A Resolution urging the Congress of the United States to make "Patriots' Day" a Federal holiday.
Summary
House Resolution 109 is a nonbinding memorial resolution urging the United States Congress to designate “Patriots’ Day” as a federal holiday. The resolution recounts the historical events of April 19, 1775, including the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Menotomy, and frames those events as the beginning of the American Revolution. It emphasizes the sacrifices of colonial militiamen and the importance of commemorating their role in the nation’s founding.
The resolution also notes that Patriots’ Day is already an official state holiday in Massachusetts, Maine, and Connecticut, and asks Pennsylvania’s House and Senate to join in calling on Congress to act. If adopted, it would not create a new Pennsylvania holiday or directly change state law; instead, it would transmit Pennsylvania’s support to Congress and to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation in hopes of influencing federal holiday policy.
Impact
HR109 would have no direct effect on Pennsylvania statutes, employee leave rules, school calendars, or state holiday law because it is a resolution urging federal action rather than a bill creating or amending state law. Its practical impact is symbolic and advocacy-based: it formally expresses the General Assembly’s support for making Patriots’ Day a federal holiday and directs copies to Congress and Pennsylvania’s members of Congress.
Sentiment
The sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive and commemorative. The resolution presents Patriots’ Day as an important historical observance tied to the start of the American Revolution and frames federal recognition as a matter of honoring American sacrifice and resistance to tyranny. No opposing views, amendments, or recorded votes are provided in the available context, so the overall posture appears unified and favorable.
Contention
No committee testimony, debate transcript, or vote record is available, so there is no documented internal contention in the provided materials. Potential points of disagreement, if any, would likely concern whether Congress should create another federal holiday, the costs and workplace implications of adding a holiday, or whether the observance should remain a state-level commemoration rather than a national one. Those concerns are not expressed in the text or context supplied.