Regular Session 2017-2018 House Bill 0672 P.N. 0718

PRINTER'S NO. 718

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No.

672

Session of

2017

INTRODUCED BY SACCONE, MILLARD, GROVE, B. MILLER AND PHILLIPS-

HILL, MARCH 2, 2017

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, MARCH 2, 2017

AN ACT

Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), entitled,

as amended, "An act providing for and reorganizing the

conduct of the executive and administrative work of the

Commonwealth by the Executive Department thereof and the

administrative departments, boards, commissions, and officers

thereof, including the boards of trustees of State Normal

Schools, or Teachers Colleges; abolishing, creating,

reorganizing or authorizing the reorganization of certain

administrative departments, boards, and commissions; defining

the powers and duties of the Governor and other executive and

administrative officers, and of the several administrative

departments, boards, commissions, and officers; fixing the

salaries of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and certain

other executive and administrative officers; providing for

the appointment of certain administrative officers, and of

all deputies and other assistants and employes in certain

departments, boards, and commissions; providing for the

regulation of pari-mutuel thoroughbred horse racing and

harness horse racing activities, imposing certain taxes and

providing for the disposition of funds from pari-mutuel

tickets; and prescribing the manner in which the number and

compensation of the deputies and all other assistants and

employes of certain departments, boards and commissions shall

be determined," in Commonwealth budget procedures, providing

for cost savings realized during fiscal year and establishing

the Taxpayers Savings Account within the General Fund for

deposits of cost savings.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. The act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), known

as The Administrative Code of 1929, is amended by adding a

section to read:

Section 626. Cost Savings Realized During Fiscal Year.--(a)

Following the enactment of the general appropriation bill for a

given fiscal year and prior to the passage of the general

appropriation bill for the fiscal year that immediately follows,

an executive agency shall provide notice of any savings realized

from its line items within the enacted appropriation bill to the

Secretary of the Budget within fourteen (14) calendar days of

determining the existence of the savings.

(b) Upon receiving notice under subsection (a), the

Secretary of the Budget shall send written notification of the

savings realized to the following:

(1) The Treasury Department.

(2) The following members of the Senate:

(i) The President pro tempore of the Senate.

(ii) The Majority Leader of the Senate.

(iii) The Minority Leader of the Senate.

(iv) The majority chairperson of the Appropriations

Committee of the Senate.

(v) The minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee

of the Senate.

(3) The following members of the House of Representatives:

(i) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(ii) The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(iii) The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives

(iv) The majority chairperson of the Appropriations

Committee of the House of Representatives.

(v) The minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee

of the House of Representatives.

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Department shall transfer the reported savings realized into the

account established under subsection (f).

(d) The following shall apply regarding a waiver request

under this section:

(1) An executive agency may submit a waiver request to the

Secretary of the Budget to use the savings realized under

subsection (a).

(2) The Secretary of the Budget shall send a waiver request

to the Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the

Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives for

consideration.

(3) A waiver may be approved only if the waiver:

(i) does not exceed twenty-five per centum (25%) of the

reported savings realized under subsection (a); and

(ii) is necessary for the executive agency to fulfill its

obligations under Federal or State law.

(4) If a requested waiver meets the requirements under

paragraph (3), the Secretary of the Budget shall send a written

explanation of the waiver request and its merits to the

Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the Appropriations

Committee of the House of Representatives for consideration.

(e) The following shall apply regarding the approval of a

waiver request under this section:

(1) A waiver request shall be considered approved only if it

is approved by a majority vote in both the Appropriations

Committee of the Senate and the Appropriations Committee of the

House of Representatives.

(2) If a waiver request is approved, the Treasury Department

shall transfer the amount of money approved under the waiver

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from the account in which the reported savings realized had been

deposited to the executive agency, to be used as directed in the

executive agency's corresponding line item of the enacted

appropriations bill.

(f) The Taxpayers Savings Account is established as a

restricted account within the General Fund to which all cost

savings realized under subsection (a) are deposited.

(g) As used in this section, the following words and phrases

shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless

the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Account." The Taxpayers Savings Account established under

subsection (f).

"Executive agency." Any of the following:

(1) The Office of the Governor.

(2) The Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

(3) The Department of the Auditor General.

(4) The Office of Attorney General.

(5) An agency or department of the Commonwealth within the

executive branch, excluding an office or department under

paragraph (1), (2), (3) or (4).

(6) An independent board or commission of the Commonwealth.

Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

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