PRINTER'S NO. 1674

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

No.

158

Session of

2023

INTRODUCED BY SOLOMON, KENYATTA, RABB, FLEMING, BOROWSKI, SCOTT

AND CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, JUNE 21, 2023

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, JUNE 21, 2023

A member who attends a duly called meeting of a standing or

special committee of which he or she is a member when the House

is not in session or who is summoned to the State Capitol or

elsewhere by the Speaker, or the Majority or Minority Leader of

the House, to perform legislative services when the House is not

in session shall be reimbursed per day for each day of service,

plus mileage to and from the member's residence, at such rates

as are established from time to time by the Committee on Rules

but not in excess of the applicable maximum mileage rate

authorized by the Federal Government. For travel to any location

of the House, or the Majority or the Minority Leader of the

House.

An employee of the House summoned by the Speaker or the

Majority or Minority Leader of the House to perform legislative

services outside of Harrisburg shall be reimbursed for actual

expenses and mileage to and from the employee's residence. Such

expenses may be paid by the Speaker, Majority or Minority

Leader, if they agree to do so, or shall be paid by the Chief

Clerk from appropriation accounts under the Chief Clerk's

exclusive control and jurisdiction, upon a written request

approved by the Speaker, or the Majority or the Minority Leader.

the member's accountable expenses or an account under the

control of the Speaker, the Majority Leader or the Minority

Leader.

Members and employees traveling outside the Commonwealth of

Pennsylvania who receive any reimbursement for expenses or

travel which reimbursement is from public funds shall file with

the Chief Clerk a statement containing their name and the name,

place, date and the purpose of the function.

Money appropriated specifically to and allocated under a

specific symbol number for allowable expenses of members of the

reimbursement shall be made from this account where a member is

directly reimbursed for the same purpose from any other

appropriation account. The amount of money appropriated to

members shall be published on a publicly accessible Internet

website managed and maintained by the Office of the Chief Clerk.

Such allowable expenses of members may be used for any

legislative purpose or function, including but not limited to

the following:

(1) Travel expense on legislative business.

(a) Mileage on session or nonsession days at a rate as

may be approved from time to time by the Committee on Rules,

(b) Miscellaneous transportation on legislative business

(taxi, airport limousine, parking, tolls), and expenses of a

similar nature; voucher and receipt with a statement of the

legislative reason for the expense; voucher only for any

single expense not in excess of $10.

(c) Travel on legislative business by common carrier

other than taxi and airport limousine; voucher and receipt

from common carrier.

(d) Car rental; voucher and receipt from rental agency

but reimbursement not to exceed in any month an amount as may

manufactured cars be rented.

(e) Lodging, restaurant charges and other miscellaneous

and incidental expenses while away from home. Vouchers only

for per diem allowance approved from time to time by the

Committee on Rules, but not in excess of the applicable

maximum per diem rate authorized by the Federal Government or

for actual expenses not in excess of such per diem rate.

(2) Administrative, clerical and professional services for

legislative business, except for employment of spouses or any

relatives, by blood or marriage.

(a) Administrative and clerical services; voucher and

rental only of office equipment; voucher and vendor's receipt,

except for postage expense.

(4) Restaurant and beverage charges for business meetings;

voucher and itemized vendor receipt, together with a statement

of the legislative reason for the expense, shall be submitted

with the request for reimbursement.

(5) Purchase of flags, plaques, publications, photographic

services, books, and other similar items in connection with

legislative activities; voucher and vendor's receipt.

(6) Communications and donations in extending

shall be used for contributions to political parties or their

affiliated organizations.

No money appropriated for members' and employees' expenses

shall be used for contributions to charitable organizations or

for charitable advertisements. This paragraph shall not prevent

a de minimis use of legislative resources, in connection with

legislative activities, to benefit a bona fide charitable

organization that serves a member's district.

Members and employees shall not request reimbursement for the

private lease of vehicles leased on a long-term basis. The Chief

Clerk is no longer authorized to enter into a master lease

member with a previously assigned automobile shall not be

required to surrender the automobile unless the Chief Clerk

determines that it is no longer practical or cost effective for

the automobile to remain in service to a member due to age or

high mileage of the automobile or needed repairs or damage to

the automobile. A member who is required to surrender an

automobile by the Chief Clerk may not receive a replacement

automobile.

All disbursements made, debts incurred or advancements paid

from any appropriation account made to the House or to a member

such disbursement, incur any debt or receive any advancement on

a form prescribed by the Chief Clerk.

The Chief Clerk shall prescribe the form of all such reports

and make such forms available to those persons required to file

such reports. Such report form shall include:

(1) As to personnel:

(a) The name, home address, job title, brief description

of duties and where they are performed, department or member

or members to whom assigned, the name of immediate supervisor

and minimum hours of employment per week of each employee.

(b) The appropriation account from which such employee

(b) The appropriation account from which the expenditure

was made and the name or names of the person or persons

requesting and/or authorizing the same.

The reporting requirements as to personnel may be fulfilled

by the maintenance in the Office of the Chief Clerk of the House

of an alphabetized, electronic file containing the current

information for each employee as set forth above.

All monthly reports filed on disbursements made or debts

incurred by any officer or member or employee from

appropriations made to the House or to a member or nonmember

14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-Know Law.

All vouchers and requisitions relating to all expenditures,

expenses, disbursements and other obligations out of all

appropriated funds of the House, and the documentation

evidencing payment of the vouchers and requisitions, shall be

available in accordance with the Right-to-Know Law.

All requests for reimbursement out of any appropriation shall

be accompanied by a voucher, or other documents where required,

evidencing payment or approval. All requests for reimbursement

out of any appropriation payable to a member, nonmember officer

or employee shall be void if not submitted within 90 days of the

form shall be approved and supplied by the Chief Clerk. Receipts

or documentation of every expenditure or disbursement which is

in excess of the maximum amount as set forth herein shall be

attached to the voucher. Where a request for payment is made in

advance of an expense actually incurred, the Chief Clerk, before

making such advance payment shall require a description

satisfactory to the Chief Clerk of the item or service to be

purchased or the expense to be incurred, and a receipt or other

documentation shall be given to the Chief Clerk after the item

or service has been purchased or expense incurred as evidence

or member, as the case may be, for such period of time as may be

necessary to enable the Legislative Audit Advisory Commission

created pursuant to the act of June 30, 1970 (P.L.442, No.151),

entitled "An act implementing the provisions of Article VIII,

section 10 of the Constitution of Pennsylvania, by designating

the Commonwealth officers who shall be charged with the function

of auditing the financial transactions after the occurrence

thereof of the Legislative and Judicial branches of the

government of the Commonwealth, establishing a Legislative Audit

Advisory Commission, and imposing certain powers and duties on

such commission," to conduct, through certified public

shall be available for a fee established by the Chief Clerk not

to exceed the cost of duplication.

Except as specifically prohibited by law or limited by this

rule, all expenditures of funds appropriated to the House or to

a member or nonmember officer shall be subject to the

expenditure guidelines established by the Rules Committee. The

Rules Committee shall establish standards regarding

documentation evidencing payment out of any appropriations

account made to the House or to a member or nonmember officer.

The Bipartisan Management Committee shall receive and review

shall implement cost-reducing and other new measures to improve

the fiscal operations of the House.