PRINTER'S NO. 960
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No. 79
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY MUTH, L. WILLIAMS, BREWSTER, KANE, SAVAL,
CAPPELLETTI AND COSTA, JUNE 24, 2021
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, JUNE 24, 2021
A RESOLUTION
1 Amending the Rules of the Senate, further providing for
2 committees.
3 RESOLVED, That Senate Rule 14 be amended to read:
4 Rule 14. Committees.
5 (a) Standing committees.--
6 (1) There shall be the following permanent standing
7 committees, the Chair, the Vice Chair and members thereof to
8 be appointed by the President Pro Tempore as soon as possible
9 after the election of the President Pro Tempore in sessions
10 convening in odd-numbered years or such other times as may be
11 necessary. The composition of each standing committee shall
12 reasonably reflect the caucus composition of the Senate
13 membership.
14 Aging and Youth - 10 members
15 Agriculture and Rural Affairs - 10 members
16 Appropriations - 21 members
17 Banking and Insurance - 13 members
18 Communications and Technology - 10 members
 1 Community, Economic and Recreational Development - 13
2 members
3 Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure - 13
4 members
5 Education - 10 members
6 Environmental Resources and Energy -- 10 members
7 Finance -- 10 members
8 Game and Fisheries -- 10 members
9 Health and Human Services -- 10 members
10 Intergovernmental Operations -- 10 members
11 Judiciary - 13 members
12 Labor and Industry -- 10 members
13 Law and Justice -- 10 members
14 Local Government -- 10 members
15 Rules and Executive Nominations - 16 members
16 State Government -- 10 members
17 Transportation - 13 members
18 Urban Affairs and Housing -- 10 members
19 Veterans' Affairs and Emergency Preparedness -- 10
20 members
21 (2) Subcommittees. Each standing committee or the chair
22 thereof may appoint, from time to time, a subcommittee to
23 study or investigate a matter falling within the jurisdiction
24 of the standing committee or to consider a bill or resolution
25 referred to it. A subcommittee may hold public hearings only
26 with the prior permission of its standing committee.
27 Subcommittees shall be regulated by the Senate Rules of
28 Procedure and shall be in existence for only that time
29 necessary to complete their assignments and report to their
30 standing committees.
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 1 (b) Members-ex-officio.--
2 (1) The President Pro Tempore shall be an ex-officio
3 voting member of all standing committees and any
4 subcommittees that may be established and shall not be
5 included in the number of committee members herein provided.
6 However, the President Pro Tempore shall not be an ex-officio
7 Member of the Committee on Ethics and Official Conduct.
8 (2) The Majority Leader and the Minority Leader shall
9 each be an ex-officio member of the Committee on
10 Appropriations and shall not be included in the number of
11 members of the committee provided herein.
12 (3) The Majority Leader shall serve as Chair of the
13 Committee on Rules and Executive Nominations and the Minority
14 Leader shall serve as the Minority Chair.
15 (c) Committees' function between sessions.--Standing
16 committees shall exist and function both during and between
17 sessions. Such power shall not extend beyond November 30th of
18 any even-numbered year.
19 (d) Powers and responsibilities.--Standing committees are
20 authorized:
21 (1) To maintain a continuous review of the work of the
22 Commonwealth agencies concerned with their subject areas and
23 the performance of the functions of government within each
24 such subject area, and for this purpose to request reports
25 from time to time, in such form as the standing committee
26 shall designate, concerning the operation of any Commonwealth
27 agency and presenting any proposal or recommendation such
28 agency may have with regard to existing laws or proposed
29 legislation in its subject area. The standing committee is
30 authorized to require public officials and employees and
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 1 private individuals to appear before the standing committee
2 for the purpose of submitting information to it.
3 (2) In order to carry out its duties, each standing
4 committee is empowered with the right and authority to
5 inspect and investigate the books, records, papers,
6 documents, data, operation and physical plant of any public
7 agency in this Commonwealth.
8 (3) In order to carry out its duties, each standing
9 committee or special committee appointed under Rule 5(a)(2)
10 may issue subpoenas, subpoenas duces tecum and other
11 necessary process to compel the attendance of witnesses and
12 the production of any books, letters or other documentary
13 evidence desired by the committee. The chair may administer
14 oaths and affirmations in the manner prescribed by law to
15 witnesses who shall appear before the committee to testify.
16 (e) Notice of meetings.--
17 (1) The following apply:
18 (i) The Chair of a committee or, in the absence of
19 the Chair, the Vice Chair, with the approval of the
20 Chair, shall provide each member of the committee with
21 written notice of committee meetings, which shall include
22 the date, time and location of the meeting and the number
23 of each bill, resolution or other matter which may be
24 considered. During session, notice of meetings of
25 standing committees shall be published daily. Notice
26 shall be delivered by the Chair to the Secretary-
27 Parliamentarian's office on a form prescribed by the
28 Secretary-Parliamentarian of the Senate by the end of the
29 session on the day preceding its intended publication.
30 (ii) Whenever the Chair of any standing committee
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 1 shall refuse to call a regular meeting, then a majority
2 plus one of the members of the standing committee may
3 vote to call a meeting by giving two days' written notice
4 to the Secretary-Parliamentarian of the Senate, setting
5 the time and place for such meeting. Such notice shall be
6 read in the Senate and the same posted by the Secretary-
7 Parliamentarian in the Senate. Thereafter, the meeting
8 shall be held at the time and place specified in the
9 notice. In addition, any such meeting shall comply with
10 all provisions of 65 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7 (relating to open
11 meetings) relative to notice of meetings.
12 (iii) When the majority plus one of the members of a
13 standing committee believe that a certain bill or
14 resolution in the possession of the standing committee
15 should be considered and acted upon by such committee,
16 they may request the Chair to include the same as part of
17 the business of a committee meeting. Should the Chair
18 refuse such request, the membership may require that such
19 bill be considered by written motion made and approved by
20 a majority plus one vote of the entire membership to
21 which the committee is entitled.
22 (2) A committee meeting, or hearing for which notice has
23 not been published as provided in paragraph (1), may be held
24 during a session only if approval is granted by the Majority
25 Leader and the Minority Leader and if notice of the bills to
26 be considered is given during session.
27 (f) Bills recommitted.--Any bill or resolution reported by
28 any standing committee without prior notice having been given as
29 required by these Rules shall be recommitted to the committee
30 reporting the same.
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 1 (g) Public meetings or hearings.--
2 (1) The following apply:
3 (i) The Chair of a standing committee may hold
4 hearings open to the public and in doing so shall make a
5 public announcement in writing prior to the date of the
6 hearing of the date, time, location and subject matter of
7 the hearing.
8 (ii) The Chair of a standing committee shall have
9 the power to designate whether or not a meeting of the
10 committee for the purpose of transacting committee
11 business shall be open to the public or shall be held in
12 executive session and therefore closed to the public, but
13 no matters may be considered in executive session for
14 which an open meeting is required under 65 Pa.C.S. Ch. 7
15 (relating to open meetings).
16 (2) All standing committees may have their hearings
17 reported and transcribed if payment for such service is being
18 made from committee funds. If payment is expected to be made
19 from a source other than committee funds, approval must be
20 first obtained from the President Pro Tempore.
21 (3) The meetings of the Senate standing and special
22 committees may be livestreamed as determined by the committee
23 chair, if held in a hearing room equipped for that purpose,
24 and posted on the official Senate Internet website. The
25 official Senate livestream and recordings of the livestream,
26 video or audio, may be broadcasted and posted on the
27 respective Senate caucus websites and social media platforms.
28 The restrictions on video and audio feeds under Rule 23 apply
29 to livestreamed and video recordings of standing and special
30 committee meetings.
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 1 (h) Quorum of committee.--A committee is actually assembled
2 only when a quorum constituting a majority of the members of
3 that committee is present in person. A majority of the quorum of
4 the whole committee shall be required to report any bill,
5 resolution or other matter to the Floor for action by the whole
6 Senate.
7 (i) Quorum of subcommittee.--A subcommittee is actually
8 assembled only when a quorum constituting a majority of the
9 members of that subcommittee is present in person. A majority of
10 the quorum of the whole subcommittee shall be required to report
11 any bill, resolution or other matter to the committee.
12 (j) Discharging committees.--
13 (1) No standing committee shall be discharged from
14 consideration of any bill, resolution or other matter within
15 10 legislative days of its reference to committee without the
16 unanimous consent of the Senate or after such 10-day period
17 except by majority vote of all members elected to the Senate.
18 (2) Such discharge shall be by resolution which shall
19 lie over one day for consideration upon introduction and
20 which may be considered under the Order of Business of
21 Resolutions on the Calendar.
22 (k) Special committees.--
23 (1) Any Senator may file a petition with the Secretary-
24 Parliamentarian to form a special committee. The petition
25 shall identify the following:
26 (i) the need;
27 (ii) the purpose;
28 (iii) the scope; and
29 (iv) the powers and responsibilities of the special
30 committee.
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 1 (2) Upon filing a petition, the Secretary-
2 Parliamentarian shall make the petition available to the
3 Senators, which includes being available on the Senate
4 Virtual Session Desk application, and publish the petition on
5 the Internet website maintained by the Senate.
6 (3) The Senate shall take a roll call vote on the
7 question of adopting the petition no later than 10
8 legislative days following the filing of the petition. If a
9 majority of each Majority and Minority party votes to approve
10 the petition, the petition shall be adopted, and the special
11 committee shall be formed.
12 (4) The composition of the special committee shall be
13 equally divided between the Majority party, including
14 Senators who caucus with the Majority party, and the Minority
15 party, including Senators who caucus with the Minority party.
16 (5) The Majority Leader and the Minority Leader shall
17 appoint members of their respective caucus to serve on the
18 special committee.
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