Pennsylvania Act 2013-81 — AMVETS MEMORIAL BRIDGE, CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 2 JARETT M. YODER HIGHWAY, SERGEANT MICHAEL TODD MAY INTERCHANGE AND LANCE CORPORAL RYAN J. KOVACICEK, USMC, EXIT - DESIGNATIONS

Act text

An Act

Designating each of the bridges that carry Lincoln Highway over Electric Avenue, in North Braddock Borough, Allegheny County, State Bridge No. 02 0030 0230 0001 and State Bridge No. 02 0030 0231 0000, as the AMVETS Memorial Bridge; designating a portion of Pennsylvania Route 662 in Ruscombmanor Township, Berks County, as the Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jarett M. Yoder Highway; designating a certain interchange in Greene County as the Sergeant Michael Todd May Interchange; and designating the Murtland Avenue Exit from Interstates 79 and 70 onto State Route 19 in Washington, Washington County, as the Lance Corporal Ryan J. Kovacicek, USMC, Exit.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. AMVETS Memorial Bridge.

(a) Declaration of policy.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

(1) The North Braddock AMVETS Post 60 was granted a national charter by an act of Congress in February of 1946.

(2) Throughout the years, AMVETS Post 60 has been actively involved in and around the local community. AMVETS Post 60 was a cosponsor of the annual community Memorial Day parade, which started in the late 1940's and lasted until the early 1970's. Local fire departments, marching bands and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts participated in the parade.

(3) AMVETS Post 60 helped sponsor the local little league, pony league and Boy Scouts and supported the local volunteer fire departments, EMS services and police departments.

(4) In the late 1970's, AMVETS Post 60 took the lead in restarting Memorial Day observances with other veterans' organizations and for the past 26 years has watched community involvement grow.

(5) Since November of 2008, AMVETS Post 60 has been holding a Veterans Day flag burning memorial service where American flags are properly disposed of.

(6) AMVETS Post 60 in North Braddock continues to serve veterans and its community by offering a helping hand when the need arises.

(b) Designation.--The bridges that carry Lincoln Highway over Electric Avenue in North Braddock Borough, Allegheny County, State Bridge No. 02 0030 0230 0001 and State Bridge No. 02 0030 0231 0000 are each hereby designated the AMVETS Memorial Bridge.

(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridges to traffic in both directions on the bridges.

Section 2. Jarett M. Yoder Highway.

(a) Findings.--

(1) Jarett M. Yoder was born in Reading on November 10, 1986. He was a 2005 graduate of Oley Valley High School, where he was an accomplished athlete in multiple sports. Upon graduating, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard and was deployed to the Republic of Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008 as a member of C Company, 1-111th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade. After his return in 2012, Jarett realized his lifelong dream by earning his wings at Army aviation school.

(2) Chief Warrant Officer 2 Yoder was killed on April 9, 2013, in Nangarhar province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, when the AH-64 Apache helicopter he copiloted crashed from an undetermined cause during an aerial reconnaissance while he was deployed with Bravo Company, 1-104th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, Pennsylvania Army National Guard as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

(3) Chief Warrant Officer 2 Yoder was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal and NATO Medal for his service in Afghanistan. In addition, he was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Combat Action Badge, the

Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one bronze star and the Iraq Campaign Medal with one bronze star.

(4) Chief Warrant Officer 2 Yoder, the husband of Heather L. Garay-Yoder, whom he married shortly before his deployment to Afghanistan, and the son of Diane C. and Gary L. Yoder, demonstrated his courageous commitment to family and country at the time of his death.

(b) Designation.--The section of Pennsylvania Route 662 in Ruscombmanor Township, Berks County, between the township border with the Borough of Fleetwood and the township border with Oley Township is hereby designated the Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jarett M. Yoder Highway.

(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the highway to traffic in both directions on the highway.

Section 3. The Sergeant Michael Todd May Interchange.

(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

(1) Sergeant Michael Todd May, a ten-year veteran of the Monongalia County Sheriff's Department, was killed in the line of duty in the early hours of Saturday, February 18, 2012.

(2) Sergeant May was killed while involved in a vehicle pursuit that had crossed over the West Virginia/Pennsylvania State line.

(3) The driver of the vehicle rammed Sergeant May's patrol car as he waited in the median for the pursuit to reach his location.

(4) The driver was convicted of third degree murder, homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence and multiple other counts.

(5) Sergeant May was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, on April 2, 1970.

(6) Sergeant May was a 1988 graduate of Morgantown High School and attended Fairmont State University, where he pursued a degree in criminal justice.

(7) After college, Sergeant May graduated from the West Virginia State Police Academy.

(8) Sergeant May was employed for a short time with the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department and then began his career with the Monongalia County Sheriff's Department, where he was a lead on the SWAT team.

(9) Sergeant May also worked at the Eastern Regional Corrections Facility and was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

(10) Moreover, Sergeant May served as president of the Monongalia County Sheriff's Association.

(11) Sergeant May is survived by his wife, Renee; his parents, Franklin and Catherine May; his brother, Frankie May; his niece and nephew, Canon and Bryiar May; his aunts and uncles; and several cousins.

(b) Designation.--The interchange of Interstate 79 at Mount Morris in Greene County is hereby designated the Sergeant Michael Todd May Interchange.

(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall install, where it deems feasible, the appropriate markers designating this interchange as the Sergeant Michael Todd May Interchange.

Section 4. The Lance Corporal Ryan J. Kovacicek, USMC, Exit.

(a) Findings and declaration.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

(1) Lance Corporal Ryan J. Kovacicek served during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Corps Reserve, Moundsville, West Virginia, attached to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

(2) Lance Corporal Kovacicek died on July 10, 2005, while conducting combat operations in Hit, Iraq.

(b) Designation.--The Murtland Avenue Exit from Interstates 79 and 70 onto State Route 19 in Washington, Washington County, is hereby designated as the Lance Corporal Ryan J. Kovacicek, USMC, Exit.

(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs to indicate the designation under subsection (b).

Section 5. Effective date.

This act shall take effect as follows:

(1) The following provisions shall take effect immediately:

(i) Section 2.

(ii) This section.

(2) The remainder of this act shall take effect in 60 days.