PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 3197 PRINTER'S NO. 3236
No. 2291 Session of 1984
INTRODUCED BY MANDERINO, RYAN, RUDY, HERMAN, IRVIS,
E. Z. TAYLOR, PIEVSKY, BURNS, HOEFFEL, SEMMEL, LLOYD, TELEK,
AFFLERBACH, GRIECO, COWELL, HAYES, FREEMAN, COSLETT, ITKIN,
MACKOWSKI, SIRIANNI, DOMBROWSKI, DeVERTER, D. R. WRIGHT,
MICHLOVIC, SALOOM, DAVIES, PETRARCA, GANNON, McHALE, COHEN,
CESSAR, STEIGHNER, WASS, KASUNIC, DALEY, WAMBACH, GALLAGHER,
PISTELLA, KUKOVICH, PRATT, WARGO, BELFANTI, STUBAN, GEORGE,
WACHOB, FEE, CALTAGIRONE, RYBAK, SHOWERS, MURPHY, COLE,
FATTAH, DEAL, SCHULER, BALDWIN, CORDISCO, CAPPABIANCA,
McCALL, PRESTON, MAYERNIK, STEWART, WOZNIAK, DeLUCA,
BATTISTO, KOSINSKI, JOHNSON, HALUSKA, RAPPAPORT, OLIVER,
SEVENTY, CLARK, DUFFY, MRKONIC, SWEET, GAMBLE AND RICHARDSON,
JUNE 13, 1984
AS AMENDED ON THIRD CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
JUNE 18, 1984
AN ACT
1 Establishing a program within the Department of Commerce to
2 provide funds to engineering degree-granting schools to
3 assist in the acquisition of new engineering equipment or the
4 upgrading of existing engineering equipment that is necessary
5 to provide students with the courses required to obtain a
6 degree in engineering; and making a nonlapsing appropriation.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Short title.
10 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Engineering
11 School Equipment Act.
12 Section 2. Definitions.
13 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
14 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
1 context clearly indicates otherwise:
2 "Board." The Board of the Ben Franklin Partnership Fund
3 provided for in section 448(n) of the act of April 9, 1929
4 (P.L.177, No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929.
5 "Department." The Department of Commerce.
6 "Engineering degree-granting school." An institution of
7 higher education which offers curriculum in engineering or
8 engineering technology which has been approved by the
9 Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) and is
10 recognized as such by the State Registration Board for
11 Professional Engineers.
12 "Equipment." Basic instructional equipment of an engineering
13 nature used in the teaching of undergraduate or graduate
14 engineering or engineering technology.
15 "Full-time equivalent engineering student." The enrollment
16 in baccalaureate and graduate programs of engineering schools
17 expressed in terms of full-time students as determined by the
18 Department of Education.
19 Section 3. Engineering equipment acquisition and upgrade.
20 (a) Program.--There is established within the department a
21 program to provide funds to engineering degree-granting schools.
22 The program shall be administered by the board. Funds provided
23 through this program shall be used exclusively for the
24 acquisition of new engineering equipment and the upgrading of
25 existing engineering equipment that is necessary to provide
26 students with the courses required to obtain a baccalaureate or
27 graduate engineering degree. The board shall:
28 (1) Promulgate such policies, develop such forms and
29 institute such procedures as may be necessary to implement
30 this act.
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1 (2) Allocate to each engineering school the funds to <--
2 which it is entitled under this act. AS PROVIDED IN <--
3 SUBSECTION (B).
4 (3) Approve or disapprove any request for expenditures
5 for the purchase or upgrading of equipment.
6 (4) Require such information and records from each
7 engineering school as it deems necessary.
8 (5) Request the Department of Education to certify to
9 the board the full-time equivalent enrollment of
10 baccalaureate and graduate engineering students at each
11 engineering school in the most recent year for which data are
12 available.
13 (b) Allocation of funds.--The funds provided for in this act
14 shall be allocated by the board to the engineering degree-
15 granting schools based on the ratio of full-time equivalent
16 students enrolled in baccalaureate and graduate engineering
17 programs at each school to the total number of full-time
18 equivalent undergraduate and graduate engineering students in
19 the Commonwealth.
20 (c) Expenditure of funds.--All funds allocated to
21 engineering degree granting schools shall be expended only for
22 equipment. No engineering school shall expend allocated funds on
23 equipment unless it also expends funds obtained from private
24 sources on that equipment. At least $3 of private funds shall be
25 required for each $1 of funds from this program. Funds allocated
26 under this act shall not be used to supplant existing Federal
27 or, State OR LOCAL funds for the acquisition or upgrading of <--
28 engineering equipment.
29 (d) Distribution of unused funds.--Any allocated funds which
30 have not been expended consistent with subsection (c) by June
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1 30, 1986, shall be available for redistribution by the board.
2 Section 4. Indicators of program impact.
3 The department shall report to the General Assembly by June
4 30, 1987, on the impact of the program, including the types of
5 equipment funded and the amount of private sector matching funds
6 generated. All recipients of funds under this act shall provide
7 information requested by the department for the purposes of this
8 report.
9 Section 5. Appropriation.
10 The sum of $3,000,000 is appropriated from the Pennsylvania
11 Economic Recovery Fund to the Ben Franklin Partnership Fund for
12 grants to engineering degree-granting schools for acquiring and
13 upgrading engineering equipment and for administration of this
14 program. This appropriation shall be a continuing appropriation
15 and shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year. UNTIL JUNE <--
16 30, 1987.
17 Section 6. Expiration.
18 This act shall expire June 30, 1987, unless extended by
19 statute.
20 Section 7. Effective date.
21 This act shall take effect immediately.
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