Pennsylvania HR 482: A Resolution designating the week of September 22 through 28, 2019, as "Rail Safety Week" in Pennsylvania.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 3256
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 482
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY GILLEN, SOLOMON, CONKLIN, HAMM, HOHENSTEIN, KRUPA,
KHAN, COOK, RAPP, KUZMA, GUENST, STAATS, SHAFFER, RIVERA,
VENKAT, MEHAFFIE, SAPPEY, PUGH, MALAGARI, NEILSON, MOUL,
GALLAGHER, BOROWSKI, BENNINGHOFF, WHITE AND PASHINSKI,
APRIL 15, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, APRIL 22, 2026
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing July 4, 2026, as "Independence Day" in Pennsylvania
and honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States.
WHEREAS, On July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, the members of the
Second Continental Congress adopted "The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America," popularly known as
the Declaration of Independence, asserting independence from
Great Britain; and
WHEREAS, The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the
adoption of the Declaration of Independence and thereby our
nation's birth; and
WHEREAS, A celebration of the nation's birth in 2026 will
provide a milestone opportunity to commemorate the nation's
historic achievements, as well as our history and culture both
as a nation and as a Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, This Commonwealth played a pivotal role in the
founding of the United States and gained its title as "The
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Keystone State" by being the final state to ratify the
Declaration of Independence; and
WHEREAS, The Greater Philadelphia Area was the site of the
meeting of the First and Second Continental Congresses, the
drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence and the
Constitution of the United States, seminal battles of the
Revolutionary War such as Princeton and Brandywine and the
historic encampment at Valley Forge; and
WHEREAS, Several foreign governments and individuals from
nations such as France and Poland assisted the American colonies
in their fight for independence, and several nations such as
Morocco were early supporters of the young United States,
thereby making the anniversary of the founding of the United
States an occasion for both national and international
celebration; and
WHEREAS, The Greater Philadelphia Area has hosted major
celebrations honoring landmark anniversaries of the nation's
birth, including the nation's first world's fair at the 1876
Centennial Exhibition, the Sesquicentennial of 1926 and the
Bicentennial of 1976; and
WHEREAS, This Commonwealth contains numerous historical sites
connected to our nation's birth and revolutionary-period
history, including Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the
Graff House site, where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration
of Independence, the site of Benjamin Franklin's house, the
Betsy Ross house and the site of the President's house; and
WHEREAS, This celebration will be held shortly after the
250th anniversary of the United States Navy and Marine Corps on
October 13, 2025; and
WHEREAS, The 250th anniversary of the United States Navy and
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Marine Corps are to be celebrated with several ships sailing
along the Delaware River from Philadelphia to the Camden area;
and
WHEREAS, The United States Navy was founded in this
Commonwealth on October 13, 1775, when the Second Continental
Congress at Independence Hall in Philadelphia authorized its
first ships; and
WHEREAS, Later that year, in this Commonwealth, the
Continental Navy commissioned its first ship and granted its
first commission to John Barry, the father of the American Navy;
and
WHEREAS, The Second Continental Congress in this Commonwealth
commissioned Lieutenant John Paul Jones who, on the Delaware
River, was the first to raise an American national flag, the
Grand Union Flag, on a naval vessel; and
WHEREAS, The United States Marine Corps was born later that
year after its first commissioned officer Captain Samuel
Nicholas held a recruiting drive in Tun Tavern in Philadelphia;
and
WHEREAS, The Tun Tavern was the location where John Adams and
the Naval Committee met in 1775 to write the documents that
structured what would become the United States Navy; and
WHEREAS, The first United States Marine Corps amphibious
operation, mounted from this Commonwealth, seized sorely needed
gunpowder for the Continental Army; and
WHEREAS, The 250th anniversary of the United States Marine
Corps coincides with the 100th Marine Corps Birthday Ball to be
held on November 10, 2025; and
WHEREAS, The United States Marine Corps' 250th birthday
should be celebrated alongside the rebuilding of the historic
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Tun Tavern in Philadelphia by The Tun Legacy Foundation, which
is set to open its doors in November 2025, drawing United States
Marines from this Commonwealth and beyond; and
WHEREAS, Huntington Ingall Industries recently launched their
first San-Antonio Class Flight II