PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 1550, 2386, 2693 PRINTER'S NO. 3307
No. 1347 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY HERMAN, MICHLOVIC, NAILOR, STETLER, BOSCOLA,
FARGO, STAIRS, ITKIN, COY, BELARDI, PLATTS, HESS, NICKOL,
LESCOVITZ, TULLI, GORDNER, COWELL, DEMPSEY, DeLUCA,
HENNESSEY, MANDERINO, TRELLO, SCHRODER, RUBLEY, SEMMEL,
JOSEPHS, BUNT, McGILL, KREBS, TRICH, WAUGH AND HERSHEY,
APRIL 17, 1997
AMENDMENTS TO SENATE AMENDMENTS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
MARCH 30, 1998
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," further providing for committee membership
6 and for meetings; and providing for access to computer
7 information systems by persons outside the General Assembly.
8 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9 hereby enacts as follows:
10 Section 1. Sections 1 and 2 of the act of December 10, 1968
11 (P.L.1158, No.365), entitled "An act creating and establishing
12 the Legislative Data Processing Committee: providing for its
13 membership; prescribing its powers, functions and duties; and
14 making an appropriation," are amended to read:
15 Section 1. (a) There is hereby created the Legislative Data
16 Processing Committee which shall consist of two senators
17 appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, [the
18 Majority Leader of the Senate,] two senators appointed by the
1 Minority Leader of the Senate, [the Minority Whip of the
2 Senate,] two representatives appointed by the Speaker of the
3 House of Representatives[, the Majority Leader of the House of
4 Representatives,] and two representatives appointed by the
5 Minority Leader of the House of Representatives [and the
6 Minority Whip of the House of Representatives]. [Each [such <--
7 officer] appointed member of the Senate and the House of <--
8 Representatives may designate another member of their respective
9 Houses [to be a member of the committee in their stead or] to <--
10 temporarily act on behalf of such [officer.] member. In addition <--
11 to the members set forth herein, the Secretary of the Senate and
12 the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives shall serve as
13 nonvoting members of the committee. Members of the committee
14 shall serve during each regular session of the General Assembly,
15 and shall continue as members until the first Tuesday in January
16 of the next odd-numbered year and until their respective
17 successors shall qualify, provided they continue to be members
18 of the Senate or the House of Representatives. The committee has
19 a continuing existence and may meet and conduct its business at
20 any place within the Commonwealth during the sessions of
21 Legislature or any recess thereof and in the interim between
22 sessions.
23 (b) [Five] Six members of the committee shall constitute a
24 quorum and an affirmative vote of five members of the committee
25 shall be necessary to pass on any matter requiring committee
26 action.
27 (c) Nothing in this act or in any rules and regulations
28 promulgated by the committee shall prohibit a member of the
29 committee or a designee from participating in a meeting, <--
30 executive session, deliberations or any other activity via
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1 telephone or other electronic medium.
2 (D) THE COMMITTEE SHALL ADOPT RULES ALLOWING FOR AND <--
3 GOVERNING THE USE OF PROXIES BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, EXCEPT
4 THAT PROXIES MAY NOT BE USED TO ESTABLISH A QUORUM.
5 Section 2. The committee shall have the following powers and
6 duties:
7 (1) To establish and operate a legislative data processing
8 center incorporating a system or systems which will be capable
9 of storing and retrieving all of the financial, factual,
10 procedural and legal information necessary to serve all of the
11 committees, officers and agencies of the General Assembly.
12 (1.1) With the approval of the Senate Committee on
13 Management Operations and the Bi-partisan Management Committee
14 of the House of Representatives, to provide access to public
15 legislative information within the computer information systems
16 operated by the committee to persons outside the General
17 Assembly as the committee deems appropriate. Such access will be
18 provided in the manner approved by the committee, the Senate
19 Committee on Management Operations and the Bi-partisan
20 Management Committee of the House of Representatives. No
21 information residing in the computer information systems
22 operated by the committee shall be released or disseminated by
23 the committee or its employes to persons outside the General
24 Assembly without the approval of:
25 (i) The Senate Committee on Management Operations if the
26 document or information was originated, prepared, generated or
27 maintained in whole or in part by the Senate.
28 (ii) The Bi-partisan Management Committee of the House of
29 Representatives if the document or information was originated,
30 prepared, generated or maintained in whole or in part by the
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1 House of Representatives.
2 (1.2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1.1), to provide access to
3 information relating to bills, legislative histories and session
4 calendars to the Governor's Office, the Office of Attorney
5 General, the Auditor General, the State Treasurer, the heads of
6 other departments and such other offices within State government
7 as the committee, with the approval of the Senate Committee on
8 Management Operations and the Bi-partisan Management Committee
9 of the House of Representatives, shall determine.
10 (2) To appoint and employ an executive director, who shall
11 be the chief executive officer of the committee, and such other
12 personnel as the committee may deem necessary in the performance
13 of its duties and to fix the compensation of such executive
14 director and other personnel.
15 (3) To enter into contracts for the services of such
16 professional, expert or technical services as the committee may
17 deem necessary in the performance of its duties.
18 (4) To purchase or rent such equipment and supplies as the
19 committee may deem necessary in the performance of its duties.
20 (5) To select its own chairman, vice-chairman and such other
21 officers as the committee may deem necessary in the performance
22 of its duties.
23 (6) To make such rules and regulations as the committee may
24 deem necessary to properly carry out the purpose of the most
25 efficient use of a legislative data processing system.
26 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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