PRINTER'S NO. 3722
No. 339 Session of 1992
INTRODUCED BY CARONE, HANNA, KREBS, JOSEPHS, CAPPABIANCA,
KASUNIC, STEELMAN, TRELLO, LANGTRY AND WOGAN, JUNE 3, 1992
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, JUNE 3, 1992
A RESOLUTION
1 Establishing a special commission to review legislative
2 compensation and benefit levels of members of the General
3 Assembly.
4 WHEREAS, There is a Statewide public concern about the use of
5 taxpayer dollars for compensation and benefits of the General
6 Assembly; and
7 WHEREAS, A citizens' commission is needed to perform a full
8 and complete review of all legislative compensation and benefit
9 levels with the goal of providing recommendations to eliminate
10 excess expenses where they exist, identify areas for necessary
11 reform and provide plans for reducing the costs; therefore be it
12 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives establish a
13 special commission no later than 30 days after adoption of this
14 resolution; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That the commission be known as the Commission on
16 Legislative Compensation and Benefits Reform, which shall be
17 composed of 11 members as follows: the President pro tempore of
18 the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of
1 the House of Representatives and the Minority Leader of the
2 House of Representatives shall each appoint one member who shall
3 be a representative from a recognized citizens' advocacy group
4 or taxpayers' advocacy group established and in existence for at
5 least one year as of December 1, 1991. The four named
6 representatives shall meet and organize no later than one week
7 after appointment to consider the selection of the other five
8 members of the commission. Of these five members, two shall be
9 recognized leaders from the business community, two shall be
10 recognized leaders from labor and one shall be a certified
11 public accountant. They shall be chosen by the following
12 procedure: The President pro tempore of the Senate and the
13 Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each present a
14 list of five names of recognized leaders from the business
15 community to the commission, and the four original members shall
16 select a member from each list which will make up the two
17 necessary members from the business community. The President pro
18 tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
19 Representatives shall each present a list of five names of
20 recognized leaders from labor to the commission, and the four
21 original members shall select a member from each list selecting
22 the two necessary members from labor. The President pro tempore
23 of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
24 shall each present three names of certified public accountants
25 from the private sector, and the four original members shall
26 select one member from this list to fill the public accountant
27 slot. The certified public accountant shall serve as chairman of
28 the commission. The Chief Clerk of the Senate and the Executive
29 Director of the Bipartisan Management Committee of the House of
30 Representatives shall serve as nonvoting members of the
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1 commission. Voting members of the commission shall not be
2 members of the General Assembly, State employees or employees of
3 the General Assembly; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That the Commission on Legislative Compensation and
5 Benefits Reform meet with its full complement of 11 members no
6 later than one week following completion of the selection
7 process and conduct meetings and hearings in accordance with the
8 act of July 3, 1986 (P.L.388, No.84), known as the Sunshine Act,
9 as are necessary to carry out its duties; and be it further
10 RESOLVED, That the commission may issue subpoenas under the
11 hand and seal of its chairman commanding any person to appear
12 before the commission and to answer questions touching matters
13 properly being inquired into by the commission and to produce
14 the books, papers, records and documents the commission feels
15 necessary. The subpoenas may be served on any person and hold
16 the same effect as subpoenas issued by the courts of this
17 Commonwealth. Any person who knowingly and willfully neglects or
18 refuses to testify before the commission or to produce any
19 books, papers, records and documents shall be subject to the
20 penalties provided by the laws of this Commonwealth for such a
21 case. Each member of the commission shall have power to
22 administer oaths and affirmations to witnesses appearing before
23 the commission; and be it further
24 RESOLVED, That members of the Commission on Legislative
25 Compensation and Benefits Reform shall not be compensated for
26 their services, except that voting members shall be reimbursed
27 for all necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred
28 by the performance of their duties as members of the commission;
29 and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That the Commission on Legislative Compensation and
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1 Benefits Reform shall review all areas of legislative
2 compensation and benefit levels of members of the General
3 Assembly, including, but not limited to, salary and per diem,
4 pension, travel expenses, personal expense accounts, district
5 office accounts, contingency expenses and accounts, mailing and
6 postage expenses, automobile leasing, fleet leasing, and life,
7 medical, dental, vision and any other insurance plans; and be it
8 further
9 RESOLVED, That the commission shall complete its review and
10 issue a preliminary report no later than six months after the
11 adoption of this resolution. The report shall contain
12 recommendations to eliminate excess expenses where they exist,
13 identify areas that are in need of reform and provide a plan for
14 cost reduction; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That the commission shall make known to the public
16 and the news media that copies of the preliminary report are
17 available to them; and be it further
18 RESOLVED, That the commission shall hold a public comment
19 period of 30 days' length following publication of the
20 preliminary report. The commission shall have an additional 30-
21 day period following the public comment period to prepare and
22 issue a final report incorporating any public comments they deem
23 appropriate and justified. This final report shall be
24 distributed to all members of the General Assembly; and be it
25 further
26 RESOLVED, That the final report of the commission shall be
27 expeditiously brought to vote by the General Assembly. The vote
28 by the General Assembly shall be to accept or reject the
29 recommendations of the commission; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That if a constitutional majority of the members of
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1 the General Assembly vote to accept the final report of the
2 commission, procedures shall be immediately implemented by the
3 General Assembly to reform legislative compensation and benefit
4 levels based on the recommendations contained in the
5 commission's final report; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives shall provide the
7 funds and staff necessary for the commission to carry out its
8 functions and duties under this resolution; and be it further
9 RESOLVED, That the commission's work will be concluded upon
10 issuance of the final report.
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