Pennsylvania HR 559: A Resolution designating the year of 2024 as the "Year of the Franklin Institute" in Pennsylvania.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 3548
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 559
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY SOLOMON, GILLEN, PIELLI, ANDERSON, CONKLIN,
KAUFFMAN, CARROLL, GUZMAN, VENKAT AND PROBST, JUNE 8, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, JUNE 8, 2026
A RESOLUTION
Designating June 10, 2026, as "National Guard and Veterans Day"
in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, In 1747, Benjamin Franklin organized the Associators
in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Units of the Pennsylvania National Guard trace their
lineage to the first Associators; and
WHEREAS, In 1755, the General Assembly of the Province of
Pennsylvania received a great number of petitions from the
several counties of the province "setting forth, That the
Petitioners are very willing to defend themselves and their
Country, and desirous of being formed into regular Bodies for
that Purpose, instructed and disciplined under proper Officers,
with suitable and legal Authority"; and
WHEREAS, In response to these petitions, the representatives
of the Province of Pennsylvania, meeting in General Assembly,
passed this Commonwealth's first militia law on November 25,
1755; and
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WHEREAS, The Militia Act, passed "for the better Ordering and
Regulating such as are willing and desirous to be united for
Military Purposes within this Province," created the volunteer
militia and laid the legal foundation for the militia and the
Pennsylvania National Guard; and
WHEREAS, Enactment of the Militia Act marked the beginning of
271 years of cooperation and support from the General Assembly
for the Pennsylvania Militia, the Pennsylvania National Guard
and the soldiers and airmen who proudly serve this Commonwealth
and this nation; and
WHEREAS, In war and in peace, Pennsylvania National Guard
soldiers and airmen have served at home and abroad and have
responded to floods, blizzards and other emergencies at home;
and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania National Guard force reaches from
the Joint Force Headquarters located at Fort Indiantown Gap,
Lebanon County, to communities across this Commonwealth with 86
readiness centers, 17 maintenance facilities, 2 Army aviation
support facilities and 4 Air National Guard facilities and the
recently opened Lickdale Veterans' Outreach Center; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the top 10
employers in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 3,200 Pennsylvania National Guard
members serve in a full-time capacity; and
WHEREAS, The remaining 17,000 Pennsylvania National Guard
members serve as traditional part-time members who train while
pursuing civilian education or careers; and
WHEREAS, Fort Indiantown Gap continues to be one of the
busiest National Guard training centers in the country; and
WHEREAS, During fiscal year 2025, which ended September 30,
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the installation hosted 132,200 personnel for a total of 985,514
man-days; and
WHEREAS, Man-days are a computation of the number of
personnel multiplied by the number of days they trained on post;
and
WHEREAS, The 166th regiment trained 28,485 Army service
members from fiscal years 2020 through 2025; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the
largest National Guard forces in the nation; and
WHEREAS, The 28th Infantry Division is the oldest
continuously serving division in the United States Army; and
WHEREAS, The 28th Infantry Division is celebrating the 82nd
anniversary of their unmatched valor in the Hürtgen Forest,
where they disrupted the German counter-offensive during the
Battle of the Bulge and played a critical role in liberating
Colmar, France, from the grip of the German military; and
WHEREAS, The 213th Regional Support Group is the Pennsylvania
National Guard's second major army unit that handles combat
support missions, including transportation, finance and
personnel services; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Air National Guard is comprised of
the 111th Attack Wing for air support and MQ-9 Reaper ground
control, the 171st Air Refueling Wing for worldwide aerial
refueling and the 193rd Special Operations Wing for special
operation missions; and
WHEREAS, In times of war, national or state emergencies or in
support of any military operation worldwide, the President of
the United States may mobilize units of the National Guard into
active Federal service; and
WHEREAS, The active Federal service of the Pennsylvania
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National Guard has included engagement in every conflict this
nation has faced, from the Revolutionary War through the Global
War on Terror, and in peacekeeping missions around the globe;
and
WHEREAS, In peacetime, the Pennsylvania National Guard offers
broad support to the civilian community through the Pennsylvania
Counterdrug Joint Task Force (CJTF); and
WHEREAS, CJTF