Joint Order Directing the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation To Study Appropriate Funding of the State Police

the House concurring, that the Committee To Study Appropriate Funding of the State Police is established as follows.

1. Committee To Study Appropriate Funding of the State Police established. The Committee To Study Appropriate Funding of the State Police, referred to in this order as "the committee," is established.

2. Membership. The committee consists of the following 13 members:

AThree members of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, 2 of whom serve on the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation and one of whom serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice; andBTen members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House, 5 of whom serve on the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation and 5 of whom serve on the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice.

3. Committee chairs. The first-named Senator is the Senate chair of the committee and the first-named member of the House is the House chair of the committee.

4. Appointments; convening of committee. All appointments must be made no later than 30 days following passage of this order. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative Council once all appointments have been made. When the appointment of all members has been completed, the chairs of the committee shall call and convene the first meeting of the committee.

5. Duties. The committee shall examine the formula for funding the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police from the General Fund and the Highway Fund. The committee shall examine the final report of the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability issued in February 2007 entitled "Highway Fund Eligibility at the Department of Public Safety - an Analysis of Select Departmental Activities" and any other information the committee determines appropriate. The committee shall develop recommendations for appropriate funding for the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police.

6. Staff assistance. The Legislative Council shall provide necessary staffing services to the committee.

7. Compensation. Legislative members of the committee are entitled to receive the legislative per diem and reimbursement for travel and other necessary expenses related to their attendance at authorized meetings of the committee.

8. Funding. To the extent funding for the study described in this joint order is provided from the Highway Fund by appropriate allocation or other provision of law, the committee is funded from such funds. If such funding is not provided, or if the committee requires additional funding, the committee may be funded from other available funding sources as approved by the Legislative Council.

9. Report. No later than December 5, 2007, the committee shall submit a report that includes its findings and recommendations, including suggested legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation and the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice. Pursuant to Joint Rule 353, the committee is not authorized to introduce legislation. Upon receipt of the report required by this section, the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation may, pursuant to Joint Rule 353, introduce a bill during the session in which the report is submitted to implement its recommendations on matters relating to the study.