HB 2248 — An Act providing for the annual recognition and observance of May 20 as "Jimmy Stewart Day" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.     2939

                   THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                        HOUSE BILL
                        No. 2248
                                              Session of
                                                2026

     INTRODUCED BY STRUZZI, ANDERSON, BANTA, BRENNAN, COOPER,
        GALLAGHER, GAYDOS, HADDOCK, JAMES, KHAN, M. MACKENZIE,
        NEILSON, PASHINSKI, RAPP, SAMUELSON, SANCHEZ, SMITH, STAATS,
        STAMBAUGH AND VITALI, FEBRUARY 25, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TOURISM, RECREATION AND ECONOMIC
        DEVELOPMENT, FEBRUARY 25, 2026


                                   AN ACT
 1   Providing for the annual recognition and observance of May 20 as
 2      "Jimmy Stewart Day" in Pennsylvania.
 3      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 4   hereby enacts as follows:
 5   Section 1.   Legislative findings.
 6      The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
 7          (1)   Jimmy Stewart was born May 20, 1908, in Indiana,
 8      Pennsylvania.
 9          (2)   Jimmy Stewart attended high school at Mercersburg
10      Academy, in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, where he played
11      football and was a member of the glee club and the drama
12      club.
13          (3)   Jimmy Stewart entered Princeton University in 1928,
14      graduating with a degree in architecture.
15          (4)   After graduating from Princeton University, Jimmy
16      Stewart joined the University Players, a theater group in
 1    West Falmouth, Massachusetts.
 2        (5)     Jimmy Stewart often played a man of modest means,
 3    with moral resolve, striving to overcome his position in life
 4    to reach his dreams.
 5        (6)     Jimmy Stewart's slow, halting line delivery and
 6    naive, engaging manner was quickly accepted by the moviegoing
 7    public.
 8        (7)     In 1939, Jimmy Stewart's portrayal of a shy,
 9    idealistic young senator fighting corruption in Congress in
10    "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" won him the New York Film
11    Critics best actor award and gave him his first Academy Award
12    nomination.
13        (8)     Jimmy Stewart is best remembered for his role in the
14    1946 sentimental holiday favorite, "It's a Wonderful Life,"
15    in which he plays the embittered idealist, George Bailey, a
16    decent, small-town citizen.
17        (9)     In 1940, Jimmy Stewart won an Academy Award,
18    performing in "The Philadelphia Story" with Katharine Hepburn
19    and Cary Grant.
20        (10)     In 1941, Jimmy Stewart enlisted in the United
21    States Army and was assigned to the United States Army Air
22    Corps.
23        (11)     In 1943, Jimmy Stewart was sent to Europe as
24    commander of a bomber squadron and awarded the Air Medal and
25    the Distinguished Flying Cross.
26        (12)     During the late 1940s, Jimmy Stewart enjoyed
27    success on Broadway as the ingratiating inebriate Elwood P.
28    Dowd, whose best friend was an invisible six-foot rabbit in
29    "Harvey."
30        (13)     The play "Harvey" was adapted for the movie screen

20260HB2248PN2939                  - 2 -
 1      in 1950, earning another Academy Award nomination for
 2      Stewart.
 3          (14)    Jimmy Stewart received an Honorary Academy Award in
 4      1985 for, as the Academy noted, "his 50 years of meaningful
 5      performances, for his high ideals, both on and off the
 6      screen, with the respect and affection of his colleagues."
 7          (15)    In 1985, Jimmy Stewart was awarded the Presidential
 8      Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
 9          (16)    In 1995, Jimmy Stewart was honored when The Jimmy
10      Stewart Museum opened in his hometown of Indiana,
11      Pennsylvania.
12          (17)    Jimmy Stewart was one of Hollywood's most respected
13      and admired stars during his nearly 50-year-long movie
14      career.
15          (18)    Jimmy Stewart died July 2, 1997, at his home in
16      Beverly Hills, California.
17   Section 2.    Designation.
18      May 20 of each year shall be recognized as "Jimmy Stewart
19   Day" in this Commonwealth.
20   Section 3.    Construction.
21      Nothing in this act shall be construed as requiring an
22   employer to treat "Jimmy Stewart Day" as a legal or official
23   holiday or to provide paid leave to an employee on "Jimmy
24   Stewart Day" solely by virtue of the date being recognized under
25   this act.
26   Section 4.    Effective date.
27      This act shall take effect immediately.




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