HB 765 — An Act amending the act of June 25, 1931 (P.L.1352, No.332), referred to as the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Compact, providing for veto power by the Governor over certain actions; further providing for audits; and providing the Governor of each state with power to ratify or veto certain actions taken by commissioners.

Bill Text

• Printer's No. PN0789 View text Current pdf

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The bill grants the Governor of Pennsylvania veto power over certain actions taken by commissioners of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission and modifies audit requirements.

• Section 1 of the act of June 25, 1931 (P.L.1352, No.332)

  [The commission shall submit biennially to a performance audit jointly conducted by the Auditor General of Pennsylvania and the State Auditor of New Jersey, which shall include expenditures and operations of the commission. These auditors shall complete the performance audit and prepare a joint report by December 31 of every odd-numbered year, with the first audit and report to be completed by December 31, 1997. A report of those audits shall be submitted to the Governors and Legislatures of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey and to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. An annual financial audit shall be conducted at the expense of the commission by an independent accounting firm in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A written report of each audit shall be submitted to the commission and shall be retained by the commission for at least five years.] → The Auditor General of Pennsylvania and the State Auditor of New Jersey shall jointly conduct annual financial and management audits of expenditures and operations of the commission and shall submit a report of those audits to the Governors and Legislatures of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey.

  This change shifts from biennial performance audits by state auditors to annual financial and management audits.

• Section 1.1 of the act

  (1) The minutes of every meeting of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission shall, as soon as possible after the meeting, be delivered by, and under the certification of, the secretary of the commission to the Governor. (2) No action taken by a Pennsylvania commissioner at the meeting may have force or effect for a period of ten (10) days, except Saturdays, Sundays and Commonwealth public holidays, after the minutes have been delivered to the Governor under this section, unless the Governor approves the minutes or any part of the minutes, in writing by reciting the action approved, within the ten-day period. This veto power may not be construed to affect the covenants contained in the bonds of the commission. (3) The Governor shall return the minutes to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, not later than the ten-day period prescribed in paragraph (2), either with or without a veto of any action recited in the minutes to have been taken by a commissioner appointed from Pennsylvania. (4) If the Governor does not return the minutes within the ten-day period, the action taken by the Pennsylvania commissioners shall have the force and effect as recited in the minutes, according to the wording of the minutes. If the Governor, within the ten-day period prescribed in paragraph (2), returns the minutes of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission with a veto against the action of that commissioner from Pennsylvania, the action of that commissioner shall be null and void and of no effect. (5) The commission shall designate an individual who shall be responsible for responding to requests from the public and the news media for information concerning the scheduling, attendance and minutes of commission meetings.

  This establishes a formal process for the Governor to veto actions taken by Pennsylvania commissioners and outlines the handling of meeting minutes.

• Section 3 of the act

  The Governor may not enter into a supplemental compact or agreement on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania until passage by the State of New Jersey of a substantially similar act embodying a supplemental compact or agreement between the two states.

  This ensures that Pennsylvania cannot enter into supplemental agreements until New Jersey passes a similar act.

• Section 4 of the act

  The Governor shall transmit a notice of the date of execution of any supplemental compact or agreement referenced in section 3 to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the next available issue of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

  This mandates that the Governor must notify the Legislative Reference Bureau of any supplemental compacts or agreements.

Action History

1. March 03, 2025

   Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs & Operations

Sponsors

• Joe Emrick · Primary
• Robert Freeman · Cosponsor
• Joe Ciresi · Cosponsor
• Mark M. Gillen · Cosponsor

Subjects