—Lancaster Farming. Saturday. April 20,1968
26
Constitutional Convention
Questions To Be Voted On
At Primary Next Tuesday
Summary Listed
For Voters
Information
The Constitution of Pennsylva
nia is the basic law of the Com
monwealth. It affects the daily
lives of all residents—through
their government, their courts,
their taxes, and other matters
The recently concluded Con
stitutional Convention, called by
referendum, was assigned by
the people to consider changes
to the sections of the State Con
stitution pertaining to Legisla
tive Apportionment, Taxation
and State Finance. Local Gov
ernment and the Judiciary.
The Convention carried out its
assignment, and the proposals
it adopted now go to the people.
To become part of our basic
law, the Convention's proposals
must be approved by the voters
of Pennsylvania at the Primary
Election of April 23, 1968 These
proposals will appear on the bal
lot as five questions
The actual ballot questions—
and summaries of the proposals
covered by each —are listed here
for vour information.
LEGISLATIVE
APPORTIONMENT
Ballot Question I,
Shall Proposals 1 and 2 on
LEGI SLATIVE APPORTION
MENT adopted by the Constitu
tional Convention, providing for
50 Senatois and 203 Representa
tives and for a Commission to
reapportion the Legislature af
ter each decennial census, be
approved?
The proposals in this question
remove from the present Con
stitution the provisions on re
apportionment declared uncon
stitutional by the Pennsylvania
Supreme Court, and create a
Legislative R e a p p cnionment
Commission with new methods
to cany out reappoi honment
every ten years
The proposals eliminate pres
ent fluctuation in House mem
bership, establishing the num
ber of seats at 203, and holding
Senate membership at 50 No
county, city, incorporated town,
borough, township or ward shall
be duided in forming Senatori
al and Representative districts
unless absolutely necessary
The Legislative Reapportion
ment Commission will consist of
the Majority and Minority lead
ers of the Senate and the House
of Repiesentatives, and a fifth
member, selected by them The
fifth member shall sene as
chairman of the commission,
and mav not hold any paid pub
lic office
If the Commission fails to
complete reapportionment with
in 90 days, the State Supreme
Court shall assume the responsi
bility
Any citizen aggrieved by the
reapportionment plan has a
right of appeal to the court in
an effort to show the reappor
tionment is illegal
STATE FINANCE
Ballot Question 11.
Shall Proposals 3 and 4 on
STATE FINANCE adopted by
the Constitutional Convention,
prouding for a limit on borrow
ing based on tax revenues, bud
geting, financial planning, au
diting and ielated matters, be
approved’
The Proposals in this question
establish a realistic debt limit,
require a balanced budget and
a five year financial plan, elim
inatc the Sinking Fund, and pro
vide for audit controls.
The debt limit is set at one
and three quarter times the av
erage yearly tax collections
over a five-year period, which
eliminates the necessity of cre
ating authorities to finance capi
tal expenditures. Borrowing ap
proved by voters m a referen
dum and self-liquidating author
ity debt are excluded from the
debt limit.
The General Assembly must
limit appropriations in a fiscal
year to the revenue available
(balanced budget), must adopt
a capital budget for the next
fiscal year, and must appropri
ate any surplus at the end of
one fiscal year during the fol
lowing fiscal year
The Governor must prepare
annually a financial plan for at
least a five-year period to dis
close proposed programs, costs
and revenues.
The financial affairs of the
Commonwealth are subject to
audits made in accordance with
g e n e r a lly accepted auditing
standards
TAXATION
Ballot Question 111.
Shall Proposal 5 on TAXA
TION adopted by the Constitu
tional Convention, permitting
TRUDAN
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SEE THE GENUINE
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certain tax exemptions, provid
ing for reimbursements of local
taxing authorities under certain
conditions and related matters,
be approved?
The Proposal in this question
clarifies provisions for -exemp
tions of certain classes of prop
erty from State and local taxa
tion, keyed to use rather than
ownership.
Public utilities are made sub
ject to local real estate taxes on
operating property previously
exempted, but a portion of the
gross receipts tax imposed upon
public utilities will be allocated
to local government on a fair
and equitable basis in place of
the local taxation. This portion
shall be equal to all local real
estate taxes which otherwise
could have been imposed upon
public utility property in a pre
ceding year.
If a full reimbursement from
the gross receipts tax or the tax
itself are not maintained by the
State, then the public utility
properties will become fully tax
able by local authorities.
Real estate tax exemptions
are based on use rather than
ownership, and only that prop
erty or portion of property ac
tually used for the stated pur
pose U the institution involved
would be tax exempt.
The General Assembly may
permit state or local taxing au
thorities to great special tax ex
emptions for needy citizens. The
Legislature may mandate such
exemptions from real estate tax
only if the State reimburses lo
cal government for losses suf
fered as a result of any addi
tional exemptions.
The General Assembly may
grant exemptions or special
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taxing provisions for a limited
period to encourage rehabilita
tion of deteriorating areas and
promotion of industrial and
housing developments.
Retained are the requirements
that all taxes shall be uniform
upon the same classes of sub
jects' and shall be levied and
collected under general laws,
and the provision that gasoline
taxes shall be earmarked for
the motor license fund.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Ballot Question IV.
Shall Proposal 6 on LOCAL
GOVERNMENT, adopted by the
Constitutional Convention, pro
viding for hoVne rule for all units
of local government, optional
forms of government, umfornt
procedures for merger, consoli
dation and boundary change, in
tergovernmental cooperation and
area government, local finance
and debt limits, apportionment
and related matters, be ap
proved?
The Proposal in this question
gives the people the right to
adopt home rule charters and
optional forms of local govern
ment, and provides for the set
ting of standards for annexa
tion, consolidation and boundary
change
Home rule charters may be
adopted under General Assembly
guidelines or by a majority vote
of the local electorate. Upon
adoption of a home rule char
ter, a local government will be
entitled to any powers not deni
ed by the constitution, the Gen
eral Assembly, or its own char
ter (residual powers). The Gen
eral Assembly must provide op
tional forms of local govern
ment, but voter approval is re
quired for any changes.
The Proposal also;
Allows cooperation among all
governamental units, State, lo
cal and federal, including the
transfer of functions to other
governmental entities; and pro
vides for area governments.
Permits annexation upon ap
proval by a majority of the elec
tors in each of the local units
involved, without approval of
their governing bodies.
Establishes debt limits for all
local governments based on a
percentage of the municipality’s
revenue.
Requires local governments
which elect local officials by
ward or district to reapportion
themselves after each federal
decennial census into districts
that are as nearly equal in pop
ulation as practicable
Retains the City of Philadel/
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