HB 2130 — An Act designating a bridge, currently identified as the Fort Duquesne Bridge, on that portion of U.S. Route 279 over the Allegheny River, City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, as the Franco Harris Bridge.

PRINTER'S NO.     2756

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 2130
                                                Session of
                                                  2026

     INTRODUCED BY ABNEY, MADDEN, HILL-EVANS, BRENNAN, GREINER, RABB,
        STEELE, MAYES, BENHAM, FRANKEL, KHAN, DEASY, POWELL, INGLIS,
        MIHALEK, O'NEAL, BURGOS, VENKAT, K.HARRIS, FREEMAN, HARKINS,
        HADDOCK AND FLICK, JANUARY 12, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, JANUARY 12, 2026


                                     AN ACT
 1   Designating a bridge, currently identified as the Fort Duquesne
 2      Bridge, on that portion of U.S. Route 279 over the Allegheny
 3      River, City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, as the Franco
 4      Harris Bridge.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7   Section 1.     Franco Harris Bridge.
 8      (a)     Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as
 9   follows:
10            (1)   Franco Harris was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey, on
11      March 7, 1950.
12            (2)   Mr. Harris was named one of the 44 best high school
13      football players by Kick-Off Magazine his junior year and
14      chosen as a College All-Star his senior year at The
15      Pennsylvania State University.
16            (3)   Mr. Harris began his professional football career as
17      the Pittsburgh Steelers' first pick and the 13th player
18      selected in the 1972 Draft of the National Football League
 1    (NFL).
 2        (4)    For 12 seasons, Mr. Harris was a big-yardage running
 3    back and a key man in the powerful Pittsburgh offensive
 4    machine, which also included an outstanding passing attack.
 5        (5)    Mr. Harris established himself as a future
 6    superstar, being only the fourth rookie in the NFL annals to
 7    rush for 1,000 yards, and his six straight 100-yard rushing
 8    games as a rookie tied a record set by Jim Brown.
 9        (6)    Mr. Harris' Immaculate Reception, which occurred on
10    December 23, 1972, was officially declared by the NFL as the
11    number one moment and number one play in the NFL's first 100
12    years.
13        (7)    Mr. Harris was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
14    in 1972.
15        (8)    In his 13 seasons, Mr. Harris rushed 2,949 times for
16    12,120 yards and 91 touchdowns.
17        (9)    Mr. Harris rushed for 1,000 yards or more in eight
18    seasons and for more than 100 yards in 47 games and also
19    caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards and nine touchdowns.
20        (10)    Mr. Harris' career rushing total and his combined
21    net yardage figure of 14,622 both ranked as the third highest
22    marks in professional football history at the time of his
23    retirement.
24        (11)    Mr. Harris was an All-AFC choice in 1972, 1975,
25    1976 and 1977 and first-team or second-team All-Pro six
26    times.
27        (12)    Selected to nine Pro Bowls, Mr. Harris played in
28    five AFC championships, missing a sixth because of injury,
29    and four Super Bowls.
30        (13)    Mr. Harris was named the game's Most Valuable

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 1    Player in Super Bowl IX, when the Steelers won their first-
 2    ever league title with a 16-6 victory over Minnesota, rushing
 3    for 158 yards, compared to just 17 yards rushing for the
 4    entire Vikings team.
 5        (14)   Mr. Harris became the first African American and
 6    first Italian American to be named a Super Bowl Most Valuable
 7    Player.
 8        (15)   By the end of his career, Mr. Harris held numerous
 9    Super Bowl and postseason game records, notably including 24
10    points and 354 yards rushing in four Super Bowls and 17
11    touchdowns and 1,556 yards rushing in 19 postseason playoff
12    games.
13        (16)   Mr. Harris received the American Academy of
14    Achievement Golden Plate Award as the NFL Player of the
15    decade in 1984.
16        (17)   In 1990, Mr. Harris was inducted into the Pro
17    Football Hall of Fame.
18        (18)   Beginning in the 1970s, Mr. Harris became a March
19    of Dimes spokesperson and fundraiser.
20        (19)   Through the Pittsburgh Multiple Sclerosis Society,
21    Mr. Harris was a chairman for READ-a-thon, a reading program
22    developed by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and
23    initiated in the Pittsburgh area in 1974 by Harris.
24        (20)   In 1976, Mr. Harris was named the NFL Man of the
25    Year, now known as the Walter Payton Award, for excellence on
26    the field and in the community.
27        (21)   Mr. Harris was named to the Easter Seals Board of
28    Directors in 1978.
29        (22)   In 1982, he received the Whizzer White Humanitarian
30    Award from the NFL Players Association honoring the player

20260HB2130PN2756                - 3 -
 1    who shows high aspirations for serving his team, community
 2    and nation.
 3        (23)   From 1987 through 1995, Mr. Harris served as the
 4    Pennsylvania chairman of the Governor's Council on Physical
 5    Fitness and Sports.
 6        (24)   As an advocate for bike trails and cycling, Mr.
 7    Harris served as a member of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
 8    Board of Directors from 1992 to 1997.
 9        (25)   In 1997, Mr. Harris was selected as the National
10    Multiple Sclerosis Volunteer of the Year recognizing his
11    years of work locally and nationally.
12        (26)   In 1997, Mr. Harris camped out at Pittsburgh's City
13    County Building when the Ku Klux Klan was scheduled to speak,
14    in defiance of racial hatred.
15        (27)   As the son of an Army veteran who served in both
16    World War II and Korea, Mr. Harris traveled on a USO tour
17    with the NFL in 1974 and in 2002, beginning his annual
18    tradition of visiting veterans hospitals every Super Bowl
19    weekend.
20        (28)   Mr. Harris was a Trustee and Founding Chairman of
21    the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Smithsonian-
22    affiliated Senator John Heinz History Center.
23        (29)   Mr. Harris was named as Conti Professor for The
24    Pennsylvania State University's School of Hospitality
25    Management, and in 2005 he was recognized by Penn State as an
26    Alumni Fellow, the highest honor conferred by the Penn State
27    Alumni Association.
28        (30)   Mr. Harris was a recipient of the First Annual OT
29    10 Awards for Community Impact presented by OverTime Magazine
30    in 2005 which recognizes athletes who contribute unyielding

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 1    support through community service, charitable donations and
 2    entrepreneurial business endeavors.
 3           (31)   Mr. Harris was founding board chair and leader for
 4    Pittsburgh Promise in 2007 and established the Franco and
 5    Dana Harris Scholars Fund for college scholarship.
 6           (32)   Mr. Harris was a long-time supporter of Special
 7    Olympics and member of Special Olympics Pennsylvania's
 8    Executive Advisory Board, raising money for the nonprofit
 9    organization at the Beaver Stadium Run every year since 2010,
10    and receiving the first ever Beaver Stadium Run Community
11    Hero Award in 2013.
12           (33)   In 2011, Mr. Harris was inducted into the New
13    Jersey Hall of Fame for his commitment to community and
14    remained a lifelong supporter of his hometown of Mount Holly
15    and fundraiser for youth programs through the Mount Holly Pro
16    Day.
17           (34)   In 2011, Mr. Harris received the "Partners in
18    Warmth, People's Natural Gas Award" recognizing 20 years of
19    service promoting an energy assistance program.
20           (35)   In 2012, Mr. Harris received the Mother Frances
21    Schervier award from the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor for
22    his years of fundraising and support.
23           (36)   Mr. Harris received the National Urban League's
24    Whitney M. Young Award and, in 2022, received the Urban
25    League of Greater Pittsburgh's Ronald H. Brown Leadership
26    award.
27           (37)   In 2022, Mr. Harris was the first offensive player
28    ever to have his number retired by the Steelers, being
29    recognized by former President Barack Obama as a "role model
30    and community builder."

20260HB2130PN2756                   - 5 -
1      (b)   Designation.--The bridge, currently identified as the
2   Fort Duquesne Bridge, carrying U.S. Route 279 over the Allegheny
3   River in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, is designated
4   as the Franco Harris Bridge.
5      (c)   Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and
6   maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to
7   traffic in both directions on the bridge.
8   Section 2.   Effective date.
9      This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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