PRINTER'S NO. 5
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No. 5
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY L. WILLIAMS, JANUARY 7, 2025
INTRODUCED, JANUARY 7, 2025
A RESOLUTION
1 Adopting Financial Operating Rules of the Senate.
2 RESOLVED, That Financial Operating Rules of the Senate be
3 adopted for the governing of the 209th and 210th Regular
4 Session.
5 2025-2026
6 FINANCIAL OPERATING RULES OF THE SENATE
7 Rule 1. Personnel.
8 (a) Central office.--The office of the Chief Clerk of the
9 Senate shall serve as the central office of the Senate for all
10 personnel and payroll matters.
11 (b) Employees of the Senate.--
12 (1) Personnel files.--Before any individual is placed on
13 any payroll of the Senate, there must be in the office of the
14 Chief Clerk a payroll file containing:
15 (i) Full name of employee.
16 (ii) Full address.
17 (iii) Date of employment or job transfer.
 1 (iv) Actual functional job title or description to
2 include general hours of work, general job
3 responsibilities and primary work location.
4 (v) The name of the Senator or Officer responsible
5 for monitoring the employee's performance.
6 (vi) Notification of appointment signed by the
7 authorizing Senator or Officer including a delineation of
8 the account from which the employee is to be paid.
9 (vii) The current compensation level with signature
10 approval of the authorizing Senator or Officer. Overtime
11 payments may be authorized only in emergency maintenance
12 and security situations with the signature approvals of
13 the Senator or Officer responsible for monitoring
14 performance, the authorizing Senator or Officer and the
15 President Pro Tempore.
16 (viii) All information necessary for tax withholding
17 and benefit eligibility.
18 (ix) Employment Eligibility Verification Form.
19 (2) Maintenance.--It is the responsibility of the Chief
20 Clerk to develop procedures necessary to maintain this
21 payroll file information on a current basis. All payroll
22 changes shall be reflected by the next appropriate payroll
23 period providing said change is received in the office of the
24 Chief Clerk prior to processing of the payroll.
25 (3) Reclassification of employees.--Any reclassification
26 of employees under the Senate of Pennsylvania Pay Management
27 Plan shall be submitted by the Senator or Officer authorizing
28 such reclassification to the Senate Committee on Management
29 Operations for approval or disapproval. The Senate Committee
30 on Management Operations is authorized to establish a
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 1 bipartisan subcommittee to consider and approve or disapprove
2 all such requests subject to an appeal by the Senator or
3 Officer for consideration of the reclassification by the
4 Senate Committee on Management Operations.
5 (c) Contract for services.--
6 (1) Service contracts.--For any person retained on a
7 contractual basis by any Officer or Senator to provide
8 services, the following documents shall be filed with the
9 office of the Chief Clerk:
10 (i) A copy of the contract signed by the authorizing
11 Senator or Officer including:
12 (A) Full name, address and Federal tax
13 identification number of the contractor.
14 (B) Duration of the contract.
15 (C) Maximum cost of the contract and terms of
16 payment.
17 (D) Clear, detailed description of the type of
18 service to be performed or product to be delivered.
19 (ii) The name of the Senator or Officer responsible
20 for monitoring the contractor's performance.
21 (iii) Additional information as required by policies
22 of the Senate Committee on Management Operations.
23 (2) Limitation on contracts.--Except as authorized by
24 policies of the Senate Committee on Management Operations, no
25 contract may extend beyond the expiration of the term of
26 office of the Senator.
27 (3) Contract review.--All contracts for services shall
28 be submitted to the Chief Clerk for review and approval
29 regarding conformity with applicable laws, rules and policies
30 adopted by the Senate Committee on Management Operations.
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 1 (4) Payment.--Payments under contract shall be made in
2 accordance with provisions of the contract provided that a
3 voucher for such payment is received in the office of the
4 Chief Clerk before the applicable processing deadline.
5 Contractor performance shall be reviewed by the monitoring
6 individual designated pursuant to paragraph (1)(ii), who
7 under conditions of satisfactory performance and conformity
8 to the contract shall approve the voucher prior to
9 processing.
10 (d) Authorized accounts.--Salaries, wages and related
11 benefits shall be paid from accounts so authorized by the
12 General Appropriation Act. The authorized accounts may pay
13 expenses related to contracts for services.
14 Rule 2. Travel allowances and reimbursements.
15 (a) Senator travel.--Travel allowances or reimbursements may
16 be paid to a Senator who is engaged in travel in the performance
17 of legislative duties. Except as provided in subsection (c),
18 Senators are not authorized to lease vehicles on a long-term
19 basis and no payments will be made with respect to long-term
20 lease vehicle expenses incurred by Senators. Travel payments may
21 be claimed in connection with the following:
22 (1) Mileage between home district and Harrisburg for
23 attendance at a session of the Senate.
24 (2) Round trip travel between home district and
25 Harrisburg for other legislative activities.
26 (3) All travel in the Commonwealth for legislative
27 business.
28 (4) All travel to attend committee meetings, hearings,
29 conferences and seminars.
30 (b) Employee travel.--Travel reimbursement may be paid to
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 1 employees engaged in travel while away from their primary
2 workplace provided that the travel is necessary for the
3 performance of official business. Except as provided in
4 subsection (c), employees are not authorized to lease vehicles
5 on a long-term basis, and no payments will be made with respect
6 to long-term lease vehicle expenses incurred by employees. When
7 away from the Harrisburg area and from their workplace,
8 employees may, subject to approval of the supervising Senator or
9 officer, rent cars on a short-term basis for a period not in
10 excess of that needed to carry out official business.
11 (c) Rental of vehicle or conveyance.--
12 (1) Short-term rental of vehicle or conveyance.--A
13 Senator whose Senate-provided leased vehicle is unavailable
14 may be reimbursed the actual legislative percentage expenses
15 for a short-term rental. A Senator or employee who rents a
16 vehicle or conveyance on a short-term basis, other than a
17 Senator's temporary replacement of a Senate-provided leased
18 vehicle, may be reimbursed only on an actual cost basis for
19 the legislative percentage of rental payments and expenses of
20 operation.
21 (2) Long-term vehicle rental by Chief Clerk.--The Chief
22 Clerk is authorized to enter into a master lease agreement
23 with the Department of General Services for the long-term
24 lease of automobiles to be used by Senators and in the
25 operation of the Senate. The actual expenses of the lease and
26 operation shall be paid by the Senate's Incidental Expense
27 Account.
28 (d) Allowable transportation expenses.--
29 (1) Common or chartered carrier.--A Senator or employee
30 may be reimbursed for reasonable actual costs of carriage
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 1 when traveling by common or chartered carrier, including
2 expenses for parking, taxis, limousines and tolls. Claims for
3 payment based on miles traveled cannot be paid.
4 (2) Personal vehicle or conveyance.--A Senator or
5 employee who uses a personal vehicle may be reimbursed on
6 such mileage basis as may be established by the Senate
7 Committee on Management Operations. Reimbursement for use of
8 other noncommercial vehicles or noncommercial aircraft shall
9 be made on such basis as may be established by the Senate
10 Committee on Management Operations.
11 (3) Out-of-State travel.--
12 (i) Nonmember Officers of the Senate and their
13 employees may claim expenses for travel outside the
14 Commonwealth, provided that such travel is approved in
15 the manner described in Rule 11. All claims for Senators'
16 and employees' travel outside the Commonwealth shall be
17 filed with the Office of the Chief Clerk in the manner
18 described in Rule 11.
19 (ii) Senators and their employees may claim ordinary
20 and necessary expenses for travel outside the
21 Commonwealth provided that the travel is necessary to
22 attend a conference, seminar or meeting regularly or
23 specially scheduled by an organization which conference,
24 seminar or meeting has a legislative purpose. Senators
25 and their employees shall submit a copy of a registration
26 and agenda, in addition to any other documentation
27 required by these rules.
28 (iii) Senators may also claim ordinary and necessary
29 expenses for travel outside the Commonwealth when the
30 travel has a legislative purpose, but is not for
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 1 attending a conference, seminar or meeting, provided the
2 purpose is approved by the Senate Committee on Management
3 Operations, and provided further that approval is not
4 required for legislative business in Washington, DC.
5 (4) No duplication.--If a Senator or employee is
6 entitled to reimbursement from more than one source for
7 legislative business performed on behalf of more than one
8 committee or group, payment shall be received from only one
9 source.
10 (e) Documentation.--
11 (1) Expense voucher.--All requests for travel payments
12 must be made on an expense voucher showing:
13 (i) Dates of travel.
14 (ii) Legislative purpose of travel described in
15 reasonable specificity. Claims for out-of-State travel
16 shall also include such information as may be required
17 under subsection (d)(3).
18 (iii) The number of miles traveled when claiming
19 reimbursement on a mileage basis. Such mileage claims
20 also should reflect an itinerary including point of
21 origin, furthest destination, and intermediate points and
22 the legislative purpose of the trips.
23 (2) Receipts.--Receipts must be submitted to support the
24 cost associated with claims for:
25 (i) Travel by common or chartered carrier.
26 (ii) Leased vehicle or conveyance operation.
27 Receipts for gasoline and maintenance shall include the
28 license number of the vehicle and the location of the
29 purchase.
30 (iii) Parking, limousine, toll charges and other
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 1 miscellaneous incidental items when any of these items
2 exceeds $25.
3 (f) Authorized accounts.--Travel payments can be made from
4 any of the following accounts. Long-term vehicle or conveyance
5 rental payments may be made from all accounts except paragraph
6 (5). Authorized accounts are:
7 (1) Appropriations Committee Accounts.
8 (2) Senators' Legislative Accountable Expense Accounts.
9 (3) Incidental Expense Account.
10 (4) Caucus Operations Accounts.
11 (5) Committee and Contingent Expenses Accounts.
12 (6) Computer Services Accounts.
13 Rule 3. Meals and lodging.
14 (a) General.--A Senator may receive payments attributable to
15 ordinary and necessary expenses for meals, lodging and
16 incidental items provided that the Senator is engaged in the
17 performance of legislative duties. Depending on the nature and
18 location of the activity, as explained below, payments may be
19 made in one of the following forms: per diem allowance or
20 reimbursement for actual costs incurred.
21 (b) Per diem allowance.--
22 (1) A per diem allowance is an allowance for meals and
23 lodging expenses incurred in the course of a Senator's
24 duties. It is paid in lieu of reimbursement for actual
25 expenses in accordance with Internal Revenue Service
26 regulations. A Senator is entitled to receive a full or
27 partial per diem allowance for each day the Senator is in the
28 performance of legislative duties while in the Harrisburg
29 area (defined as within Dauphin County or otherwise within a
30 10-mile radius of the Capitol) or elsewhere in the
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 1 Commonwealth but away from home. Specific legislative duties
2 include attendance at sessions of the Senate, attendance at
3 official committee meetings and participation in all other
4 activities necessary or appropriate to the carrying out of
5 the responsibilities of the Senator. Payment of a per diem
6 allowance is authorized only when the legislative duties
7 performed by the Senator occur more than 50 miles from the
8 Senator's residence.
9 (2) Types of per diem allowance.--
10 (i) A full per diem allowance not to exceed such
11 amount as may be established by the Senate Committee on
12 Management Operations may be claimed as an allowance for
13 meals and lodging and is in lieu of reimbursement for
14 actual expenses.
15 (ii) When the per diem entitlement derives from the
16 performance in the Harrisburg area of the specified
17 legislative duties set forth in paragraph (1), a Senator
18 may receive a partial per diem allowance in accordance
19 with policy established by the Senate Committee on
20 Management Operations for meals and incidentals.
21 (c) Actual costs.--A Senator may claim actual costs for
22 lodging, meals and other incidental items incurred in the
23 performance of legislative duties in lieu of a per diem
24 allowance. Expense claims for costs of lodging, meals and other
25 incidental expenses incurred in the performance of legislative
26 duties outside of the Commonwealth may be reimbursed on an
27 actual expense basis or through a per diem allowance.
28 (d) Employees' travel.--If an employee is engaged in travel
29 away from the normally assigned place of work necessary for the
30 performance of official business, the employee may be reimbursed
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 1 for ordinary and necessary actual expenses for lodging, meals
2 and other incidental items. For rules regarding out-of-State
3 travel, see Rule 11.
4 (e) Payment from one source.--If a Senator is entitled to a
5 meal and lodging claim from more than one source for legislative
6 business performed on behalf of more than one committee or
7 group, payments shall be received from only one source.
8 (f) Review.--All authorized and approved meals and lodging
9 claims shall be reviewed for inadvertent duplication by the
10 Office of the Chief Clerk prior to processing and payment.
11 (g) Recordkeeping.--Where a per diem allowance or
12 reimbursement is paid by a legislative service agency cofunded
13 between both Houses of the General Assembly, a copy of the
14 approved claim shall be furnished to the Office of the Chief
15 Clerk.
16 (h) Documentation.--
17 (1) Per diem allowance.--For payment of a per diem
18 allowance, a Senator must submit a voucher showing the date,
19 the legislative activity in which the Senator was engaged on
20 that date, the location of the activity and an affirmative
21 statement that the Senator incurred overnight lodging
22 expense.
23 (2) Actual expenses of a Senator or an employee.--For
24 payment of actual expenses, a Senator or employee must submit
25 a voucher showing the date, amount, place and the legislative
26 activity in which the Senator or employee was engaged and
27 must submit a vendor or credit card receipt or invoice for
28 each item exceeding $10. Tips for meals may not exceed 20% of
29 the value of the meal.
30 (i) Authorized accounts.--
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