Pennsylvania Act 2014-59 — MILITARY AND VETERANS CODE (51 PA.C.S.) - EDUCATIONAL LEAVE OF ABSENCE AND HEROIC SERVICE WEBSITE

Act text

Session of 2014

No. 2014-59

HB 1460

AN ACT

Amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for educational leave of absence; and providing for heroic service website.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 7313 of Title 51 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:

§ 7313. Educational leave of absence.

Whenever any member of the Pennsylvania National Guard or other reserve component of the armed forces of the United States shall be called or ordered to active duty, other than active duty for training, including, in the case of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard, active State duty, the educational institution in which the member is enrolled shall grant the member or the member's spouse a military leave of absence from their education. The member or the member's spouse shall receive an "M" or "military" on their grade transcript for all classes they are unable to complete due to a military leave of absence. Members and spouses on military leave of absence from their educational institution shall be entitled, upon the member's release from military duty, to be restored to the educational status they had attained prior to the member's being ordered to military duty without loss of academic credits earned, scholarships or grants awarded or tuition and other fees paid prior to the commencement of the military duty. It shall be the duty of the educational institution to refund tuition or fees paid or to credit the tuition and fees to the next semester or term after the termination of the educational military leave of absence at the option of the student.

Section 2. Title 51 is amended by adding a chapter to read:

CHAPTER 97

HEROIC SERVICE WEBSITE

Sec.

9701. Responsibilities.

§ 9701. Responsibilities.

The department shall have the following responsibilities:

(1) In consultation and cooperation with the United States Department of Defense, the department shall provide public access to a searchable database of individuals who have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, the Air Force Cross and the Silver Star, which are granted for heroic service in the armed forces of the United States. The searchable database shall include the following:

(i) The recipient's full name.

(ii) The recipient's dates of service.

(iii) The name of the award or decoration.

(iv) The date of award or decoration.

(2) Within one year of the effective date of this paragraph, the department shall issue a report detailing the feasibility of expanding the database established under paragraph (1) to all military awards and decorations. The report shall include an estimate of the costs to the department associated with the establishment, administration and maintenance of the expanded database under this paragraph. The report shall be published on the department's publicly accessible Internet website and shall be delivered to the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the Senate and to the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the House of Representatives.

(3) Information pursuant to this chapter shall be available on the department's publicly accessible Internet website within three months of the effective date of this chapter.

Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

APPROVED--The 18th day of June, A.D. 2014.

TOM CORBETT