THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY FAIRCHILD, BAKER, BARRAR, BELFANTI, BEYER, BOYD, BRENNAN, CLYMER, COHEN, CONKLIN, CREIGHTON, FLECK, FRANKEL, GEIST, GEORGE, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GROVE, GRUCELA, HARKINS, HARRIS, HELM, HESS, KAUFFMAN, KILLION, KOTIK, MAJOR, MANN, MARSICO, McILVAINE SMITH, MELIO, MICCARELLI, MILLARD, MILLER, MOUL, MURPHY, M. O'BRIEN, O'NEILL, PAYNE, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, PYLE, REICHLEY, ROHRER, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, SOLOBAY, SONNEY, STERN, STEVENSON, SWANGER, THOMAS, VULAKOVICH, YUDICHAK, BEAR AND KORTZ, JANUARY 28, 2009

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, JANUARY 28, 2009  

AN ACT

Amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, establishing a Decoration of Veterans'

Graves Fund.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Title 51 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated

Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:

§ 3706.  Decoration of Veterans' Graves Fund.

(a)  Establishment of fund.--There is established in the

State Treasury a restricted receipts account within the General

Fund which shall be known as the Decoration of Veterans' Graves

Fund.

(b)  Purpose.--All contributions received for the benefit of

the fund shall be used by the department to procure suitable

veterans' grave markers and United States flags to be

distributed to participating counties for the perpetual

decoration of veterans' graves. The equitable distribution of

suitable veterans' grave markers and flags shall be determined

by the department based on application information submitted

annually by participating counties.

(c)  Administration of program.--

(1)  The department shall accept voluntary contributions

from persons for deposit into the fund.

(2)  All moneys received shall be deposited into the

fund.

(d)  Use of fund.--The moneys deposited in the fund shall be

distributed on a continuing basis for the procurement of markers

and flags for veterans' graves.

(e)  Reporting.--Not later than July 31, 2011, and July 31

each year thereafter for the length of the program, the

department shall submit a status report on the Decoration of

Veterans' Graves Fund program to include all moneys in the fund

and distribution of the flags and veterans' markers to the

participating counties, to the Veterans Affairs and Emergency

Preparedness Committee of the Senate and to the Veterans Affairs

and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the House of

Representatives.

(f)  Guidelines.--The department shall develop guidelines for

the administration of this section.

Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.