Bill Text: PA HB1461 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Further providing for submission and retention of contracts and for public availability of contracts.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Republican 10-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-05-07 - Referred to STATE GOVERNMENT [HB1461 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HB1461-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 1805
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1461 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY CHRISTIANA, FLECK, GABLER, MARSHALL AND REED, MAY 7, 2009
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MAY 7, 2009
AN ACT
Amending the act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), entitled
"An act providing for access to public information, for a
designated open-records officer in each Commonwealth agency,
local agency, judicial agency and legislative agency, for
procedure, for appeal of agency determination, for judicial
review and for the Office of Open Records; imposing
penalties; providing for reporting by State-related
institutions; requiring the posting of certain State contract
information on the Internet; and making related repeals,"
further providing for submission and retention of contracts
and for public availability of contracts.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Sections 1701(a) and 1702(a) of the act of
February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the Right-to-Know Law,
are amended to read:
Section 1701. Submission and retention of contracts.
(a) General rule.--Whenever any Commonwealth agency,
legislative agency or judicial agency shall enter into any
contract [involving any property, real, personal or mixed of any
kind or description or any contract for personal services] where
the consideration, including contingent liabilities, involved in
the contract is or could be $5,000 or more, a copy of the
contract shall be filed with the Treasury Department within ten
days after the contract is fully executed on behalf of the
Commonwealth agency, legislative agency or judicial agency or
otherwise becomes an obligation of the Commonwealth agency,
legislative agency or judicial agency. [The provisions of this
chapter shall not apply to contracts for services protected by a
privilege.] The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to a
purchase order evidencing fulfillment of an existing contract
but shall apply to a purchase order evidencing new obligations.
The following shall apply:
(1) Each Commonwealth agency, legislative agency and
judicial agency shall submit contracts in a form and
structure mutually agreed upon by the Commonwealth agency,
legislative agency or judicial agency and the State
Treasurer.
(2) [The Treasury Department may require each] Each
Commonwealth agency, legislative agency or judicial agency
[to] shall provide a summary with each contract, which shall
include the following:
(i) Date of execution.
(ii) Amount of the contract.
(iii) Beginning date of the contract.
(iv) End date of the contract, if applicable.
(v) Name of the agency entering into the contract.
(vi) The name of all parties executing the contract.
(vii) Subject matter of the contract.
Each agency shall create and maintain the data under this
paragraph in an ASCII-delimited text file, spreadsheet file
or other file provided by Treasury Department regulation.
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Section 1702. Public availability of contracts.
(a) General rule.--The Treasury Department shall make each
contract filed pursuant to section 1701 available for public
inspection [either] by posting [a] the copy of the contract on
the Treasury Department's publicly accessible Internet website
[or by posting a] and the contract summary on the department's
publicly accessible Internet website. All postings shall be
interoperative with each department's site on the State portal
of the Internet and with the appropriation line within the
appropriate general appropriation act from which funds for the
contract are appropriated. The Office of Administration, the
Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts and the
Legislative Data and Processing Center shall provide assistance
to the Treasury Department.
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Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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