PRINTER'S NO. 1875
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1470
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY CHRISTIANA, COX, DRISCOLL, JAMES, MENTZER, MURT,
SACCONE, SOLOMON, QUIGLEY AND GILLEN, MAY 31, 2017
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, MAY 31, 2017
AN ACT
Amending the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), entitled,
as amended, "An act relating to counties of the first, third,
fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth classes; amending,
revising, consolidating and changing the laws relating
thereto; relating to imposition of excise taxes by counties,
including authorizing imposition of an excise tax on the
rental of motor vehicles by counties of the first class; and
providing for regional renaissance initiatives," in special
powers and duties of counties, further providing for flags to
decorate graves.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 1922 of the act of August 9, 1955
(P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code, is amended to read:
Section 1922. Flags to Decorate Graves.--(a) It shall be
the duty of the county commissioners to provide flags on each
Memorial Day with which to decorate the graves of all deceased
service persons and the graves of all other deceased persons who
served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard,
Merchant Marine during World War II or any organization
officially connected therewith and whose separation from such
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service was honorable, whether by discharge or otherwise, buried
within the county. The flags shall be provided in accordance
with the following:
(1) The flags to be used for such purposes shall be of one
standard size, colorfast and American made, and shall be
purchased at the expense of the county from moneys in the county
treasury.
(2) The authorities in charge of any cemetery are authorized
to remove such flags, when the same become unsightly or
weatherworn, at any time not less than thirty days after the
flags have been placed on graves along with notification to a
county director of veterans' affairs for a replacement flag.
(3) A family member of a person whose grave is decorated
with a flag by the county for the purpose of Memorial Day is
granted permission to take and keep the flag after the first
working day after Independence Day. A cemetery shall contact the
county no less than thirty days after taking down the flags
annually for collection by the county.
(4) In addition to the powers and duties granted to local
code enforcement officers, a local code enforcement officer may
inspect local cemeteries for violations of this section and
report any violation to a county director of veterans' affairs.
(5) Counties may coordinate with local veterans service
organizations to ensure that cemeteries are in compliance with
the provisions of this section.
(b) Such flags shall be furnished to the various veterans'
organizations in such numbers as they shall require for their
respective communities.
(c) The moneys expended by any county under the provisions
of this section shall be in addition to moneys appropriated by
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counties for Memorial Day purposes.
[(d) The authorities in charge of any cemetery are
authorized to remove such flags when the same become unsightly
or weatherworn at any time not before the first working day
after Independence Day of each year.]
(e) [Any] Except as otherwise provided in this section, any
authority or person in charge of any cemetery who shall remove
or cause the removal of the flags prior to the first working day
after Independence Day shall be guilty of a summary offense and,
upon conviction thereof, shall be sentenced to pay a fine in the
amount of three hundred dollars ($300) and, upon failure to pay
such fine, to undergo imprisonment not to exceed ninety days.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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