BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: SCR 105
SENATOR ALAN LOWENTHAL, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: florez
VERSION: 6/7/10
Analysis by: Mark Stivers FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: June 15, 2010
SUBJECT:
National Purple Heart Trail
DESCRIPTION:
This resolution designates a portion of State Highway Route (SR)
223 in Kern County for inclusion in the National Purple Heart
Trail.
ANALYSIS:
The committee has adopted a policy regarding the designation and
naming of state highways or structures. Under the policy, the
committee will consider only those resolutions that meet all of
the following criteria:
The person being honored must have provided extraordinary
public service or some exemplary contribution to the public
good and have a connection to the community where the highway
is located.
The person being honored must be deceased.
The naming must be done without cost to the state. Costs for
signs and plaques must be paid by local or private sources.
The author or co-author of the resolution must represent the
district in which the facility is located and the resolution
must identify the specific highway segment or structure being
named.
The segment of highway being named must not exceed five miles
in length.
The proposed designation must reflect a community consensus
and be without local opposition.
The proposed designation may not supersede an existing
designation unless the sponsor can document that a good faith
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effort has uncovered no opposition to rescinding the prior
designation.
The Unites States Armed Forces award Purple Hearts to members
who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the
enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those
who are killed in action or die of wounds they received in
action. In 1992, an organization of purple heart recipients,
the Military Order of the Purple Heart, began a campaign to
establish a National Purple Heart Trail. The trail begins at a
monument in Mt Vernon, Virginia, the home of George Washington
who created the original Purple Heart award. The purpose of the
Purple Heart Trail is to create a symbolic and honorary system
of roads, highways, bridges, and other monuments that give
tribute to the men and women who have received the Purple Heart
medal. According to the Order, 45 states as well as Guam have
designated sections of the trail within their jurisdictions.
The segments of the trail are not coterminous, nor are they
intended to link up. California has already designated three
sections of highway within the state as part of the National
Purple Heart Trail: 1) all of Interstate 5; 2) all of Interstate
80; and 3) a portion of SR 101 in Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and
Santa Barbara Counties.
This resolution designates the portion of SR 223 from SR 99 to
SR 58 in Kern County for inclusion in the National Purple Heart
Trail. The resolution further requests the Department of
Transportation to erect appropriate signs upon receiving
donations from non-state sources to cover the costs.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose of the resolution . The National Purple Heart Trail
was established in 1992 for the purpose of commemorating and
honoring men and women who have been wounded or killed in
combat while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
According to the author, the purpose of this resolution is to
appropriate additional portions of the state highway system
for the inclusion in the National Purple Heart Trail, in order
to honor the men and women who have been wounded or killed in
combat while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
2.How many is enough ? California has already designated three
major sections of highway as part of the National Purple Heart
Trail: 1) Interstate 5 running from the Mexico to the Oregon
border; 2) Interstate 80 from its inception to the Nevada
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border and then connecting to Trail segments in Nevada, Utah,
and Wyoming; and 3) a portion of SR 101 through three Central
Coast counties. This resolution adds a fourth segment in Kern
County. The committee may wish to consider how many highways
California wishes to designate as a portion of the National
Purple Heart Trail.
3.Consistent with the committee's policy . The provision of the
committee's policy relating to the length of segments applies
to segments named for specific individuals. This resolution
honors a class of unspecified individuals. As a result, while
this resolution designates a segment longer than five miles,
it is consistent with the committee' policy.
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday,
June 9, 2010)
SUPPORT: None received.
OPPOSED: None received.