MILRITE ACT (ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM) — 1978 Pa. Act 109 (historical enacted text)

Historical Act text

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1810 PRINTER'S NO. 1960
INTRODUCED BY SMITH, TILGHMAN, ZEMPRELLI, O'PAKE, COPPERSMITH,
BELL, NOLAN, MESSINGER, ROMANELLI, McCORMACK, NOSZKA,
DUFFIELD, HOPPER, MELLOW, ROSS, LYNCH, KELLEY, GURZENDA,
SCANLON, STOUT, ORLANDO, STAPLETON, EARLY, SCHAEFER,
McKINNEY, SWEENEY, KURY, ARLENE, REIBMAN, HANKINS, LEWIS,
MURRAY, FUMO, FLEMING, MANBECK, STAUFFER, HAGER, CORMAN,
DOUGHERTY, HOLL, SNYDER, GEKAS, HESS, KUSSE, MOORE, ANDREWS,
JUBELIRER, DWYER, HOWARD AND WOOD, APRIL 12, 1978
AS AMENDED ON THIRD CONSIDERATION, JUNE 12, 1978
AN ACT
1 Establishing an agency to create the linkage necessary for the
2 planning of an economic development system for Pennsylvania,
3 and making an appropriation.
4 TABLE OF CONTENTS
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 Section 2. Definitions.
7 Section 3. Legislative purpose.
8 Section 4. Creation of council.
9 Section 5. Appointment of members, terms, qualifications
10 and removal.
11 Section 6. Powers and duties of council.
12 Section 7. Limited duration.
13 Section 8. Appropriation.
14 Section 9. Effective date.
15 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
1 hereby enacts as follows:
2 Section 1. Short title.
3 This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Milrite
4 Act."
5 Section 2. Definitions.
6 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
7 have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the
8 meanings given to them in this section:
9 "Council." The milrite agency established by this act.
10 "Milrite." The acronym formed from the words: "Make Industry
11 and Labor Right in Today's Economy."
12 Section 3. Legislative purpose.
13 The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has served as the keystone
14 in establishing and advancing basic industrial manufacturing in
15 the United States. Today it faces a loss of confidence among key
16 segments of the general public, business and labor communities.
17 It now faces the loss of critical industries and a willing, able
18 and well qualified work force. The development and stability of
19 Pennsylvania's economy is a legitimate public purpose. The
20 Commonwealth cannot remain healthy, socially or economically,
21 when its industrial might and natural resources are under
22 developed and when its people are chronically unemployed or
23 underemployed. There is need for an organization evolving
24 cooperative innovative economic stimuli from the public, private
25 and labor sectors. It should combine the expertise and influence
26 of labor and business with governmental policy makers to act as
27 a catalytic force to create a comprehensive economic development
28 plan and program for implementation of specific development
29 objectives.
30 Aware of the economic and sociological consequences of
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1 industrial dislocation the General Assembly calls upon business
2 and labor by enacting an independent labor, business and
3 governmental council to act as a catalytic agent to reduce the
4 fragmentation of our resources and to establish the linkages
5 necessary for a successful planning and economic development
6 delivery system. It shall have the capability to create strategy
7 and implementing machinery to maintain Pennsylvania as a leading
8 industrial State.
9 Section 4. Creation of council.
10 There is hereby created a quasi-public, independent, economic
11 development agency to be known as the Milrite Council.
12 Section 5. Appointment of members, terms, qualifications and
13 removal.
14 (a) The council shall consist of 15 members appointed by the
15 Governor. They shall include one member selected by the
16 Governor, two members selected by the President pro tempore of
17 the Senate, two members selected by the Speaker of the House of
18 Representatives, and five members each from lists provided by
19 the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and the Pennsylvania Chamber of
20 Commerce. The two members selected for appointment by the
21 President pro tempore of the Senate and the two members selected
22 for appointment by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
23 shall be members of the majority and minority parties in each
24 body.
25 (b) The member selected by the Governor, two members
26 selected by the General Assembly, and two members each from the
27 lists submitted by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and Pennsylvania
28 Chamber of Commerce, shall serve for three years, and three
29 members selected from the lists submitted by the Pennsylvania
30 AFL-CIO and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce shall serve for
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1 six years and two members selected by the General Assembly shall
2 serve for six years. Thereafter all members shall be appointed
3 for a term of six years of until a successor is appointed and
4 qualified. Members shall be eligible for unlimited
5 reappointment.
6 (c) The members of the council shall be selected from
7 outstanding leaders in business, and labor who are the policy-
8 making and policy-implementing executives of their respective
9 unions and companies.
10 (d) Members of the council shall receive no compensation but
11 shall be entitled to receive an allowance for expenses incurred
12 in the performance of their duties.
13 (e) The council shall elect one of the nongovernmental
14 members as chairman, who, when present, shall preside at
15 meetings. The council shall also elect one of its members to
16 serve as an alternate chairman to preside when the regular
17 chairman is absent. The chairman and vice chairman shall be
18 elected by the council members for a three-year term. Candidates
19 shall be limited to members representing the labor and business
20 groups. The chairmanship shall be occupied by a member
21 representing one group and the vice chairmanship occupied by a
22 member representing the other group. The council shall designate
23 the officials, committees and subcommittees it deems necessary
24 to carry out the intent of this act.
25 (f) An action or order of the council shall require eight
26 affirmative votes.
27 Section 6. Powers and duties of council.
28 (1) Undertake research and investigation relating to the
29 promotion of the industrial potential of Pennsylvania.
30 (2) Create plans for economic revitalization of
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1 Commonwealth industries.
2 (3) Recommend implementation procedures for all plans,
3 maximizing existing mechanisms with proven ability to
4 accomplish tasks, linkages among current programs, business,
5 labor and government insights into practicality and
6 workability of suggested approaches.
7 (4) Encourage and stimulate cooperation and coordination
8 among Federal, State and local programs.
9 (5) Recommend structural changes and updating of
10 economic delivery tools of State government to the Governor
11 and General Assembly.
12 (6) Draw upon labor, management and government
13 participants to promulgate plans and implement procedures.
14 (7) Recommend organizational structure and participants
15 particularly suited to local needs and conditions.
16 (8) The council shall have the power to:
17 (i) enter into contracts.
18 (ii) appoint, fix compensation of, and prescribe
19 duties of an executive director, secretary and such other
20 personnel as the council deems necessary to accomplish
21 the purposes of this act.
22 (iii) retain counsel.
23 (iv) accept grants from public and private sources.
24 (v) borrow money and issue obligations, secured or
25 unsecured, to acquire, hold, own and pledge or dispose of
26 funds, money, securities and other property, real or
27 personal, tangible or intangible to the extent necessary
28 to carry out the purposes of this act.
29 (vi) adopt and promulgate rules and regulations
30 necessary to accomplish the provisions of this act.
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1 Section 7. Limited duration.
2 The council shall cease to exist six years from the effective
3 date of this act unless the General Assembly extends its life.
4 Section 8. Appropriation.
5 The sum of $500,000 $200,000, or as much thereof as may be <--
6 necessary, is specifically appropriated to the council for the
7 fiscal year July 1, 1978 to June 30, 1979 for the purpose of
8 carrying out the provisions of this act.
9 Section 9. Effective date.
10 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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