This bill would bring the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) together to provide assistance to veterans who are experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness. The DMVA would implement a program to identify these veterans, while the PHFA would establish a housing ombudsman to advocate for homeless veterans in the housing market.

Prime Sponsor: Sen. Katie Muth

This bill would implement a “Green Alert” system in Pennsylvania which is designed to warn the public if an at-risk veteran is missing.

Prime Sponsor: Sen. Wayne Fontana

This bill would establish an annual day of recognition and awareness to honor the strength, resolve, and perseverance of military sexual trauma (MST) survivors and work urgently to end sexual violence in the military and throughout this Commonwealth.

Prime Sponsors: Sens. Katie Muth & Lindsey Williams

This bill would recognize April 2023 as “Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania.

Prime Sponsors: Sens. Katie Muth & Lindsey Williams

This bill would impose penalties on anyone who publishes personal identifying information, such as home addresses or telephone numbers, for active and former federal, state, county, municipal judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, military, and their family members.

Prime Sponsors: Sens. Lisa Boscola & Steve Santarsiero

This bill would designate December 16, 2023, as “Wreaths Across America Day” in Pennsylvania. The Wreaths Across America project began in 1992 and is now an annual tradition where Maine balsam fir remembrance wreaths are placed on the graves of the fallen heroes buried at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as more than 3,700 additional locations in all 50 states, at sea, and abroad, while saying the name of each veteran aloud.

Prime Sponsors: Sens. Jay Costa & Devlin Robinson

This bill would establish the recent veteran property tax and rent rebate program. This program will be modeled after the Pennsylvania property tax and rent rebate program for seniors, and it would be for service members ending active status and entering civilian life or honorably discharged within the past three years.

Prime Sponsor: Sen. Katie Muth

This bill would remove veterans’ disability payments from income eligibility under Section 1901 of the Vehicle Code (exemption of persons, entities, and vehicles from fees).

Prime Sponsor: Sen. Jay Costa

This bill would designate May 2023 as “Blue Star Mothers of America Month” in the Commonwealth. Blue Star Mothers, Inc. was founded in 1942 to unite mothers who had sons or daughters in the United States Armed Forces. The organization provides support for active-duty service personnel and families, promotes patriotism, and assists various veterans’ organizations.

Prime Sponsor: Sen. Vincent Hughes

This bill would amend Title 24 (Education) to give all active PSERS members and multiple service members who are active members with the State Employees’ Retirement System, who had activated military service between July 1, 1990, and June 30, 2013, until their date of termination of service to purchase service credit for activated military service.

Prime Sponsors: Sens. Greg Rothman & Katie Muth

This bill would allow a surviving spouse of a deceased veteran to receive real estate tax exemption in cases in which the veteran passes away during the disability claim process before being deemed 100% disabled – as long as the evaluation is ultimately completed with validation of the claim. Additionally, the legislation would extend real estate tax exemption eligibility to surviving spouses of veterans killed in the line of duty or in the course of active service duty.

Prime Sponsor: Sen. Marty Flynn