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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | October 21, 2020 03:49 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Lindsey M. Williams |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Medals of Honor for Our First Responders |
| This afternoon the Senate passed SB1246 creating a program that would allow the Governor to bestow law enforcement officers with various medals of honor. I believe that all of our brave first responders deserve the opportunity to be granted the same honor. That is why I will be introducing a bill to create a similar medal program for fire fighters, EMS, 911 call dispatchers and fire-police. We all know how valuable all our first responders are. During this pandemic, they have been unsung heroes who are on the literal frontlines, interacting with the public in their homes as emergencies arise, never knowing for sure if they can safely come back to their families without putting them at risk of COVID-19. I know of EMT’s in my district who stayed in hotels for weeks in March, so as to not put their high risk loved ones in harm’s way. But they aren’t only worthy of the Medals of Honor program because of their response to the pandemic. Two years ago, emergency responders responded to the shooting at the Tree of Life, New Light, and Dor Hadash congregations in Pittsburgh. The bravery, courage, and resilience in face of a horrific tragedy by police officers, EMTs and firefighters who were on the scene working together and the 911 operators assisting them cannot be understated. The EMTs went into the building side by side with police officers. These first responders who put their lives on the line to respond to this terrorist act all deserve to be eligible for the Star of Valor outlined in this program. Please join me in honoring our fire fighters, EMS, 911 call dispatchers and fire-police by co-sponsoring this legislation. They all deserve the opportunity to be recognized for their heroic actions. |
Introduced as SB1369