Court Opinions

State Laws

US Code

US Constitution

Legislative oversight - 75 Pa. Cons. Stat. § 9701

Legal Research Home > Pennsylvania Statutes

                                CHAPTER 97
                DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION PRODUCTIVITY

     Sec.
     9701.  Legislative oversight.

        Enactment.  Chapter 97 was added June 23, 1981, P.L.98,
     No.35, effective immediately.
     § 9701.  Legislative oversight.
        (a)  Findings.--The General Assembly hereby finds that
     imposition of a tax on oil company revenues should provide the
     Department of Transportation with an annual growth in revenues
     which offsets the growth in highway maintenance and construction
     costs more effectively than the annual changes in revenues
     produced by the flat-rate tax on the retail price of gasoline
     and by the various other taxes and fees levied on behalf of the
     department. As a result of such a tax on oil company revenues,
     the Department of Transportation should have sufficient revenues
     to carry out necessary maintenance and construction activities
     with less frequent increases in highway taxes and fees than the
     General Assembly has enacted in recent years. One effect of less
     frequent requests for highway tax and fee increases could be a
     significant decrease in the ability of the General Assembly to
     oversee the activities of the Department of Transportation.
     Accordingly, the General Assembly finds that responsible
     legislative oversight requires ongoing monitoring of the
     department's activities and periodic indepth evaluations of its
     performance.
        (b)  Annual reports.--No later than 30 days after the
     effective date of this section, the department shall, upon
     request, provide to any member of the House of Representatives
     and to any member of the Senate a brief outline of the
     maintenance and construction program planned for that member's
     district during the 1981-1982 fiscal year. No later than 30 days
     before the beginning of the 1982-1983 fiscal year and each
     subsequent fiscal year, the department shall, upon request,
     provide to any member of the House of Representatives and to any
     member of the Senate a brief outline of the maintenance and
     construction program planned for that member's district during
     the upcoming fiscal year. No later than 30 days after the end of
     the 1981-1982 fiscal year and each subsequent fiscal year, the
     department shall, upon request, provide to any member of the
     House of Representatives and to any member of the Senate a brief
     outline of the reasons for any major deviations from the
     maintenance and construction program which had been planned for
     that member's district during that fiscal year.
        (c)  Performance audits.--During the 1983-1984 fiscal year,
     the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee shall conduct, or
     cause to be conducted, a performance audit of the department
     carried out in accordance with the standards for performance and
     financial compliance auditing developed by the United States
     General Accounting Office. The performance audit shall determine
     whether the department is conducting authorized activities or
     programs in a manner consistent with accomplishing the
     objectives intended by the General Assembly and is conducting
     programs or activities and expending available funds in a
     faithful, efficient, economical and effective manner. The
     Legislative Budget and Finance Committee shall make a written
     report of the findings of the performance audit and shall submit
     a copy of that report to each member of the House of
     Representatives and each member of the Senate prior to enactment
     of a maintenance and construction budget for the department for
     the 1984-1985 fiscal year. During the 1989-1990 fiscal year and
     every six years thereafter, the Legislative Budget and Finance
     Committee shall conduct, or cause to be conducted, a performance
     audit of the department similar to the performance audit
     required by this subsection to be conducted during the 1983-1984
     fiscal year.

Last modified: November 27, 2007