THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

INTRODUCED BY ORIE, PIPPY, RAFFERTY, STACK, FONTANA, COSTA, FERLO, YAW, GREENLEAF, STOUT, HUGHES, ALLOWAY, SCARNATI, O'PAKE, DINNIMAN, WARD AND M. WHITE, MAY 27, 2009

REFERRED TO TRANSPORTATION, MAY 27, 2009  

AN ACT

Designating a portion of Route 8 in the Borough of Etna,

Allegheny County, as the Chief Warrant Officer Michael J.

Novosel Memorial Highway; and making a related repeal.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Novosel Memorial

Highway.

(a)  Declaration of policy.--The General Assembly finds and

declares as follows:

(1)  On October 2, 1969, in the Kien Tuong Province,

Republic of Vietnam, Chief Warrant Officer Michael J.

Novosel, with conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action

at the risk of his life and above and beyond the call of

duty, distinguished himself while serving as commander of a

medical evacuation helicopter.

(2)  Chief Warrant Officer Novosel unhesitatingly

maneuvered his helicopter into a heavily fortified and

defended enemy training area where a group of wounded

Vietnamese soldiers were pinned down by a large enemy force.

(3)  On six occasions while flying without gunship or

other cover and exposed to intense enemy fire Chief Warrant

Officer Novosel was forced out of the area and circled back

from a different direction in order to extract friendly

troops.

(4)  Near the end of the mission a wounded soldier was

spotted close to an enemy bunker. Fully realizing that he

would attract enemy fire, Chief Warrant Officer Novosel

attempted and extracted the soldier while being injured

himself.

(5)  In all, 15 extractions were performed in order to

remove wounded personnel. As a direct result of his selfless

conduct, the lives of 29 soldiers were saved.

(6)  The extraordinary heroism displayed by Chief Warrant

Officer Novosel was an inspiration to his comrades in arms

and reflects great credit on him, his unit and the United

States Army.

(b)  Designation.--Route 8 in the Borough of Etna, Allegheny

County is hereby designated as the Chief Warrant Officer Michael

J. Novosel Memorial Highway in recognition of the Medal of Honor

recipient.

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

maintain appropriate signs to indicate the designation under

subsection (b).

Section 2.  Repeals.

(a)  Intent.--The General Assembly declares that the repeal

under subsection (b) is necessary to effectuate this act.

(b)  Provision.--Section 9 of the act of December 9, 2002

(P.L.1412, No.178), entitled "An act designating a portion of

the Mon/Fayette Expressway, State Route 43, as the Yohogania

County Courthouse Highway; designating the Mon/Fayette

Expressway interchange connecting to Commonwealth Avenue and

State Route 837 in the City of Duquesne as the First Sergeant

Leonard Funk, Jr., Interchange; designating the Mon/Fayette

Expressway interchange with East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard

in North Versailles as the Captain Michael John Estocin

Interchange; designating an interchange of the Mon/Fayette

Expressway with I-376 in Monroeville, Westmoreland County, as

the Captain James A. Graham Interchange; designating the half

interchange including only the westbound Mon/Fayette Expressway

to I-376 and eastbound I-376 to Mon/Fayette in the City of

Pittsburgh as the Lance Corporal William R. Prom Interchange;

designating the Mon/Fayette Expressway interchange with Sixth

Street in Braddock as the Ensign Henry Clay Drexler Interchange;

designating the half interchange of the Mon/Fayette Expressway,

including only westbound off and eastbound on movements, with

Second Avenue in the City of Pittsburgh as the Corporal Charles

E. Kelly Interchange; designating the interchange with Business

Route 22 in Wilkins Township, Allegheny County, as the Staff

Sergeant John Minick Interchange; designating the half

interchange with access road connecting to Thompson Run Road in

Penn Hills Township as the Chief Warrant Officer Michael J.

Novosel Interchange; designating the interchange with Second

Avenue at the north end of Glenwood Bridge in the City of

Pittsburgh as the Private First Class John 'Jack' Kelly

Interchange; designating the interchange connecting Camp Hollow

Road in West Mifflin and Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard

(Richland Avenue) in Dravosburg as the Private Franklin J.

Phillips Interchange; designating a section of State Route 1011

in Clearfield, Cameron and Elk Counties as the Quehanna Highway;

and designating the interchange, Exit 44, at Route 136 and Dry

Run Road in Washington County as the Staff Sergeant Karl Gorman

Taylor, Sr., Interchange," is repealed.

Section 3.  Effective date.

This act shall take effect in 60 days.