Bill Text: PA HB248 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishing an economic forum for the forecasting of State revenue; and providing for its powers and duties.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 8-2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-01-26 - Referred to FINANCE [HB248 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2011-HB248-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 199
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 248 Session of2011
INTRODUCED BY GROVE, D. COSTA, GINGRICH, KAUFFMAN, SWANGER, VULAKOVICH AND BROOKS, JANUARY 26, 2011
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, JANUARY 26, 2011
AN ACT
Establishing an economic forum for the forecasting of State
revenue; and providing for its powers and duties.
The General Assembly finds and declares that:
(1) The Commonwealth has consistent problems obtaining
the most accurate possible forecasts of its economic future,
including State revenues and spending.
(2) Poor budgetary projections lead to large fiscal
imbalances and may turn what might have been a manageable
problem, had it been handled in time, into a crisis.
(3) The State revenue forecasting process is fraught
with opportunities for political gamesmanship.
(4) A process is needed to produce accurate, timely
estimates of future State revenues and to enlist in that
process economic and taxation experts of known ability.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Forecasting
of State Revenue Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Economic forum." The economic forum established by this
act.
"State employee." The term does not include an employee of a
publicly funded institution of higher education.
Section 3. Economic forum.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) An economic forum is established for the State
government which shall be composed of such persons and shall
function as provided in this act.
(2) No later than three months before the convening of
each regular session of the General Assembly, the Governor
shall convene an economic forum of the persons appointed
under this section.
(b) Composition.--Each of the following persons shall
appoint one member to the economic forum:
(1) The Governor.
(2) The President pro tempore of the Senate.
(3) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(4) The Minority Leader of the Senate.
(5) The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
(c) Qualifications.--Each person appointed to the economic
forum must be an expert of demonstrated ability in economic
forecasting, with an academic or professional background in
economics, must not have a vested interest in particular
programs and must not be a State employee.
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(d) Appointments.--
(1) In the notification to each appointee of the
selection to membership on the economic forum, the appointing
authority shall inform the person that it is expected that
the deliberations of the economic forum shall represent the
best professional judgment of the members and that the
attempt by any person who is not a member of the economic
forum to influence the decisions of the economic forum shall
be promptly reported to the appointing authorities.
(2) The Governor shall notify each appointee prior to
the time that the economic forum is convened the type of
economic information to be forecast and the date by which the
forecast is desired. The economic information shall extend to
a time period as least as far in the future as any budgetary
matters to be considered by the ensuing regular session of
the General Assembly.
(e) Chairperson.--The members of the economic forum shall
select a chairperson from among their membership.
Section 4. Technical committee.
(a) Composition.--
(1) Each person entitled to appoint a member of the
economic forum shall also appoint a member of a technical
committee. Appointees to the technical committee must be
experts of demonstrated ability in economics with an academic
or professional background in economics and have no vested
interest in particular programs. Members of the technical
committee may be State employees.
(2) The technical committee shall select a chairperson
from among its members.
(b) Duties.--The technical committee shall:
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(1) Recommend to the Governor the economic variables to
be forecast and the date by which the forecast is desired.
(2) Arrive at a consensus for the methodology to be used
to prepare the State revenue forecast based upon the economic
forecast prepared by the economic forum. The technical
committee may request information, data processing support
and other assistance from State agencies. State agencies
shall comply with reasonable requests made by the technical
committee.
(c) Limited communications.--No member of the technical
committee shall communicate either verbally or in writing with
any member of the economic forum on any matter pertinent to the
economic forecast during its preparation by the economic forum.
Communications pertinent to procedural matters are permitted.
Section 5. Presentation of economic forecast.
(a) General rule.--No less than three weeks prior to the
beginning of a regular session of the General Assembly, the
individuals who have appointed members to the economic forum and
the technical committee, or their designees, shall meet in a
public meeting to receive reports from those bodies.
(b) Methodology to be delivered.--
(1) No less than 24 hours prior to the public meeting
required in subsection (a), the technical committee shall
deliver to persons designated to attend the meeting a copy of
the methodology agreed upon by the technical committee.
(2) Subsequent to the delivery of the methodology, but
not less than 12 hours prior to the time of the convening of
the meeting, the chairperson of the economic forum shall
deliver to the chairperson of the technical committee a copy
of the economic forecast agreed upon by the economic forum.
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The technical committee shall prepare a State revenue
forecast using this economic forecast and this methodology.
(c) Agenda.--The agenda for the meeting shall consist of a
discussion by the chairperson of the economic forum of the
economic forecast followed by a discussion by the chairperson of
the technical committee of the methodology. The chairperson of
the technical committee shall then present the State revenue
forecast.
(d) Duty of State agencies to use economic forecast.--All
State agencies shall use this forecast, or any component
thereof, as appropriate, in any budget or other calculations
requiring a projection of future State revenues.
Section 6. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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