Pennsylvania HB 2000: An Act providing for Pennsylvania and National Medal of Honor Highway; and making a repeal.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 2540
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 2000
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY WENTLING, HARKINS, ROAE, BIZZARRO, BANTA, MERSKI,
JAMES, COOK, RYNCAVAGE, RAPP, MALONEY, ROWE, ROSSI, STENDER,
REICHARD, KUZMA, COOPER, HOGAN, MARCELL, BASHLINE, GLEIM,
SMITH, IRVIN, WHITE, E. NELSON, ARMANINI, RADER, O'NEAL,
BERNSTINE, GALLAGHER, BONNER, FLICK AND GILLEN,
OCTOBER 28, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, OCTOBER 29, 2025
AN ACT
Providing for Pennsylvania and National Medal of Honor Highway;
and making a repeal.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Pennsylvania
and National Medal of Honor Highway Act.
Section 2. Designation of Pennsylvania and National Medal of
Honor Highway.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
follows:
(1) The Medal of Honor is our nation's highest award for
valor presented to veterans of the armed forces of the United
States for acting with conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity
above and beyond the call of duty at the risk of one's life
during combat with an enemy of the United States.
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(2) The Medal of Honor is widely respected by the
military and public alike.
(3) Three hundred twenty-one Medal of Honor recipients
were born in Pennsylvania, 382 recipients entered service
from Pennsylvania and 241 recipients were laid to rest in
Pennsylvania.
(4) Pennsylvania's Medal of Honor recipients served
during 14 wars, from the Civil War to the Iraq War, over a
period of more than 145 years.
(5) The nonprofit Bend Heroes Foundation and the Oregon
Legislature created a law designating all 451 miles of the
border-to-border US Route 20 in Oregon as the Oregon Medal of
Honor Highway, a first in our nation to honor all of a
state's Medal of Honor recipients.
(6) The Oregon law proposes a national Medal of Honor
Highway to be created on US Route 20 at 3,365 miles in
length.
(7) Legislatures and governors in all 12 states along US
Route 20 have designated their state Medal of Honor Highways
covering 100% of the 3,365-mile Medal of Honor Highway across
America.
(8) On December 17, 2024, US Route 20 was designated as
the National Medal of Honor Highway. By designating US Route
20 as the Pennsylvania and National Medal of Honor Highway,
we honor the service and sacrifice of Medal of Honor
recipients across the United States and in this Commonwealth.
(9) Pennsylvania has the second-highest number of Medal
of Honor recipients of any state.
(10) A 45-mile, border-to-border Pennsylvania and
National Medal of Honor Highway designated on US Route 20
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would honor our Commonwealth's and our nation's current and
future Medal of Honor recipients and advance a 3,365-mile
National Medal of Honor Highway across America between the
Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
(11) Pennsylvania deeply appreciates the service and
sacrifice of its Medal of Honor recipients and the positive
roles they played in their communities for more than 145
years.
(b) Designation.--The entire portion, 45.433 miles, of US
Route 20 in Pennsylvania, beginning at the Pennsylvania-Ohio
State Line and ending at the Pennsylvania-New York State Line,
is designated as the Pennsylvania and National Medal of Honor
Highway.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
maintain appropriate signs, brown with white trim and lettering,
displaying the name of the highway to traffic in each direction
of the route in each House legislative district the route passes
through and near the borders of Ohio and New York. The sign
shall also display the Army Medal of Honor, Navy Medal of Honor
and Air Force Medal of Honor.
Section 3. Repeals.
Repeals are as follows:
(1) The General Assembly declares that the repeal under
paragraph (2) is necessary to effectuate this act.
(2) Section 16 of the act of June 30, 2021 (P.L.339,
No.64), entitled "An act designating the bridges, identified
as Bridge Key 31419 and Bridge Key 31420, on that portion of
U.S. Route 219 over State Route 601 in Conemaugh Township,
Somerset County, as the Corporal Anthony G. Orlandi Memorial
Bridge; designating the interchange of State Route 43, also
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known as the Mon-Fayette Expressway, with U.S. Route 40,
known as Exit 22, in Redstone Township, Fayette County, as
the PFC Joseph Frank Duda Memorial Interchange KIA WWII
U.S.M.C.; designating the interchange of U.S. Route 40 with
State Route 4035, also known as Market Street and Spring
Street, in Brownsville, Fayette County, as the Corporal Denny
Ray Easter Memorial Interchange KIA Vietnam War U.S. Army;
designating the portion of Pennsylvania Route 837, also known
as Duquesne Boulevard, between Center Street in the City of
Duquesne,