HB 1683 — An Act designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 12334, carrying State Route 2012 over McElhattan Creek in Wayne Township, Clinton County, as the Master Sergeant Robert F. Johnson Memorial Bridge.

PRINTER'S NO.     2062

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1683
                                                Session of
                                                  2025

     INTRODUCED BY BOROWICZ, VITALI, STAATS, COOK, ROWE, WARNER AND
        GILLEN, JUNE 30, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, JUNE 30, 2025


                                     AN ACT
 1   Designating a bridge, identified as Bridge Key 12334, carrying
 2      State Route 2012 over McElhattan Creek in Wayne Township,
 3      Clinton County, as the Master Sergeant Robert F. Johnson
 4      Memorial Bridge.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7   Section 1.     Master Sergeant Robert F. Johnson Memorial Bridge.
 8      (a)     Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
 9   follows:
10            (1)   Robert F. "Bobby" Johnson was born July 21, 1929.
11            (2)   Master Sergeant Johnson was the son of George S. and
12      Alice Knarr Johnson.
13            (3)   Master Sergeant Johnson was a veteran of the United
14      States Air Force, enlisting in 1947 and retiring in 1969 as a
15      Master Sergeant.
16            (4)   Master Sergeant Johnson was initially assigned to an
17      Air Police squadron during the Berlin Airlift and
18      subsequently applied for pararescue training and spent the
19      next 20 years as a rescue parachutist and diver assigned to
 1      the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service.
 2            (5)    Master Sergeant Johnson made more than 350 parachute
 3      jumps during his career and participated in rescue operations
 4      in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the United States.
 5            (6)    Master Sergeant Johnson was assigned to support
 6      NASA's Mercury and Gemini spaceflight programs, parachuting
 7      and diving to recover NASA equipment and space capsules.
 8            (7)    When the Gemini III space capsule splashed down into
 9      the Atlantic Ocean on March 23, 1965, bringing astronauts
10      Virgil "Gus" Grissom and John Young safely back to Earth,
11      Master Sergeant Johnson was the first diver to reach the
12      capsule.
13            (8)    Master Sergeant Johnson's awards and qualifications
14      included the Master Parachutist and Enlisted Aircrew Badges,
15      Dive Badge, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force
16      Outstanding Unit Award and Good Conduct Medal.
17            (9)    Master Sergeant Johnson was a Life Member of the
18      Wayne Township Fire Department and involved in many other
19      organizations.
20            (10)    Robert F. Johnson passed away at his home in
21      Youngdale on February 2, 2022, at the age of 92.
22      (b)   Designation.--The bridge, identified as Bridge Key
23   12334, carrying State Route 2012 over McElhattan Creek in Wayne
24   Township, Clinton County, is designated as the Master Sergeant
25   Robert F. Johnson Memorial Bridge.
26      (c)   Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
27   maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to
28   traffic in both directions on the bridge.
29   Section 2.      Effective date.
30      This act shall take effect in 60 days.

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