PRIOR PASSAGE - NONE
PRINTER'S NO. 2904
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1989
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY O'NEAL, LEWIS, GROVE, KEEFER, HERSHEY, OWLETT,
RYAN, JONES, GLEIM, DUSH, BERNSTINE, MILLARD, BARRAR,
B. MILLER, MOUL, STAATS, THOMAS, KAUFFMAN, TOOHIL, WALSH,
GILLEN, ECKER, DIAMOND AND NELSON, NOVEMBER 19, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, NOVEMBER 19, 2019
A JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, in taxation and finance, further providing
for surplus.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby resolves as follows:
Section 1. The following amendment to the Constitution of
Pennsylvania is proposed in accordance with Article XI:
That section 14 of Article VIII be amended to read:
ยง 14. [Surplus] Budgetary Reserves and Surplus Funds.
[All surplus of operating funds at the end of the fiscal year
shall be appropriated during the ensuing fiscal year by the
General Assembly.]
(a) At the end of each fiscal year, the State Treasurer
shall transfer the surplus of all operating funds into the
Budgetary Stabilization Reserve Fund until the amount in the
Budget Stabilization Reserve Fund is equal to or exceeds 20% of
the Commonwealth's total revenue collection.
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(b) Surplus operating funds at the end of a fiscal year in
which the Budgetary Stabilization Reserve Fund balance exceeds
20% of the Commonwealth's total revenue collection shall be
appropriated during the ensuing fiscal year by the General
Assembly.
(c) Money transferred into the Budgetary Stabilization
Reserve Fund under subsection (a) shall be subject to the
following restrictions:
(1) The State Treasurer may loan up to 20% of the balance in
the Budgetary Stabilization Reserve Fund to pay obligations of
the General Fund if the money in the General Fund is
insufficient to pay the obligations of the General Fund. The
money shall be repaid within the fiscal year in which it is
loaned.
(2) The General Assembly shall not appropriate money in the
Budgetary Stabilization Reserve Fund unless approved by two-
thirds of the members in the Senate and the House of
Representatives.
Section 2. (a) Upon the first passage by the General
Assembly of this proposed constitutional amendment, the
Secretary of the Commonwealth shall proceed immediately to
comply with the advertising requirements of section 1 of Article
XI of the Constitution of Pennsylvania and shall transmit the
required advertisements to two newspapers in every county in
which such newspapers are published in sufficient time after
passage of this proposed constitutional amendment.
(b) Upon the second passage by the General Assembly of this
proposed constitutional amendment, the Secretary of the
Commonwealth shall proceed immediately to comply with the
advertising requirements of section 1 of Article XI of the
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Constitution of Pennsylvania and shall transmit the required
advertisements to two newspapers in every county in which such
newspapers are published in sufficient time after passage of
this proposed constitutional amendment. The Secretary of the
Commonwealth shall submit this proposed constitutional amendment
to the qualified electors of this Commonwealth at the first
primary, general or municipal election which meets the
requirements of and is in conformance with section 1 of Article
XI of the Constitution of Pennsylvania and which occurs at least
three months after the proposed constitutional amendment is
passed by the General Assembly.
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