PRINTER'S NO. 93
No. 93 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, JANUARY 23, 1989
REFERRED TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE, JANUARY 23, 1989
AN ACT
1 Providing for a voluntary contribution system to aid indigent
2 persons; establishing a special fund; imposing duties on the
3 Department of Public Welfare; and making a repeal.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Indigent
8 Assistance Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Department." The Department of Public Welfare of the
14 Commonwealth.
15 "Fund." The Indigent Assistance Fund.
16 "Indigent person." An individual who lacks sufficient
17 financial resources to adequately provide for food, clothing and
18 shelter and who does not receive assistance from the department
1 or any other State or Federal agency.
2 Section 3. Voluntary contribution system.
3 (a) Designation of contribution on tax return.--The
4 Department of Revenue shall provide a space on the front of the
5 Pennsylvania Individual Income Tax Return whereby an individual
6 may voluntarily designate a contribution of any amount desired
7 to the Indigent Assistance Fund established in section 4.
8 (b) Deduction from refund.--The amount designated by an
9 individual on the income tax return form shall be deducted from
10 the tax refund to which the individual is entitled and shall not
11 constitute a charge against the income tax revenues due the
12 Commonwealth.
13 (c) Transfer of funds.--The Department of Revenue shall
14 determine annually the total amount designated pursuant to this
15 section and shall report the amount to the State Treasurer, who
16 shall transfer the amount from the General Fund to the Indigent
17 Assistance Fund.
18 (d) Information concerning fund.--The Department of Revenue
19 shall provide adequate information concerning the Indigent
20 Assistance Fund in its instructions which accompany State income
21 tax return forms, which shall include the listing of an address,
22 furnished to it by the department, to which contributions may be
23 sent by those taxpayers wishing to contribute to the fund but
24 who do not receive refunds.
25 Section 4. Indigent Assistance Fund.
26 (a) Fund established.--In order to carry out the purposes of
27 this act, there is hereby created a special fund, which shall be
28 known as the Indigent Assistance Fund in the State Treasury.
29 (b) Source of money.--All money received from the voluntary
30 contribution system established in section 3 shall be deposited
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1 in the fund.
2 (c) Appropriations.--The General Assembly may, from time to
3 time, appropriate funds into the special fund for the purposes
4 of this act.
5 (d) Continuous appropriation.--The moneys contained in the
6 fund are continuously appropriated to the department for
7 exclusive use in carrying out the purposes of this act.
8 Section 5. Establishment of assistance program.
9 The department shall use the money in the Indigent Assistance
10 Fund to establish a Statewide program to provide food, clothing
11 shelter, medical care and social services for indigent persons.
12 Section 6. Repeals.
13 Section 12 of the act of June 23, 1982 (P.L.597, No.170),
14 known as the Wild Resource Conservation Act, is repealed insofar
15 as it is inconsistent with this act.
16 Section 7. Applicability.
17 This act shall apply to tax years beginning on or after
18 January 1, 1989.
19 Section 8. Effective date.
20 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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