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PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 3509
PRINTER'S NO. 4013
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
2353
Session of
2020
INTRODUCED BY GAYDOS, GROVE, KAUFER, OWLETT, SANKEY, THOMAS,
JONES, MILLARD, BERNSTINE, RYAN, WHEELAND, SAYLOR, COX, MOUL,
KEEFER, KLUNK, DUSH, B. MILLER AND RADER, APRIL 3, 2020
AS AMENDED ON SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
JUNE 23, 2020
AN ACT
Amending Title 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, providing for the assessment and
reduction of improper payments by Commonwealth agencies.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 71 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a part to read:
PART II
COMMONWEALTH AGENCIES
Chapter
11. Preliminary Provisions (Reserved)
13. Assessment and Reduction of Improper Payments
CHAPTER 11
PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS
(Reserved)
CHAPTER 13
ASSESSMENT AND REDUCTION OF IMPROPER PAYMENTS
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Sec.
1301. Definitions.
1302. Assessment of improper payments.
1303. Review of programs and activities of Commonwealth
agencies.
1304. Corrective action plans.
1305. Audits of Commonwealth agencies.
ยง 1301. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Commonwealth agency." Any board, commission or department
of the executive branch under the policy supervision and
jurisdiction of the Governor. The term does not include any of
the following:
(1) The Treasury Department.
(2) The Department of the Auditor General.
(3) The Office of Attorney General.
"Improper payment." A payment that should not have been made
by a Commonwealth agency or a contractor with a Commonwealth
agency under statutory, contractual, administrative or other
legal applicable requirements, including any of the following:
(1) An overpayment.
(2) An underpayment.
(3) A payment to an ineligible recipient.
(4) A payment for an ineligible service.
(5) A payment for a duplicative or redundant service.
(6) A payment for services not received.
(7) A payment for goods and services that does not
utilize or was not given available discounts.
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"Office." The Office of State Inspector General.
"Payment." A payment, including a commitment for a future
payment, that is made by a Commonwealth agency or a contractor
with a Commonwealth agency and utilizes Federal or State funds.
ยง 1302. Assessment of improper payments.
(a) Assessment.--No less than once every two years, a
Commonwealth agency shall conduct an assessment of improper
payments. A Commonwealth agency shall conduct an initial
assessment of improper payments no later than 10 days after the
effective date of this section.
(b) Contents.--As part of the assessment under subsection
(a), a Commonwealth agency shall:
(1) Determine whether the programs operated by the
Commonwealth agency have a low, moderate or high risk of
resulting in improper payments.
(2) Explain the reasons why the programs operated by the
Commonwealth have been assessed as having a low, moderate or
high risk of resulting in improper payments.
(3) Make recommendations for reducing improper payments.
(c) Copies.--A Commonwealth agency shall provide a copy of
the assessment under subsection (a) to all of the following:
(1) The Secretary of the Budget.
(2) The Office of State Inspector General.
(3) The Department of the Auditor General.
(4) The Independent Fiscal Office.
(5) The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.
(6) Members of the General Assembly.
ยง 1303. Review of programs and activities of Commonwealth
agencies.
(a) Review.--The office shall establish a schedule to review
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at least one Commonwealth agency during each calendar year.
(b) Examination.--In reviewing a Commonwealth agency under
subsection (a), the office shall examine the Commonwealth
agency's programs and activities to determine all of the
following:
(1) The total percentage of the Commonwealth agency's
activities and programs susceptible to improper payments.
(2) The number of the Commonwealth agency's improper
payments.
(3) The total amount of Federal or State funds that were
expended through improper payments.
(c) Duties of Commonwealth agencies.--A Commonwealth agency
shall provide the office with all the information necessary to
conduct the review under subsection (a).
(d) Reports.--
(1) Upon completion of the office's review of a
Commonwealth agency under subsection (a), the Inspector
General shall submit a report on the Commonwealth agency's
programs and activities to all of the following:
(i) The Department of the Auditor General.
(ii) The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.
(iii) Members of the General Assembly.
(2) The Inspector General shall submit the report no
later than December 31, 2021, and each December 31
thereafter.
(3) The report shall include all of the following:
(i) An estimate of the total annual amount of
improper payments by the Commonwealth agency during the
previous two fiscal years.
(ii) The total percentage of the Commonwealth
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agency's expenditures that constitute improper payments
during the previous two fiscal years.
(iii) The reasons why the Commonwealth agency made
the improper payments.
(iv) An evaluation of whether the Commonwealth
agency has the procedures and resources to prevent
improper payments.
(v) Whether the Commonwealth agency has taken steps
to address improper payments.
(vi) The actions necessary for the Commonwealth
agency to reduce improper payments as a percentage of the
Commonwealth agency's total expenditures to no more than
0.3% 3% within the next five fiscal years.
ยง 1304. Corrective action plans.
(a) Adoption.-- After the office submits a report on a
Commonwealth agency under section 1303(d)(1) (relating to r eview
of programs and activities of Commonwealth agencies), the
Commonwealth agency shall adopt a corrective action plan to
reduce the rate of improper payments to no more than 0.3% 3% as
specified under section 1303(d)(3)(vi).
(b) Transfers.--If the office's review under section 1303(e)
shows that a Commonwealth agency has failed to reduce the rate
of improper payments to no more than 0.3% as specified under
section 1303(d)(3)(vi), the Governor shall transfer the lesser
of the following from the funds appropriated to the Commonwealth
agency for general government operations into budgetary reserve:
(1) An amount equal to the total improper payments by
the Commonwealth agency during the fifth fiscal year after
the office submits the report on the Commonwealth agency
under section 1303(d)(1).
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(2) An amount equal to the total improper payments by
the Commonwealth agency as a percentage of the Commonwealth
agency's expenditures for general government operations
during the fifth fiscal year after the office submits the
report on the Commonwealth agency under section 1303(d)(1).
(c) Prohibition.--The amount transferred under subsection
(b) from a Commonwealth agency into budgetary reserve shall not
be transferred from budgetary reserve to the Commonwealth agency
until the Commonwealth agency reduces the rate of improper
payments to no more than 0.3% as specified under section 1303(d)
(3)(vi).
ยง 1305. Audits of Commonwealth agencies.
(a) Initial audits.--The Legislative Budget and Finance
Committee shall perform an audit on a Commonwealth agency no
later than five years after the office has completed its review
of the Commonwealth agency under section 1303(a) (relating to
review of programs and activities of Commonwealth agencies) to
determine whether the Commonwealth agency's AGENCY HAS REDUCED
ITS rate of improper payments exceeds 0.3%. BY AT LEAST 50%
SINCE THE INITIAL REVIEW BY THE OFFICE UNDER SECTION 1303(A).
(b) Initial notice.--After the Legislative Budget and
Finance Committee performs an audit under subsection (a), if the
Legislative Budget and Finance Committee finds that the
Commonwealth agency's rate of improper payments exceeds 0.3% HAS
NOT BEEN REDUCED BY AT LEAST 50% SINCE THE INITIAL REVIEW BY THE
OFFICE UNDER SECTION 1303(A) , the Executive Director of the
Legislative Budget and Finance Committee shall provide notice to
all of the following:
(1) The Governor.
(2) The office.
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(3) The members of the General Assembly.
(c) Transfers.--Upon receiving the notice under subsection
(b), the Governor shall transfer, the lesser of the following
from the funds appropriated to the Commonwealth agency for
general government operations into budgetary reserve:
(1) An amount equal to the total improper payments by
the Commonwealth agency.
(2) An amount equal to the total improper payments by
the Commonwealth agency as a percentage of the Commonwealth
agency's expenditures for general government operations. THAT
EXCEED THE IMPROPER PAYMENT RATE ESTABLISHED IN THE
CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN UNDER SECTION 1304.
(d) Additional audits.--No later than s ix months after the
Governor transfers funds into budgetary reserve under subsection
(c), the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee shall perform
another audit of the Commonwealth agency to determine whether
the Commonwealth agency's rate of improper payments exceeds
0.3%. HAS BEEN REDUCED BY AT LEAST 50% SINCE THE INITIAL REVIEW
BY THE OFFICE UNDER SECTION 1303(A).
(e) Additional notice.--After the Legislative Budget and
Finance Committee performs an audit under subsection (d), if the
Legislative Budget and Finance Committee finds that the
Commonwealth agency's rate of improper payments does not exceed
0.3% HAS BEEN REDUCED BY AT LEAST 50% SINCE THE INITIAL REVIEW
BY THE OFFICE UNDER SECTION 1303(A) , the Executive Director of
the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee shall provide
notice to all of the following:
(1) The Governor.
(2) The office.
(3) The members of the General Assembly.
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(f) Transfers prohibited.--Upon receiving the notice under
subsection (e), if the Governor has already transferred funds
from the Commonwealth agency's general government operations
into budgetary reserves, the Governor shall transfer the funds
out of budgetary reserves to the Commonwealth agency for general
government operations.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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