HOUSE AMENDED
PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 670 PRINTER'S NO. 1322
No. 599 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY D. WHITE, APRIL 6, 2005
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, NOVEMBER 2, 2005
AN ACT
1 Designating State Route 56 in Seward, Westmoreland County, as <--
2 the Ricky Hafer Highway; and designating State Route 711 in
3 Seward, Westmoreland County, as Aaron Rusin Boulevard.
4 DESIGNATING STATE ROUTE 132 IN BUCKS COUNTY AS THE ARMED FORCES <--
5 AND VETERANS MEMORIAL HIGHWAY; DESIGNATING A BRIDGE ON STATE
6 ROUTE 150 CROSSING THE BEECH CREEK IN CLINTON AND CENTRE
7 COUNTIES AS THE BEECH CREEK VETERANS MEMORIAL BRIDGE; AND
8 DESIGNATING STATE ROUTE 291 IN DELAWARE COUNTY AS THE WILLIE
9 MAE JAMES LEAKE MEMORIAL HIGHWAY.
10 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11 hereby enacts as follows:
12 Section 1. Ricky Hafer Highway. <--
13 (a) Declaration of policy.--The General Assembly find and
14 declares as follows:
15 (1) Ricky Hafer graduated from Laurel Valley High School
16 and enlisted in the United States Army in August 2002.
17 (2) PFC Hafer, age 21, served with distinction in the
18 101st Airborne Division until his death on November 15, 2003,
19 in a midair collision of two Black Hawk helicopters in Iraq.
20 (b) Designation.--State Route 56 in Seward, Westmoreland
1 County, is hereby designated as the Ricky Hafer Highway.
2 (c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
3 maintain appropriate signs to indicate the designation under
4 subsection (b).
5 Section 2. Aaron Rusin Boulevard.
6 (a) Declaration of policy.--The General Assembly find and
7 declares as follows:
8 (1) Aaron Rusin graduated from Central Cambria High
9 School and enlisted in the United States Army in the fall of
10 2003.
11 (2) Army Specialist Rusin, age 19, served with
12 distinction in the United States Army until his death on
13 October 10, 2004, by sniper fire while patrolling in a Humvee
14 in Iraq.
15 (b) Designation.--State Route 711 in Seward, Westmoreland
16 County, is hereby designated as Aaron Rusin Boulevard.
17 (c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
18 maintain appropriate signs to indicate the designation under
19 subsection (b).
20 Section 3. Effective date.
21 This act shall take effect immediately.
22 SECTION 1. ARMED FORCES AND VETERANS MEMORIAL HIGHWAY. <--
23 (A) DESIGNATION.--STATE ROUTE 132, KNOWN AS STREET ROAD,
24 FROM ITS BEGINNING POINT AT STATE ROAD, BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, BUCKS
25 COUNTY, TO ITS TERMINAL POINT AT LOWER STATE, WARRINGTON
26 TOWNSHIP, BUCKS COUNTY, IS HEREBY DESIGNATED THE ARMED FORCES
27 AND VETERANS MEMORIAL HIGHWAY.
28 (B) SIGNS.--THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SHALL ERECT AND
29 MAINTAIN APPROPRIATE SIGNS DISPLAYING THE NAME OF THE HIGHWAY AT
30 EACH END OF THE HIGHWAY AND ALONG THE HIGHWAY AT AN APPROPRIATE
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1 LOCATION WITHIN EACH MUNICIPALITY THROUGH WHICH THE HIGHWAY
2 PASSES.
3 SECTION 2. BEECH CREEK VETERANS MEMORIAL BRIDGE.
4 (A) DESIGNATION.--THE BRIDGE ON STATE ROUTE 150 CROSSING THE
5 BEECH CREEK IN CLINTON AND CENTRE COUNTIES IS DESIGNATED AND
6 SHALL BE KNOWN AS THE BEECH CREEK VETERANS MEMORIAL BRIDGE IN
7 HONOR OF ALL THE CITIZENS OF CLINTON AND CENTRE COUNTIES WHO
8 HAVE SERVED IN THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES.
9 (B) SIGNS.--THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SHALL ERECT AND
10 MAINTAIN APPROPRIATE SIGNS WHICH SHALL DISPLAY THE NAME OF THE
11 BRIDGE DESIGNATED IN SUBSECTION (A) AT EACH END OF THE BRIDGE.
12 SECTION 3. WILLIE MAE JAMES LEAKE MEMORIAL HIGHWAY.
13 (A) DECLARATION OF POLICY.--THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FINDS AND
14 DECLARES THAT:
15 (1) MAYOR WILLIE MAE JAMES LEAKE HAD THE DISTINCTION OF
16 BEING THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAYOR FOR THE CITY OF
17 CHESTER, DELAWARE COUNTY, AND SERVED IN THAT CAPACITY FROM
18 1986 TO 1991.
19 (2) MAYOR LEAKE'S PRIDE FOR THE CITY OF CHESTER LED HER
20 TO A CAREER IN CITY POLITICS. MAYOR LEAKE'S POLITICAL CAREER
21 BEGAN IN 1972. SUBSEQUENTLY, SHE BEGAN THIS CAREER APPOINTED
22 TO THE CHESTER-UPLAND SCHOOL BOARD. IN 1977 MAYOR LEAKE
23 RECEIVED THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF VOTES AMONG REPUBLICAN
24 CANDIDATES FOR A SIX-YEAR TERM ON THE SCHOOL BOARD. IN 1982
25 MAYOR LEAKE WAS APPOINTED CITY TREASURER. IN JANUARY 1983
26 MAYOR LEAKE WAS APPOINTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF CHESTER,
27 PENNSYLVANIA, AND AT THIS TIME SHE MADE HISTORY AS THE FIRST
28 WOMAN TO SERVE ON CITY COUNCIL.
29 (3) MAYOR LEAKE WAS ALSO ON THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE
30 CHESTER BRANCH OF THE N.A.A.C.P.
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1 (4) THE DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF
2 MAYOR WILLIE MAE JAMES LEAKE REFLECT THE SPIRIT OF NOT ONLY A
3 DISTINGUISHED SERVANT TO THE CITY OF CHESTER, DELAWARE
4 COUNTY, AND THE COMMONWEALTH, BUT ALSO A GREAT PENNSYLVANIAN.
5 (B) DESIGNATION.--THE HIGHWAY IN DELAWARE COUNTY CARRYING
6 STATE ROUTE 291 FROM RIDLEY CREEK TO THE TRAINER BOROUGH LINE IS
7 HEREBY DESIGNATED AND SHALL BE KNOWN AS THE WILLIE MAE JAMES
8 LEAKE MEMORIAL HIGHWAY.
9 (C) SIGNS.--THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION SHALL ERECT
10 APPROPRIATE SIGNS AT EACH END OF THE HIGHWAY DISPLAYING THE
11 DESIGNATION MADE BY THIS SECTION.
12 SECTION 4. THIS ACT SHALL TAKE EFFECT AS FOLLOWS:
13 (1) SECTIONS 1 AND 2 OF THIS ACT SHALL TAKE EFFECT IN 60
14 DAYS.
15 (2) THE REMAINDER OF THIS ACT SHALL TAKE EFFECT
16 IMMEDIATELY.
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