Section 6. Section 8 of the act, amended July 2, 1986 (P.L.341, No.78) and July 1, 1989 (P.L.119, No.25), is amended to read:
Section 8. Supervisors.
[(a) Personnel.--Whenever possible, the department and other State and local agencies shall use existing employees to supervise the participants working on projects. No funds available for this program shall be expended for the salaries, wages or benefits paid to these existing employees.
(b) Funding.--If it is determined by the secretary that supervision of corpsmembers is necessary to carry out corps projects in the department or other State or local agencies, funds] (a) Funding.--Funds available for this program may be expended to pay the wages of crewleaders who shall supervise corpsmembers as prescribed by the department.
[(c)] (b) Crewleader criteria.--Persons eligible to be hired as crewleaders by the department shall be men and women who are:
(1) Domiciled in the Commonwealth for at least six
months prior to employment in the programs.
(2) Registered with the [Office of Employment Security]
local Job Center for employment.
(3) Physically and mentally capable of performing labor
intensive work and supervisory duties.
(4) Not attending a postsecondary institution full time
and who provide assurance that they did not leave school for
the purpose of employment as a supervisor in the program.
[(d)] (c) Six-month term.--Crewleaders may be employed by the department for a period that may exceed the six-month limit established for corpsmembers.
[(e)] (d) Hourly wage.--Crewleaders shall receive an hourly wage that exceeds the hourly wage of corpsmembers by a minimum of [$2.00] $5.00.
[(f)] (e) Benefits.--Crewleaders shall not be entitled to any employee benefits provided to existing employees of the department or of other State or local agencies except for paid Commonwealth holidays and workmen's compensation coverage which shall be provided through the funds appropriated to carry out this act.
[(g)] (f) Veterans' preference.--In the hiring of crewleaders, preference shall be given to honorably discharged veterans of the armed forces of the United States.