PRINTER'S NO. 564
No. 527 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY BOSCOLA, MARCH 24, 2003
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, MARCH 24, 2003
A SUPPLEMENT
1 To the act of June 25, 1931 (P.L.1352, No.332), entitled "An act
2 providing for joint action by the Commonwealth of
3 Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey in the
4 administration, operation, and maintenance of bridges over
5 the Delaware River, and for the construction of additional
6 bridge facilities across said river; authorizing the
7 Governor, for these purposes, to enter into an agreement with
8 the State of New Jersey; creating a Delaware River Joint Toll
9 Bridge Commission and specifying the powers and duties
10 thereof, including the power to finance the construction of
11 additional bridges by the issuance of revenue bonds to be
12 redeemed from revenues derived from tolls collected at such
13 bridges; transferring to said commission all powers now
14 exercised by existing commission created to acquire toll
15 bridges over the Delaware River; and making an
16 appropriation," providing the Governor of each state with
17 power to ratify or veto certain actions taken by
18 commissioners.
19 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
20 hereby enacts as follows:
21 Section 1. Action by Governor to ratify or veto commissioner
22 action.
23 (a) Delivery of minutes to Governor.--The minutes of every
24 meeting of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission
25 shall, as soon as possible after the meeting, be delivered by,
1 and under the certification of the secretary of the commission,
2 to the Governor.
3 (b) Ratification or veto.--No action taken by a Pennsylvania
4 commissioner at the meeting shall have force or effect for a
5 period of ten days, except Saturdays, Sundays and Commonwealth
6 public holidays, after the minutes have been delivered to the
7 Governor under this subsection, unless the Governor approves the
8 minutes, or any part thereof, in writing, by reciting the action
9 approved, within the ten-day period. This veto power shall not
10 be construed to affect the covenants contained in the bonds of
11 the commission.
12 (c) Governor to return minutes.--
13 (1) The Governor shall return the minutes to the
14 Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, not later than
15 the ten-day period prescribed in subsection (b), either with
16 or without a veto of any action recited in the minutes to
17 have been taken by a commissioner appointed from
18 Pennsylvania.
19 (2) If the Governor does not return the minutes within
20 the ten-day period, the action taken by the Pennsylvania
21 commissioners shall have the force and effect as recited in
22 the minutes, according to the wording thereof. If the
23 Governor, within the ten-day period prescribed in subsection
24 (b), returns the minutes of the Delaware River Joint Toll
25 Bridge Commission with a veto against the action of a
26 commissioner from Pennsylvania, the action of that
27 commissioner shall be null and void and of no effect.
28 (b) Public information.--The board shall designate an
29 individual who shall be responsible for responding to requests
30 from the public and the news media for information concerning
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1 the scheduling, attendance and minutes of board meetings.
2 Section 2. The Governor shall not enter into a supplemental
3 compact or agreement on behalf of the Commonwealth until passage
4 by the State of New Jersey of a substantially similar act,
5 embodying a supplemental compact or agreement between the two
6 states. The Governor shall publish his execution of such
7 supplemental compact or agreement as a notice in the
8 Pennsylvania Bulletin.
9 Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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