Section 632 - Grounds, buildings and monuments in general (Adm. Code Section 2402)The Department of General Services shall have the power, and its duty shall be:
(a) Subject to the powers by this act vested in the Board of Commissioners of Public Grounds and Buildings, to control and supervise the State Capitol Building, and the public grounds and buildings connected with the State Capitol, including the State Arsenal, any building or buildings that may have been devised or may hereafter be devised to the Commonwealth within the City of Harrisburg, the Northwest Office Building now occupied by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, the Pittsburgh State Office Building, the Philadelphia State Office Building and the Executive Mansion , and to make, or supervise the making, of all repairs, alterations, and improvements, in and about such grounds and buildings, including the furnishing and refurnishing of the same, and also to have general supervision over repairs, alterations, and improvements to all other buildings, lands, and property of the State, except as in this act otherwise provided: (b) To employ such captains, sergeants of police, and police officers, as may be necessary to preserve good order in the Capitol grounds and buildings, Pittsburgh State Office Building and grounds, Philadelphia State Office Building and grounds, and fix their compensation and their hours of employment, which shall not be spread over more than five days in any one week except in emergency: Provided, however, That the number and compensation of such captains, sergeants and officers shall be subject to the approval of the Governor. Such captains, sergeants and officers shall be known as the Capitol Police and Commonwealth Property Police.(c) To employ such help as may be reasonably necessary for the cleaning, care, and preservation of the Capitol grounds and buildings, Pittsburgh State Office Building and grounds, Philadelphia State Office Building and grounds, and the furnishings therein, for operating the mechanical plants in the Capitol buildings, Pittsburgh State Office Building, Philadelphia State Office Building and the Executive Mansion, and for service at the Executive Mansion;(d) To contract in writing for and rent proper and adequate offices, rooms, or other accommodations, outside of the Capitol buildings, for any department, board, or commission, which cannot be properly and adequately accommodated with offices, rooms, and accommodations in the Capitol buildings; and, in all cases in which the head of a department, for such department or for a departmental administrative board or commission within such department, or an independent administrative board or commission, with the approval of the Executive Board, has established or is about to establish a branch office in any city or place outside of the capital city, with the approval of the Board of Commissioners of Public Grounds and Buildings, to contract in writing for and rent such offices, rooms, and other accommodations, as shall be proper and adequate for such department, board, or commission. The department shall rent such garages or contract for such garage space as may be necessary for the accommodation of State-owned automobiles, either in or outside of the capital city, at such rentals or rates as it shall deem reasonable. The department may also, if the General Assembly shall have appropriated funds therefor, lease any lands which may be necessary for use by any department, board, or commission in the exercise of its powers or the performance of its duties. It shall be unlawful for any other department, board, commission, or agency of the State Government to enter into any leases, but the Department of General Services shall act only as agent in executing leases for departments, boards, and commissions, the expenses of which are paid wholly or mainly out of special funds, and, in such cases, the rentals shall be paid out of such special funds. Any nonprofit corporation which leases lands, offices or accommodations to the Commonwealth for any department, board, commission or agency with a rental amount in excess of one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000) per year shall be deemed an agency as defined by the act of July 3, 1986 (P.L. 388, No. 84) , known as the "Sunshine Act," and the act of June 21, 1957 (P.L. 390, No. 212), referred to as the Right-to-Know Law, and any such nonprofit corporation shall be subject to and governed by the provisions of the "Sunshine Act" and the Right-to-Know Law.(e) Repealed by 1975, July 22, P.L. 75, No. 45, § 10, effective in 90 days.(f) Out of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the department therefor, to purchase or condemn land, with or without buildings thereon, for all projects, whenever, in the judgment of the Governor, the purchase or condemnation of such land is necessary, or whenever such purchase or condemnation shall have been authorized by law, and an appropriation shall have been made therefor. The condemnation of land by the department hereunder shall be in the manner provided by the act of June 22, 1964 (Sp.Sess., P.L. 84, No. 6), known as the "Eminent Domain Code." (g) To erect or supervise the erection of all monuments which may now or hereafter be authorized by law, and to maintain and care for all monuments belonging to the Commonwealth which may now or hereafter be erected: Provided, That with regard to any monument which comes within the jurisdiction of an advisory board in the Department of Property and Supplies, the exercise of the powers hereby vested in the department shall be subject to approval or disapproval by such advisory board;(h) Whenever loss or damage by fire or other casualty shall occur to any structure, building, equipment, or other property owned by the Commonwealth, and be reported to the department, to make an examination thereof, and, in its discretion, subject only to the approval of the Governor, to rebuild, restore, or replace the property damaged or destroyed, and, for that purpose, to have plans and specifications prepared and contracts executed, and to supervise the erection, construction, or replacement thereof, such rebuilding, restoration, or replacement to be in substantial accord with the original character, use, and purposes of the property damaged or destroyed. The cost of the materials furnished, and work and labor performed, under such contracts, shall be certified by the department to the Auditor General, who shall issue his warrant against the State Insurance Fund of this Commonwealth, which warrant shall be paid by the State Treasurer, in the manner provided by law: Provided, That whenever the department shall have taken such action as will involve expenditures from said fund, it shall forthwith certify the probable amount of expenditure to the State Treasurer, who shall forthwith take such action as is necessary to provide funds sufficient to meet the obligations so entered into.(i) To rent to individuals, firms or corporations, or the Government of the United States or any branch or agency thereof, such real estate, owned by the Commonwealth, as is not being used in connection with the work of any department, board, or commission thereof, upon such terms and conditions as the Secretary of General Services may prescribe, with the approval of the Governor in writing: Provided, however, That no lease executed under the authority hereby conferred shall be for a longer term than five years, except that State owned airports, or any part of the facilities thereof, may be leased for terms not longer than twenty years when the lessee proposes to make a major capital investment in the construction or purchase of facilities at said State owned airport, or for five years in other cases, and except leases made in the interest of national defense to the Government of the United States or any branch or agency thereof, which leases may be for such terms as are approved by the Governor.(j) From time to time, to rent to persons, associations, or corporations, upon such terms as shall be approved by the Board of Commissioners of Public Grounds and Buildings, the auditorium in the South Office Building, Number Two, when it shall not be required for the Commonwealth's use.(k) With the approval of the board of trustees of a State institution having the management of such institution, to grant a right of way or easement over the lands of such institution to any county, borough or township for the purpose of laying out and opening a public road for the benefit of the traveling public and for the use of such institution.(l) To establish standards for all mechanical and electrical equipment used in connection with the operation of any State institution or other State building;(m) To supervise the work of employes of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board who are employed by the board for the cleaning, care, preservation and protection of the Northwest Office Building and the furnishings, records and other matters therein and for the operation of the mechanical plants in such building;(n) To lease the whole or any part of the Indiantown Gap Military Reservation or any State airport or landing field to the Government of the United States or any branch or agency thereof upon such terms and conditions and for such periods of time as the Adjutant General, in the case of the Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, or the Secretary of Revenue in the case of any State airport or landing field, may prescribe, with the approval of the Governor in writing.(o) [Repealed by 2019 Amendment.]Amended by P.L. TBD 2019 No. 118, § 1, eff. 1/26/2020.1929, April 9, P.L. 177, art. XXIV, § 2402. Amended 1931, June 1, P.L. 350, § 1; 1937, May 28, P.L. 998, § 1; 1937, June 21, P.L. 1865, § 1; 1940, Extra Session, May 16, P.L. 943, § 2; 1941, July 21, P.L. 429, § 4; 1943, May 7, P.L. 248, § 3; 1947, May 31, P.L. 347, § 1; 1947, June 20, P.L. 704, § 1; 1949, May 23, P.L. 1690, § 1; 1961, March 28, P.L. 66, § 1; 1963, Aug. 6, P.L. 519, § 1; 1971, June 17, P.L. 163, No. 11, §§ 1, 2; 1975, July 22, P.L. 75, No. 45, § 10, effective in 90 days; 1980, Dec. 19, P.L. 1333, No. 244, § 6, imd. effective; 1988, Oct. 25, P.L. 1059, No. 122, § 3, effective in 60 days; 1988, Dec. 15, P.L. 1244, No. 153, § 2, effective 1/1/1989.