PRINTER'S NO. 1079
No. 971 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY EVANS, DeWEESE, MUNDY, ROBINSON, SOLOBAY, GEORGE,
GORDNER, MYERS, CAPPABIANCA, GRUCELA, SURRA, TRELLO,
SCRIMENTI, SHANER, STURLA, M. COHEN, TIGUE, TRICH, MICHLOVIC,
RAMOS, WILLIAMS, DeLUCA, HARHAI, STEELMAN, FREEMAN AND MANN,
MARCH 22, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, MARCH 22, 1999
AN ACT
1 Providing deadlines for budgetary actions by the General
2 Assembly; and imposing certain sanctions.
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 Budget Reform
7 Act.
8 Section 2. Legislative intent.
9 It is the intent of the General Assembly that this act
10 promote the timely passage of the annual State budget and
11 broaden the opportunities for participation in the budget
12 process by all members of the General Assembly.
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:
1 "Balanced budget." A budget that sets forth in detail:
2 (1) The amounts to be appropriated to the General
3 Assembly, the Judicial Department, the Governor and the
4 several administrative departments, boards and commissions of
5 the State government, and to institutions within this
6 Commonwealth, and for all public purposes, classified by
7 department or agency and by program, including those
8 institutions covered under section 30 of Article III of the
9 Constitution of Pennsylvania. Total appropriations, including
10 executive authorizations, from any fund shall not exceed the
11 estimated revenues or receipts from that fund as defined in
12 paragraph (2).
13 (2) The total estimated revenues or receipts available
14 from all current and proposed sources for Federal
15 appropriations, including executive authorizations, from the
16 General Fund, for State appropriations, including executive
17 authorizations, from the General Fund and for appropriations,
18 including executive authorizations, made by the General
19 Assembly from any other funds.
20 Section 4. Required budget introduction.
21 No later than the third week of May, the Majority Leader and
22 the Minority Leader of the Senate or the chair or minority chair
23 of the Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the Majority
24 Leader and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives
25 or the chair or minority chair of the Appropriations Committee
26 of the House of Representatives shall introduce, jointly or
27 separately, a balanced budget along with any legislation
28 concerning proposals for new revenues and receipts included in
29 the total estimated revenues or receipts.
30 Section 5. Initial passage of proposed budget.
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1 No later than June 7, the Senate and the House of
2 Representatives shall each be required to pass a balanced budget
3 along with any legislation concerning proposals for new revenues
4 and receipts included in the total estimated revenues or
5 receipts.
6 Section 6. Budgetary limitation on conference committees.
7 (a) Meeting.--No committee of conference on the budget for
8 the ensuing fiscal year can meet until both chambers have passed
9 a balanced budget bill along with any legislation concerning
10 proposals for new revenues and receipts as required under
11 section 5.
12 (b) Budget report.--The report of the Committee of
13 Conference on the budget for the ensuing fiscal year may not be
14 brought to a final vote in either chamber until 24 hours after
15 the report has been signed.
16 (c) Revenue report.--The report of the Committee of
17 Conference on any revenue-raising bill may not be brought to a
18 final vote in either chamber until 24 hours after the report has
19 been signed.
20 Section 7. Final passage and certification.
21 No later than June 30, the General Assembly shall finally
22 pass a balanced budget and all legislation necessary for the
23 implementation of the budget. The Majority Leader and the
24 Minority Leader of the Senate and the Majority Leader and the
25 Minority Leader of the House of Representatives shall certify to
26 the President pro tempore of the Senate and to the Speaker of
27 the House of Representatives that legislative authorization has
28 passed for the expenditure of all funds appropriated in the
29 passed budget.
30 Section 8. Sanctions.
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1 (a) Failure to comply with section 4.--In the event that the
2 presiding officer of either chamber has determined that the
3 Majority Leader or the Minority Leader of the Senate or the
4 Majority Leader or the Minority Leader of the House of
5 Representatives by the third week of May has not complied with
6 the requirements of section 4, then the operating accounts of
7 that leader's caucus of the General Assembly shall be suspended
8 so that no moneys can be expended from such operating accounts
9 until the requirements of section 4 are met without regard to
10 date.
11 (b) Failure to comply with section 5.--In the event that the
12 presiding officer of either chamber has determined that the
13 Senate or the House of Representatives by June 7 has not
14 complied with the requirements of section 5, then the operating
15 accounts of that chamber shall be suspended so that no moneys
16 can be expended from such operating accounts until the
17 requirements of section 5 are met without regard to date.
18 (c) Failure to comply with section 7.--In the event that a
19 balanced budget is not passed and the certification required
20 under section 7 is not made by June 30, the operating accounts
21 of the General Assembly shall be suspended so that no moneys can
22 be expended from such accounts until such requirements have been
23 met without regard to date.
24 (d) Definition.--As used in this section, the term
25 "operating account" means any account or portion of an account
26 used for, but not limited to, expenditures for any and all
27 personnel costs for elected members or employees, operating
28 expenses and the purchase of fixed assets.
29 Section 9. Rules and procedures.
30 Each chamber of the General Assembly shall adopt rules and
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1 procedures necessary to implement this legislation.
2 Section 10. Effective date.
3 This act shall take effect immediately.
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