September 30, 2026 · VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS · 2,375 words · 9 speakers · 20 segments
Thank you, Representative. We have a number of resolutions, six resolutions. I'm going to call all of them up as a package, and then we will go through the prime sponsors if they are here to offer any comments, and, of course, any members who have any comments or questions. So, Representative Hill Evans is not here. Matzy, no. House Resolution 595, authored by Representative Watrow.
Could we have your remarks, please? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If you could just bear with me for one minute. I'll get through this quickly. 85 years ago on a quiet Sunday morning the skies of Pearl Harbor, they erupted and in less than two hours more than 2,400 Americans were gone more than 1,100 others were wounded families were shattered, young lives were stolen and the entire generation was called to defend their freedom they were sailors, soldiers, Marines, airmen, civilians many were barely old enough to understand the full weight of war. Yet, when that terrible moment came, they answered fear with courage and chaos with sacrifice. Our dear family friend, Danielle, whose roots run deep in Hawaii, reminded me not too long ago about the powerful truth. While terror fell from the sky, the people of Hawaii ran towards the wounded. They protected their neighbors, comforted strangers, and stood beside our military, providing even in one of America's darkest hours, courage and compassion still shine through. Mr. Chairman, I'm just going to submit the rest of my comments for the record.
Thank you. Thank you so much, Representative. Jamie, please call the roll. Chairman Solomon. Here. Representative Borowski. BBD. Representative Brown. VPBD, representative Dougherty online, representative against represent haddock VPBD representative Engels VPBD representative. Monroe VPBD represent vomera VPBD represent PLVBD represent sappy VPBD represent scott BVD represent take act VBD represent Webster BBD chairman Gillen represent Banta represent bash line represent Cooper represent ham represent Kerwin represent Krupa represent Mako represent stair represent sender Representative Watro Representative Williams We have a quorum Thank you and we have Representative Dougherty and Representative Banto Online Representative
Representative Cepeda Freitas if you want to come up and give your comments on House Resolution 634
Thank you Thank you both
Chairman and committee for the opportunity to speak on House Resolution 634 when someone raises their hand to serve our country they make a commitment to protect us they should never have to fear being harmed by the very people standing beside them yet military sexual trauma continues to affect thousands of service members in fiscal year 2024 alone the department of defense received more than 8 000 reports of sexual assault and we know many Many survivors never report what happened to them. Behind every report is a person who may have carried that experience silently for years because of fear, shame, retaliation, or concern about how speaking up could affect their career. House Resolution 634 designates October 11th through October 17th as Military Sexual Trauma Survivor Week in Pennsylvania But this is about more than recognizing a week It is about breaking the silence and making sure survivors know that we see them, that their experiences matter, and they deserve care, resources, dignity, and support. They answered the call to serve our country, and when they carry wounds, we cannot always see. We have a responsibility to stand with them. I respectfully ask for an affirmative vote on House Resolution 634. Thank you. And for everyone in the space that served our country, thank you so much for protecting our freedom.
Representative, thank you so much for being here and for your comments. Next up, House Resolution 611, authored by Representative Brown.
Your comments, please. and thank you for the opportunity to be able to speak today on house resolution 611 which would designate september as firefighter appreciation month in pennsylvania fighter firefighters are there for us when we need the most they respond to fires medical emergencies vehicle accidents severe weather rescues hazardous material incidents and countless other situations that can put their lives and communities at risk. What makes their service incredibly special and vital is that they don't know what they will encounter when that call comes in. They train, they prepare, and then they step forward, often putting themselves in dangerous situations to protect someone else. September is an important time to recognize that commitment. Fire departments across Pennsylvania use this month to educate the public about fire safety, connect with their communities, and recruit the next generation of firefighters. Many of our firefighters are volunteers who give their time while balancing jobs, families, and other responsibilities. And that's what actually prompted me to bring this resolution forward is that one of my volunteer firefighters from Shenango Township felt as though they weren't being recognized for the work that they do. And yet I want him and all of the firefighters in Lawrence County to know that they make an incredible commitment to their neighbors and communities and they deserve recognition and appreciation. House Resolution 611 is a way for the Commonwealth to formally thank our firefighters for their courage, service, and sacrifices that they make every day. I respectfully ask the committee to support House Resolution 611 and vote in the affirmative so that we can move it forward for a full House vote. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Representative Brown, for your comments. We're joined by Representative Borowski. Thanks for being here. Next up, we have House Resolution 601, authored by Representative Pugh.
Thank you, Chairman Solomon and Chairman Gillen, for bringing up House Resolution 601. I truly appreciate it. And I bring this resolution forward because the more that we as legislators can talk about fire prevention and safety inside of our districts, the more we are doing for our communities to help them. This year's theme is about charging into fire safety, which has to do with battery charging and the power supplies that we see in our homes. and I bring it forward not only because I think it's important to talk about it, but on behalf of the 11-year-old, the 13-year-old, and the 15-year-old lives that have been lost inside of my district over the last couple of months. And we need to talk about it. We need to make sure we're storing our batteries safely. We need to make sure that we're checking those power strips, which we all use to get more power to more devices inside of our homes. I truly appreciate you bringing this up, And I would really appreciate an affirmative vote. Thank you.
Thank you, Representative, for your comments. Now, members on any comments or questions about any of the resolutions,
I see Representative Banta, your comments. Hi guys can you hear me Loud and clear Roger that Good afternoon. Or should I say... Morning. Good morning. Yeah. So I'm home today because a young man, I was a volunteer firefighter, was killed on an e-bike responding to a call. He's a dedicated young guy named Bryce Kaufman, and I'll be going to his funeral today at four. I just want to thank especially Representative Brown for her resolution and all the stuff that we do for firefighters, guys. Locally, since I've got this job, it's really been an honor to get to know them and find out, go to their departments and listen and learn. And I just wanted to make the comment. I want to send a thank you to you guys for recognizing that these resolutions and stuff that recognize firefighters for what they do.
Thank you. Thanks, Representative Bansa. Representative Stender.
Thank you, Chairman. I want to thank Representative Pugh for bringing up House Resolution 601. As she stated, this year's theme is charging to fire safety, and I think it serves as a reminder of the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, specifically in hoverboards, e-bikes. Thermal runaway is a very large problem, just not here in Pennsylvania, but here throughout the United States. I think almost monthly you can read about a story out of New York City or some of the larger metropolitan areas where another fire was started from batteries being charged, typically from thermal runaway. It always takes me back when I worked here as a fireman here in the city of Harrisburg. We lost two children on March 10, 2017, to a fire in the uptown section here of the city. and that was started by thermal runaway from a hoverboard. People were awake, home, and we still had a fatal fire. So it's a very big problem. Everybody, even in this room, should pay attention when they're charging their devices. My wife will tell you that I'm a crazy person about unplugging stuff before we go to bed. So thank you, Representative Pugh. Thank you, Chairman, for bringing this bill up.
Thank you, Representative Stender. Representative Krupa.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank the makers of all these resolutions. They're great resolutions. But I want to take a moment and preach to the choir, because I know everybody that serves on this community has great respect for our first responders and for our veterans. But at the top of our list is House Resolution 522VFW. day. And when I think of VFWs and the issues they're facing now, as well as all of our service organizations, the hot topic is skilled games. And we need to do more in Harrisburg than just recognizing them. We need to serve them. The Supreme Court gave a clear 120 days that the state had to get the regulations right with respect to those skilled machines, and we are failing them. If we want to do more than just recognize our VFWs and our service organizations, Harrisburg needs to act immediately. It is going to be so disruptive. I've heard more outcry from the VFWs and the service organizations in my district, as well as mom and pop small businesses on this issue, than frankly any other issue since I've been in four years. We are failing them, rightfully so, or not rightfully so. PSP has issued the press release saying October 13th's deadline on October 14th. It's not enough that you just have those skilled games unplugged. They need to be out of your buildings. That is so disruptive. So, again, I realize I am preaching to the choir, but Harrisburg needs to take action on this issue. Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Chairman.
Representative Cooper.
Good morning. I just wanted to thank Representative Brown and Representative Pugh for bringing their resolutions forward. I happy to have co both And I feel that some in this chamber think resolutions are meaningless and they aren important and I disagree with that I think they are way to draw awareness they are important vote for us and we do take it very seriously and I'm thank you for these resolutions and I will be promoting them
as well thank you chair Gillen yeah I think not only resolutions have a a practical current purpose. I think it calls us to remember, but it also should call us to action. If we're going to be appreciating the firefighters, that's every day. It's not just the springboard of the time for resolution, but I think it's a good start in appreciating our firefighters. We've had three fatal fires in the last couple years in my own legislative district, in my own municipality which I think is highly unusual and so what I'm going to do is I'm just going to popcorn through the resolutions very quickly just take an extra minute when I think of Agent Orange I think of Schultz I think of Brennan I think of people that lived in our neighborhood that are when I lived in Bucks County which have now passed away I think of my own two cousins which fortunately are still alive who served in Vietnam as far as Pearl Harbor goes We had three Pearl Harbor survivors here. It was about 10 years ago, and within a year or two, they were all gone. And so as they passed from the scene, it becomes and behooves us even more critical to remember. If you would go out to Bowlesburg, the USS Pennsylvania's 60-ton guns are out there. And so if you want a bit of remembrance, the USS Pennsylvania was in dry dock when Pearl Harbor was hit. It was significantly damaged but went on to serve in the Pacific Theater, Okinawa, the Philippines, Peilu, Marshall Islands, even the Aleutian Island campaign, the USS Pennsylvania was involved with. Let me just say amen to Representative Krupa regarding the skills games issues in our VFW. The VFW is just a half mile down the road from the Berks Military History Museum. And we do everything to collateralize our work and to mutually benefit. And they're under significant. And it's not just this VFW. We've got 6,000 VFWs worldwide. We've got a million members. So we're talking a big footprint here. And they're always stretched in terms of dollars. And I think this is very, very critical that we do this and act on a timely basis. because our social clubs, our gun clubs, our VFWs, our American Legion, et cetera, are relying on that revenue source. As far as the sexual trauma awareness, anybody who has a son or daughter in the military, this kind of picks your hearing a little bit here. And my daughter is in the United States Army, and I'm certainly very supportive of the modern efforts that have gone into protecting men and women from sexual trauma. And so this is really a fine bevy of resolutions. And I think these resolutions, again, should be called to action in 2026 for all of us. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Chair Killam. We're joined by Representative Webster. Perfect timing, Representative Webster. We're ready for a vote. HR 522, HR 539, HR 595, HR 601, HR 611, HR 633, HR 634. Are there any negative votes on any of those resolutions? All of those resolutions will move unanimously to the floor. Is there any other business? This meeting is adjourned. Thank you. .