SENATE AMENDED

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY BRENNAN, SAMUELSON, BEYER, DALLY, DAY, FREEMAN, GRUCELA, HARHART, MANN, REICHLEY, BELFANTI, BRADFORD, BRIGGS, CALTAGIRONE, CLYMER, CREIGHTON, DALEY, DENLINGER, DERMODY, DeWEESE, EACHUS, FABRIZIO, GALLOWAY, GERBER, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, HARKINS, HELM, HESS, M. KELLER, KORTZ, KOTIK, KULA, MAHONEY, MARKOSEK, McCALL, MILLARD, MURT, O'NEILL, PALLONE, PASHINSKI, PAYNE, READSHAW, REED, SANTONI, SEIP, SHAPIRO, SIPTROTH, SWANGER AND VULAKOVICH, MAY 8, 2009

AS AMENDED ON THIRD CONSIDERATION, IN SENATE, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009   

AN ACT

Designating a portion of PA Route 378 in Bethlehem, Northampton

County, as the Fred B. Rooney Highway; and designating the

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bridge that carries State Route 1008, known as Henry Road,

over Bushkill Creek in Bushkill Township, Northampton County,

as the William Henry Atherton Bridge.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Fred B. Rooney Highway.

(a)  Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as

follows:

(1)  Fred B. Rooney was born the son of an Irish-Catholic

immigrant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on November 6, 1925,

attended the city's public school and graduated from

Bethlehem High School in 1944.

(2)  Fred B. Rooney served in the United States Army from

February 1944 to April 1946 and served in the European

Theatre as a paratrooper during World War II.

(3)  Fred B. Rooney returned home to the United States

and earned a degree in business administration from the

University of Georgia at Athens in 1950.

(4)  After working in the real estate and insurance

business, Fred B. Rooney was elected to two terms in the

Pennsylvania State Senate, from November 5, 1958 until he

resigned August 6, 1963.

(5)  While serving as a Senator, Fred B. Rooney dedicated

his energy to serving as a full-time legislator, and also

serving as chairman of the Senate Highway Committee for a

time.

(6)  Fred B. Rooney won a special election to the Eighty-

eighth Congress in 1963 and served until January 3, 1979,

after winning seven succeeding reelection bids.

(7)  While in Congress, Fred B. Rooney was a staunch

advocate and supporter for Bethlehem redevelopment

initiatives, economic aid for economically distressed

communities, restrictions on imported goods and increases in

Federal aid for education. He was also a champion of medical

care for the elderly.

(8)  Fred B. Rooney served on the House Interstate and

Foreign Commerce Committee, and also served as the

subcommittee chair on Transportation and Commerce.

(9)  It is largely through his endeavors that PA Route

378 runs through the City of Bethlehem.

(b)  Designation.--That portion of PA Route 378 from U.S.

Route 22 to the Hill to Hill Bridge in Bethlehem, Northampton

County is hereby designated as the "Fred B. Rooney Highway."

(c)  Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and

maintain signs to traffic in both directions to indicate the

designation under subsection (b).

Section 1.1.  William Henry Atherton Bridge.

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(a)  Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as

follows:

(1)  William Henry Atherton is a direct descendant of the

historically significant family of Henry gun makers. The

Henry family represents five generations of early American

gun makers commencing with William Henry of Lancaster in 1729

to Granville Henry in 1912. The Henry Gun Works was located

on the Boulton Plantation near Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

(2)  William Henry Atherton retired from a long and

successful career in the aerospace industry and has returned

to reside at the John Joseph Henry House on the Boulton

Plantation, which is now home to the Jacobsburg Historical

Society and the Pennsylvania Long Rifle Museum.

(3)  William Henry Atherton has assumed a leadership

position on the Board of Directors for the Jacobsburg

Historical Society and has dedicated himself to preserving

the Henry family legacy well into the future.

(b)  Designation.--The bridge that carries State Route 1008,

known as Henry Road, over Bushkill Creek in Bushkill Township,

Northampton County, is hereby designated and shall be known as

the William Henry Atherton Bridge.

(c)  Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and

maintain appropriate signs at each end of the bridge to indicate

the designation under subsection (b).

Section 2.  Effective date.

This act shall take effect in 60 days.