See other bills
under the
same topic
PRINTER'S NO. 510
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
516
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY ROAE, MILLARD, JAMES, BERNSTINE, MENTZER, KEEFER
AND SAYLOR, FEBRUARY 19, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 19, 2019
AN ACT
Amending Title 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, adding provisions relating to certain
legislative service agencies, merging the Legislative Budget
and Finance Committee and Joint State Government Commission
by establishing the Joint State Government Legislative Budget
and Finance Committee; and making related repeals.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 71 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a part to read:
PART IV
THE LEGISLATURE
Subpart
A. (Reserved)
B. (Reserved)
C. Legislative Service Agencies
SUBPART A
(Reserved)
SUBPART B
(Reserved)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
SUBPART C
LEGISLATIVE SERVICE AGENCIES
Chapter
35. Joint State Government Legislative Budget and Finance
Committee
CHAPTER 35
JOINT STATE GOVERNMENT LEGISLATIVE
BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
Sec.
3501. Scope of chapter.
3502. Definitions.
3503. Establishment of committee.
3504. Membership.
3505. Designees.
3506. Chairman.
3507. Executive director and staff.
3508. Organization and meetings.
3509. General powers and duties of committee.
3510. Duties relating to studies and investigations.
3511. Duties relating to budget and finance.
3512. Appropriation for committee.
3513. Compensation prohibited.
3514. Continuation of standing committees.
§ 3501. Scope of chapter.
This chapter relates to the Joint State Government
Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.
§ 3502. Definitions.
The following words and phrases as used in this chapter shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
20190HB0516PN0510 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
"Committee." The Joint State Government Legislative Budget
and Finance Committee established under section 3503 (relating
to establishment of committee).
"Executive director." The Executive Director of the Joint
State Government Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
established under section 3507 (relating to executive director
and staff).
§ 3503. Establishment of committee.
The entire membership of the House of Representatives and the
entire membership of the Senate shall constitute a continuing
joint legislative committee, to be known as the Joint State
Government Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.
§ 3504. Membership.
The committee shall consist of an executive committee
comprised of the following members:
(1) The President pro tempore of the Senate.
(2) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(3) The majority and minority leaders of the Senate.
(4) The majority and minority leaders of the House of
Representatives.
(5) The majority and minority whips of the Senate.
(6) The majority and minority whips of the House of
Representatives.
(7) The chairman of the majority and minority caucuses
of the Senate.
(8) The chairman of the majority and minority caucuses
of the House of Representatives.
§ 3505. Designees.
The members identified under section 3504 (relating to
membership) may designate any member of the Senate or House of
20190HB0516PN0510 - 3 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Representatives, respectively, to act in the executive committee
member's stead and to serve at the executive committee member's
discretion as a member of the executive committee.
§ 3506. Chairman.
The committee shall organize by the selection of a chairman
who shall be selected by the executive committee and who shall
be an ex officio member of the executive committee without a
vote.
§ 3507. Executive director and staff.
(a) General rule.--The committee shall employ an executive
director and professional, technical, clerical and other
assistance as may be deemed necessary.
(b) Powers and duties.--The executive director shall have
the following powers and duties:
(1) The continuous review of State expenditures,
revenues and analysis of budget to ascertain the facts,
compare cost, workload and other data, and make
recommendations concerning the State's budget and revenue of
the departments, boards, commissions and agencies of the
Commonwealth.
(2) Other duties assigned by the committee.
(c) Staff and limitation.--
(1) The executive director, in consultation with the
committee, shall employ the staff necessary to perform the
functions of the committee or required by the members of the
committee.
(2) In no case may the number of individuals employed as
staff to the committee exceed 75% of the number of
individuals employed by the Joint State Government Commission
and Legislative Budget and Finance Committee on the effective
20190HB0516PN0510 - 4 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
date of this section.
§ 3508. Organization and meetings.
(a) General rule.--The committee shall organize within 30
days of the effective date of this section, and thereafter the
executive committee shall hold the organization meeting within
30 days after the convening of the regular session of the
General Assembly in odd-numbered years. Meetings of the
committee shall be scheduled by the executive committee.
(b) Manner of convening meetings.--The executive committee
shall conduct the business of the committee and shall meet at
the call of the chairman or upon written request of six or more
members of the executive committee.
§ 3509. General powers and duties of committee.
The committee shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To request a department or agency of the
Commonwealth for information the committee deems pertinent to
the studies in which the committee is engaged.
(2) To designate persons, other than members of the
General Assembly, to act in advisory capacities.
(3) To make investigations and studies and to gather
information deemed useful to the General Assembly and to the
standing committees of the Senate and the House of
Representatives.
(4) To sit during the interim between regular
legislative sessions convening in odd-numbered years.
(5) To report to the General Assembly or to the various
standing committees of the Senate and the House of
Representatives findings and recommendations, accompanied
with drafts of legislation, as the committee deems necessary
for the information of and consideration by the General
20190HB0516PN0510 - 5 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Assembly.
(6) To furnish technical staff services requested by the
standing committees of the Senate and House of
Representatives during regular or special sessions of the
General Assembly.
(7) To study the revenues, expenditures and fiscal
problems of the Commonwealth, its officers, boards,
committees, commissions, institutions and other State
agencies.
§ 3510. Duties relating to studies and investigations.
(a) General rule.--The committee shall undertake, through
the standing committees of the Senate and House of
Representatives, studies and investigations as the General
Assembly by resolution directs.
(b) Designation of standing committees.--If a study or
investigation is made, the President pro tempore of the Senate
shall designate the appropriate standing committee of the Senate
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate
the appropriate standing committee of the House of
Representatives to make the study or investigation. The two
standing committees, when so designated, shall constitute a
joint study committee of the committee for that purpose.
(c) Meetings in interim between regular sessions.--During
the interim between regular sessions of the General Assembly
which convene in odd-numbered years, each joint study committee
assigned to make a study shall meet at the call of the chairman
of the committee or at the joint call of the chairman of the
designated standing committees of the Senate and House of
Representatives.
§ 3511. Duties relating to budget and finance.
20190HB0516PN0510 - 6 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
(a) General rule.--The committee shall have the following
powers and duties:
(1) To request, receive, review, examine, study,
ascertain and compare fiscal information concerning the
budget, the revenues and expenditures of the Commonwealth and
to make recommendations to the General Assembly, when found
advisable, directed to the elimination of unnecessary
expenditures and to the promotion of economy in the
government of the Commonwealth.
(2) To make current examination and, when pertinent,
reports concerning the current condition of all State money,
appropriations and other money, whether or not appropriations
are being currently expended for the purposes and within the
statutory restrictions provided by the General Assembly, and
concerning the current availability of revenue to meet
expenditures under appropriations.
(b) Reports of certain appropriations.--The committee shall
report to the General Assembly when they are in session, the
Governor and the Auditor General, when it appears that any
appropriation is being expended for purposes other than the
purposes for which the appropriation was intended, or if it
appears that any statutory restrictions or provisions are being
violated.
(c) Reports of fiscal nature.--The committee shall make
reports to the members of the General Assembly and, upon
request, to the standing committees of the Senate and House of
Representatives with respect to any of the committee's findings
or recommendations of a fiscal nature. The committee shall keep
complete minutes of committee meetings. The committee shall make
and distribute the final report to the members of the ensuing
20190HB0516PN0510 - 7 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
General Assembly not later than 10 days after the convening of
the regular session of the General Assembly.
(d) Subpoenas.--
(1) The committee may issue subpoenas, under the hand
and seal of the chairman, to compel the attendance of
witnesses and the production of any papers, books, accounts,
documents and testimony touching matters of a fiscal nature
properly being inquired into by the committee, to administer
oaths, and to cause the deposition of witnesses, either
residing within or without this Commonwealth, to be taken in
the manner prescribed by laws for taking depositions in civil
actions.
(2) Any person who wilfully neglects or refuses to
comply with a subpoena issued on behalf of the committee
under this section, or refuses to testify to any matter the
person may be lawfully interrogated under this section, shall
be subject to the penalties provided by the laws of the
Commonwealth in such cases.
(e) Reimbursements to witnesses.--Each witness who appears
before the committee by its order, other than an officer or
employee of the Commonwealth, shall receive for the witness's
attendance the fees and mileage provided for witnesses in civil
cases in courts of record, which shall be audited and paid out
of the money of the committee upon the presentation of proper
vouchers signed by the witness and approved by the chairman or
vice-chairman of the committee.
(f) Opportunity to comment.--Before a written report is made
by the committee under this section, the department, officer or
agency of the government involved in the report shall be
afforded an opportunity to comment, and the comments shall be
20190HB0516PN0510 - 8 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
attached to the report.
§ 3512. Appropriation for committee.
An item of appropriation shall be included in the General
Appropriation Act to pay the expenses of the members of the
committee, and for the salary of the executive director,
clerical and other hire and incidental expenses.
§ 3513. Compensation prohibited.
No member of the committee shall receive any remuneration,
salary or expenses as a member of the committee other than
remuneration, salary and expenses as a member of the General
Assembly and traveling expenses incurred upon the business of
the committee or its study committees.
§ 3514. Continuation of standing committees.
For the purposes of this chapter, the standing committees of
the Senate and House of Representatives shall continue during
the interim between sessions convening in odd-numbered years.
Section 2. Any reference in any other law to the Joint State
Government Commission or Legislative Budget and Finance
Committee shall be deemed to be a reference to the Joint State
Government Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.
Section 3. Repeals are as follows:
(1) The General Assembly finds that the repeals under
paragraph (2) are necessary to implement this act.
(2) The following acts are repealed:
(i) The act of July 1, 1937 (P.L.2460, No.459).
(ii) The act of August 4, 1959 (P.L.587, No.195).
Section 4. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20190HB0516PN0510 - 9 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27