Recognizing May 9 through 18, 2025, as "Go Public Gardens Days" in Pennsylvania.
House Resolution 167 recognizes May 9 through 18, 2025, as "Go Public Gardens Days" in Pennsylvania. The resolution is a ceremonial measure that encourages Pennsylvanians to visit, value, and volunteer at public gardens, and it highlights the role of public gardens in education, conservation, research, public health, and community engagement.
The resolution describes public gardens broadly to include botanical gardens, arboreta, cemeteries, zoological gardens, sculpture gardens, campuses, historical homes, urban greening organizations, natural areas, and public parks. It also emphasizes the economic and workforce contributions of public horticulture in Pennsylvania, citing more than 2,000 full-time employees, over $500 million in economic activity, more than 4.2 million annual visitors, and significant visitor spending from out-of-town guests.
HR 167 does not amend the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes or create regulatory requirements; it is a nonbinding House resolution that formally designates a commemorative observance for a specific date range in 2025. Its practical effect is to promote public awareness of public gardens and related organizations, while recognizing their contributions to conservation, education, tourism, health, and economic development.
The bill appears to have been received very favorably. It advanced unanimously out of the House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee and then passed the House floor by a wide margin, 198-5. The strong vote totals suggest broad bipartisan support for the resolution's celebratory and promotional purpose.
There is little evidence of substantive controversy in the available record, likely because the measure is symbolic rather than regulatory. The only notable point of contention is the small number of dissenting votes on the House floor, but no committee transcript or recorded debate is available to explain those objections. Overall, the resolution seems to have drawn near-universal support, with any opposition likely tied to general objections to ceremonial resolutions rather than the subject of public gardens itself.