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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Joseph Markosek |
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Markosek quality bill passes House
HARRISBURG, May 6 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed a bill introduced by Rep. Joseph Markosek, which would revamp the Pennsylvania Quality Improvement Act of 1992 by renaming and restructuring the award.
"The original Pennsylvania Quality Improvement Act was a good program," Markosek said. "However, it was somewhat flawed and fell by the wayside."
The purpose of the original law was to establish awards for industries and businesses that demonstrated improvements in operations and quality, and in turn translate it into improved cost-effectiveness, productivity and profit.
The bill, H.B. 588, would make several changes to sections of the original law. The most drastic change would rename the organization and restructure the entire foundation and advisory council to represent input from a wider array of citizens. This, Markosek said, was done to reflect the work the Keystone Alliance for Performance Excellence has been doing since the previous program.
The name of the award would be changed from the Pennsylvania Quality Leadership Award to the Keystone Alliance for Performance Excellence Award. In addition, a new advisory council would be created to replace the former awards council, which would take up the duty of reviewing guidelines and maintaining the integrity of the awards process.
Other proposed changes involve a new composition of members for both the advisory council and foundation board of directors. More private citizens would be added to the advisory council, including a C.E.O. from a Pennsylvania Malcolm Baldridge award-winning organization and a president of a state university. Representatives from both the private and public sector would replace business representatives on the foundation board of directors.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
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