PRINTER'S NO. 1924
No. 1438 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY ROBBINS, PUNT, KITCHEN, BELL, HELFRICK, BELAN,
WAUGH, WAGNER, TILGHMAN, FUMO, STAPLETON, BRIGHTBILL,
SALVATORE, MUSTO, TOMLINSON, THOMPSON, PICCOLA, COSTA, HART,
KUKOVICH, WHITE, MADIGAN, RHOADES, BOSCOLA, EARLL,
TARTAGLIONE, SLOCUM AND GERLACH, MAY 3, 2000
REFERRED TO MILITARY AND VETERANS AFFAIRS, MAY 3, 2000
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.
19 8603. Program established.
20 8604. Transfers of functions and responsibilities.
1 8605. Subjects of transfer.
2 8606. Regulations.
3 § 8601. Definitions.
4 The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
5 shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
6 context clearly indicates otherwise:
7 "Bureau." The Bureau for Veterans' Affairs in the Department
8 of Military and Veterans Affairs.
9 "Entity." a general reference to one or more departments,
10 divisions, boards, agencies, commissions or organizations
11 involved in the performance of the executive or administrative
12 work of the Commonwealth.
13 "Program." The Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance
14 Center program established by this chapter.
15 "Subjects of transfer." Powers, duties, personnel,
16 appropriations, allocations, documents, files, records,
17 contracts, agreements, equipment, material, orders, rights and
18 obligations utilized or accruing in connection with functions
19 transferred from one entity to another under this chapter.
20 § 8602. Declaration of findings and purpose.
21 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
22 (1) The five Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance
23 Centers currently in existence are, despite lacking any
24 specific statutory authorization, providing a variety of
25 valuable services to this Commonwealth's veterans.
26 (2) The program should be formally established in law to
27 guarantee continuity in the provision of such services.
28 (3) It is the purpose of this chapter to more
29 effectively address the problems of this Commonwealth's
30 veterans by establishing a program, providing for the more
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1 efficient delivery of services and effecting an improvement
2 in the coordination of resources available to this
3 Commonwealth's military veterans.
4 § 8608. Program established.
5 There is hereby established in the department a program to be
6 known as the Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance Center
7 program. The program shall be administered by the Bureau for
8 Veterans' Affairs, which shall determine the proper scope and
9 extent of the program consistent with this chapter.
10 8604. Transfers of functions and responsibilities.
11 (a) Transfer to department.--On October 1, 2000, as part of
12 the program, the bureau shall assume responsibility for the
13 programs currently administered by the five existing Governor's
14 Veterans Outreach and Assistance Centers. On that date, the
15 bureau shall assume direct operational control and ownership of
16 the subjects of transfer possessed by the five existing
17 Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance Centers. The
18 following functions of the Department of Labor and Industry are
19 transferred to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs:
20 (1) All powers and duties, not otherwise expressly
21 transferred elsewhere by this chapter, and currently
22 performed by the five existing Governor's Veterans Outreach
23 and Assistance Centers.
24 (2) Any related functions under the act of April 9, 1929
25 (P.L.177, No.175), known as The Administrative Code of 1929.
26 (3) All other acts or parts of acts, reorganization
27 plans and executive orders that imposed powers and duties
28 upon the existing Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance
29 Centers.
30 (b) Duties of Department of Labor and Industry.--The
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1 Department of Labor and Industry shall:
2 (1) Keep in force all current approved contracts
3 pertaining to the Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance
4 Centers, including, but not limited to, those under any
5 Governor's special grant program.
6 (2) Continue to function, until October 1, 2000, as the
7 Commonwealth agency responsible for insuring that existing
8 contracts are executed in compliance with Federal laws and
9 regulations.
10 (c) Coordination of functions.--the Department of Labor and
11 Industry and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
12 shall cooperate and coordinate, pursuant to section 501 of The
13 Administrative Code of 1929, with regard to:
14 (1) Receiving, processing and sharing all reports as may
15 be required under the terms of current contracts pertaining
16 to the existing Governor's Veterans Outreach and Assistance
17 Centers or by Federal or state law or regulation.
18 (2) Technical assistance with regard to the development
19 of all contracts starting on October 1, 2000.
20 (3) Obtaining and allocating any future funding that may
21 be available from the Federal government for the continued
22 operation of the program.
23 § 8605. Subjects of transfer.
24 (a) General rule.--Any subjects of transfer from the
25 Department of Labor and Industry and the existing Governor's
26 Veteran Outreach and Assistance Centers under this chapter are
27 transferred to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs
28 with the same force and effect as if those subjects of transfer
29 had originally belonged to or had been incurred or entered into
30 by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
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1 (b) Employees.--The department shall employ those
2 individuals currently staffing the existing Governor's Veterans
3 Outreach and Assistance Centers, irrespective of whether the
4 individuals have heretofore been considered employees of the
5 centers or independent contractors. The employees shall be
6 granted civil service status in the same manner as other
7 similarly situated employees of the department.
8 § 8606. Regulations.
9 (a) Authorization.--The Department of Military and Veterans
10 Affairs shall have the power and duty to promulgate regulations
11 to administer the respective functions transferred to it under
12 this chapter.
13 (b) Continuation.--The regulations of the Department of
14 Labor and Industry for the administration of the functions
15 transferred under this chapter shall remain in effect until such
16 time as new regulations are promulgated under subsection (a).
17 Section 2. All acts and parts of acts are repealed insofar
18 as they are inconsistent with this act.
19 Section 3. The sum of $1,250,000, or as much thereof as may
20 be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of
21 Military and Veterans Affairs for the fiscal year July 1, 2000,
22 to June 30, 2001, to carry out the provisions of this act.
23 Section 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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