PRINTER'S NO. 1125
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1091
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY WENTLING, ROAE, BIZZARRO, MERSKI, HARKINS, SONNEY,
BOBACK, SAINATO, JAMES, HILL-EVANS, LONGIETTI, KIM, CAUSER,
MALONEY, RYAN, COX, MOUL, HEFFLEY, FREEMAN, PENNYCUICK,
SOLOMON, MILLARD, JOZWIAK AND SAYLOR, APRIL 5, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, APRIL 5, 2021
AN ACT
Designating the entire portion of US Route 20 in Pennsylvania,
beginning at the Pennsylvania-Ohio State Line and ending at
the Pennsylvania-New York State Line, as the Pennsylvania
Medal of Honor Highway.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Pennsylvania Medal of Honor Highway.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
follows:
(1) The Medal of Honor is our nation's highest award for
valor presented to veterans of the armed forces of the United
States for acting with conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity
above and beyond the call of duty at the risk of one's life
during combat with an enemy of the United States.
(2) The Medal of Honor is widely respected by the
military and public alike.
(3) Three hundred twenty-one Medal of Honor recipients
were born in Pennsylvania, 382 recipients entered service
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from Pennsylvania and 241 recipients were laid to rest in
Pennsylvania.
(4) Pennsylvania's Medal of Honor recipients served
during 14 wars, from the Civil War to the Iraq War, over a
period of more than 145 years.
(5) The nonprofit Bend Heroes Foundation and the Oregon
Legislature created a law designating all 451 miles of the
border-to-border US Route 20 in Oregon as the Oregon Medal of
Honor Highway, a first in our nation to honor all of a
state's Medal of Honor recipients.
(6) The Oregon law proposes a national Medal of Honor
Highway to be created on US Route 20 at 3,365 miles in
length.
(7) If all 11 states east of Oregon through which US
Route 20 traverses designate border-to-border Medal of Honor
Highways in their states, the highway would constitute the
longest highway in the United States dedicated to our Medal
of Honor heroes.
(8) Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa and Indiana
have designated and dedicated state Medal of Honor Highways
and, together with Oregon, account for nearly 70% of the
distance across our nation. Massachusetts is currently
proposing the dedication of its state Medal of Honor Highway.
(9) Pennsylvania has the second-highest number of Medal
of Honor recipients of any state but has not dedicated a
border-to-border highway honoring all of Pennsylvania's Medal
of Honor recipients.
(10) A 45-mile, border-to-border Pennsylvania Medal of
Honor Highway designated on US Route 20 would honor our
Commonwealth's current and future Medal of Honor recipients
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and advances a 3,365-mile National Medal of Honor Highway
across America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
(11) Pennsylvania deeply appreciates the service and
sacrifice of its Medal of Honor recipients and the positive
roles they played in their communities for more than 145
years.
(b) Designation.--The entire portion, 45.433 miles, of US
Route 20 in Pennsylvania, beginning at the Pennsylvania-Ohio
State Line and ending at the Pennsylvania-New York State Line,
is designated as the Pennsylvania Medal of Honor Highway.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the highway to
traffic in both directions on the highway.
Section 2. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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