in order to provide the greatest feasible access to the general
28 public. Any person who accesses the information may access all
29 or any part of the information. The information may also be made
30 available by any other current technological means of access
20010S0790B0884 - 3 -
1 that would facilitate public access to the information. The
2 information that is maintained by the Legislative Data
3 Processing Center shall be made available in the shortest
4 feasible time after the information is available in the
5 information system.
6 (b) Any documentation that describes the electronic digital
7 formats of the information identified under section 2(1.1),
8 (1.3) and (1.4) and is available to the public shall be made
9 available by means of access by way of the computer network
10 specified under subsection (a).
11 (c) Personal information concerning a person who accesses
12 the information may be maintained only for the purpose of
13 providing service to the person. Such information shall be kept
14 confidential and shall not be released to any individual or
15 government entity.
16 (d) No fee or other charge shall be imposed as a condition
17 of accessing the information under section 2(1.1), (1.3), and
18 (1.4).
19 (e) The electronic public access provided by way of the
20 computer network specified under subsection (a) shall be in
21 addition to other electronic or print distribution of the
22 information.
23 (f) No action taken under this section shall be considered
24 to alter or relinquish any copyright or other proprietary
25 interest or entitlement of the Commonwealth relating to any of
26 the information made available under this section.
27 Section 3. This act shall take effect in six months.
A11L46BIL/20010S0790B0884 - 4 -