1Recognizing the Pennsylvania State Police's services to the
2citizens of this Commonwealth and critical need for
3additional funding.

4WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania State Police was created by an act
5of the General Assembly in 1905 and was the first uniformed
6police organization of its kind in the United States of America;
7and

8WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania State Police devotes about one-
9third of its on-duty time to criminal investigations and support
10services and the other two-thirds to traffic enforcement and
11other public safety concerns, including forensic laboratory
12services, prescription drug disposal programs, maintenance of
13the Megan's Law sex offender registry and providing criminal and
14firearms background checks; and

15WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania State Police has been chronically
16understaffed, leaving numerous troops, barracks and stations
17without sufficient troopers across this Commonwealth and

1presenting a critical and pressing public safety concern; and

2WHEREAS, Budget constraints have severely curtailed or
3eliminated intern, associate and trainee programs meant to
4prepare the next generation of law enforcement, jeopardizing
5future generations' ability to adequately address changing
6public safety needs; and

7WHEREAS, Due to declining revenues and budget cuts,
8municipalities across this Commonwealth have been eliminating
9their local police forces, requiring the Pennsylvania State
10Police to patrol increasingly more local municipalities without
11commensurate increases in funding; and

12WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania State Police's annual appropriation
13has barely kept up with the rate of inflation in spite of steady
14increases in population, services required and certain drug use,
15as well as evolving public safety needs; and

16WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has the third highest number of heroin
17users in the country and is facing an epidemic that requires
18additional vigilance and efforts to curb its production,
19distribution and associated crime; and

20WHEREAS, The recent amendment, in November 2013, of the act
21of December 19, 1988 (P.L.1262, No.156), known as the Local
22Option Small Games of Chance Act, ("Act 90 of 2013") is expected
23to produce an additional $156 million in revenues each year from
24the expansion of small games of chance; therefore be it

25RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the Governor
26to work with the General Assembly to appropriate the first $100
27million in revenues from Act 90 of 2013 to the Pennsylvania
28State Police, in addition to its current annual appropriations,
29for the purposes of hiring, training and deploying sufficient
30numbers of troopers and support staff to accomplish its growing

1mission.