PRINTER'S NO. 3105
No. 2327 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY FEESE, BAKER, BELFANTI, CLARK, L. I. COHEN,
M. COHEN, DALLY, DeWEESE, FAIRCHILD, FLICK, FRANKEL, GEIST,
GORDNER, HALUSKA, HENNESSEY, HUTCHINSON, JOSEPHS, MANDERINO,
ORIE, ROHRER, ROSS, SAMUELSON, SAYLOR, SCRIMENTI,
S. H. SMITH, STEIL, STERN, E. Z. TAYLOR, WALKO, WOJNAROSKI
AND ROBERTS, MARCH 14, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MARCH 14, 2000
AN ACT
1 Establishing the Consolidated Statute Committee; and providing
2 for a program of consolidating statutes.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Consolidated
7 Statute Committee Act.
8 Section 2. Declaration of policy.
9 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
10 (1) Judges, lawyers, government officials and the
11 general public would be better able to understand, interpret,
12 implement and obey the laws of this Commonwealth if the
13 Commonwealth statutes were written in plain concise English
14 and organized by subject matter.
15 (2) The plan set forth in the act of November 25, 1970
16 (P.L.707, No.230), known as the Pennsylvania Consolidated
1 Statutes, provides a well-organized structure for the
2 Commonwealth's statutes.
3 (3) Since the enactment of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
4 Statutes, more than half the session laws of the Commonwealth
5 have not been codified into consolidated statute contemplated
6 by that act.
7 (4) The principal obstacle to completing the
8 codification of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is the
9 lack of oversight by the General Assembly to ensure the
10 quality of technical draftsmanship of this consolidation and
11 the enactment according to a schedule which will complete the
12 process early in this century.
13 Section 3. Definitions.
14 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
15 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
16 context clearly indicates otherwise:
17 "Bureau." The Legislative Reference Bureau.
18 "Commission." The Joint State Government Commission.
19 "Committee." The Consolidated Statute Committee established
20 in section 4.
21 Section 4. Consolidated Statute Committee.
22 (a) Establishment.--The Consolidated Statute Committee is
23 established as a joint committee of the General Assembly. The
24 committee shall be composed of 12 members of the General
25 Assembly:
26 (1) Six senators, three appointed by the Majority Leader
27 of the Senate and three appointed by the Minority Leader of
28 the Senate.
29 (2) Six representatives, three appointed by the Majority
30 Leader of the House of Representatives and three appointed by
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1 the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
2 (b) Terms.--
3 (1) A member shall serve a term of two years.
4 (2) A vacancy in office shall be filled for the
5 remainder of the term in the same manner as an original
6 appointment was made.
7 (c) Quorum.--Seven members shall constitute a quorum of the
8 committee.
9 (d) Chair.--The members shall elect a chair from among their
10 number and the chair shall serve a term of two years.
11 (e) Staff.--The bureau and the commission shall serve as
12 staff for the committee.
13 (f) Outside assistance.--The committee may draw on the
14 expertise of the bar and the academic profession in this
15 Commonwealth.
16 Section 5. Program for consolidation of statutes.
17 (a) Long term.--The committee shall set long-term goals for
18 the consolidation of all of the statutes of the Commonwealth.
19 (b) Short term.--For each session of the General Assembly,
20 the committee shall introduce at least one bill adding a part to
21 a title of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes.
22 (c) Report.--In September of each even-numbered year, the
23 committee shall make a progress report to the General Assembly.
24 Section 6. Effective date.
25 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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