PRINTER'S NO. 386
No. 336 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY BARRAR, ADOLPH, BAKER, BASTIAN, BELFANTI, BEYER,
BIANCUCCI, BUXTON, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, CURRY, DALEY,
DENLINGER, FABRIZIO, FREEMAN, GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS,
GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHART, HENNESSEY, HESS, HUTCHINSON,
JAMES, KING, MANN, MARKOSEK, McILHATTAN, MELIO, PETRARCA,
PETRONE, PHILLIPS, RAYMOND, REICHLEY, SAMUELSON, SCAVELLO,
SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, SWANGER, THOMAS, WALKO, WATSON AND
YOUNGBLOOD, FEBRUARY 9, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, FEBRUARY 9, 2007
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania
2 Consolidated Statutes, to enhance assistance to veterans in
3 this Commonwealth by establishing the Governor's Veterans
4 Outreach and Assistance Center Program in the Department of
5 Military and Veterans Affairs; restructuring certain
6 administrative functions and responsibilities; transferring
7 functions of the Department of Labor and Industry into the
8 Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; and making an
9 appropriation.
10 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11 hereby enacts as follows:
12 Section 1. Title 51 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
13 Statutes is amended by adding a chapter to read:
14 CHAPTER 86
15 GOVERNOR'S VETERANS OUTREACH AND ASSISTANCE CENTERS
16 Sec.
17 8601. Definitions.
18 8602. Declaration of findings and purpose.
1 8603. Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance Center
2 Program.
3 8604. Transfers of functions and responsibilities.
4 8605. Subjects of transfer.
5 8606. Regulations.
6 § 8601. Definitions.
7 The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
8 shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
9 context clearly indicates otherwise:
10 "Bureau." The Bureau for Veterans' Affairs in the Department
11 of Military and Veterans Affairs.
12 "Entity." A general reference to one or more departments,
13 divisions, boards, agencies, commissions or organizations
14 involved in the performance of the executive or administrative
15 work of the Commonwealth.
16 "Program." The Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance
17 Center Program established by this chapter.
18 "Subjects of transfer." Powers, duties, personnel,
19 appropriations, allocations, documents, files, records,
20 contracts, agreements, equipment, material, orders, rights and
21 obligations utilized or accruing in connection with functions
22 transferred from one entity to another under this chapter.
23 § 8602. Declaration of findings and purpose.
24 The General Assembly finds and declares that:
25 (1) The five Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance
26 Centers currently in existence are, despite lacking any
27 specific statutory authorization, providing a variety of
28 valuable services to this Commonwealth's veterans.
29 (2) A program should be formally established in law to
30 guarantee continuity in the provision of such services.
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1 (3) It is the purpose of this chapter to more
2 effectively address the problems of this Commonwealth's
3 veterans by establishing a program, providing for the more
4 efficient delivery of services and effecting an improvement
5 in the coordination of resources available to this
6 Commonwealth's military veterans.
7 § 8603. Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance Center
8 Program.
9 The Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance Center
10 Program is established in the department. The program shall be
11 administered by the bureau, which shall determine the proper
12 scope and extent of the program consistent with this chapter.
13 § 8604. Transfers of functions and responsibilities.
14 (a) Transfer to department.--
15 (1) On October 1, 2007, as part of the program, the
16 bureau shall assume responsibility for the programs currently
17 administered by the five existing Governor's Veterans
18 Outreach and Assistance Centers. On that date, the bureau
19 shall assume direct operational control and ownership of the
20 subjects of transfer possessed by the five existing
21 Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance Centers.
22 (2) The following functions of the Department of Labor
23 and Industry are transferred to the Department of Military
24 and Veterans Affairs:
25 (i) All powers and duties, not otherwise expressly
26 transferred elsewhere by this chapter, and currently
27 performed by the five existing Governor's Veterans
28 Outreach and Assistance Centers.
29 (ii) Any related functions under the act of April 9,
30 1929 (P.L.177, No.175), known as The Administrative Code
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1 of 1929.
2 (iii) All other acts or parts of acts,
3 reorganization plans and executive orders that imposed
4 powers and duties upon the existing Governor's Veterans
5 Outreach and Assistance Centers.
6 (b) Duties of Department of Labor and Industry.--The
7 Department of Labor and Industry shall:
8 (1) Keep in force all current approved contracts
9 pertaining to the Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance
10 Centers, including, but not limited to, those under any
11 Governor's special grant program.
12 (2) Continue to function, until October 1, 2007, as the
13 Commonwealth agency responsible for insuring that existing
14 contracts are executed in compliance with Federal laws and
15 regulations.
16 (c) Coordination of functions.--The Department of Labor and
17 Industry and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
18 shall cooperate and coordinate, pursuant to section 501 of The
19 Administrative Code of 1929, with regard to:
20 (1) Receiving, processing and sharing all reports as may
21 be required under the terms of current contracts pertaining
22 to the existing Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance
23 Centers or by Federal or State law or regulation.
24 (2) Technical assistance with regard to the development
25 of all contracts starting on October 1, 2007.
26 (3) Obtaining and allocating any future funding that may
27 be available from the Federal government for the continued
28 operation of the program.
29 § 8605. Subjects of transfer.
30 (a) General rule.--Any subjects of transfer from the
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1 Department of Labor and Industry and the existing Governor's
2 Veteran Outreach and Assistance Centers under this chapter are
3 transferred to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
4 with the same force and effect as if those subjects of transfer
5 had originally belonged to or had been incurred or entered into
6 by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
7 (b) Employees.--The department shall employ those
8 individuals currently staffing the existing Governor's Veterans
9 Outreach and Assistance Centers, irrespective of whether the
10 individuals have heretofore been considered employees of the
11 centers or independent contractors. The employees shall be
12 granted civil service status in the same manner as other
13 similarly situated employees of the department.
14 § 8606. Regulations.
15 (a) Authorization.--The department shall have the power and
16 duty to promulgate regulations to administer the respective
17 functions transferred to it under this chapter.
18 (b) Continuation.--The regulations of the Department of
19 Labor and Industry for the administration of the functions
20 transferred under this chapter shall remain in effect until such
21 time as new regulations are promulgated under subsection (a).
22 Section 2. All acts and parts of acts are repealed insofar
23 as they are inconsistent with this act.
24 Section 3. The sum of $1,250,000, or as much thereof as may
25 be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of
26 Military and Veterans Affairs for the fiscal year July 1, 2007,
27 to June 30, 2008, to carry out the provisions of this act.
28 Section 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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