PRINTER'S NO. 1161
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 153
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY SANCHEZ, MUNROE, VENKAT, MALAGARI, MAYES, GREINER,
FREEMAN, NEILSON, GIRAL, HILL-EVANS, KHAN, GUENST, RIVERA,
O'MARA, MENTZER AND CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, MARCH 27, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, MARCH 27, 2025
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the week of November 16 through 22, 2025, as "County
2 Row Office Employee Appreciation Week" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, In November 1682, William Penn established Bucks
4 County, Chester County and Philadelphia County as the first
5 three counties in Pennsylvania; and
6 WHEREAS, These three counties have since expanded into the 67
7 counties Pennsylvania has today, which collectively employ over
8 90,000 individuals across this Commonwealth; and
9 WHEREAS, While Federal and state governments may receive more
10 attention due to the scale of their work, county government
11 employees in Pennsylvania regularly perform critical tasks for
12 the Commonwealth; and
13 WHEREAS, In Pennsylvania, county employees are charged with
14 many vital duties relating to the safety of Pennsylvania
15 residents; and
16 WHEREAS, Many of these employees work in departments run by
17 independent elected officials, known as county row offices, and
 1 carry out key administrative functions of the county that often
2 go overlooked; and
3 WHEREAS, One example is that every county in Pennsylvania has
4 an elected sheriff to assist with law enforcement, the
5 transportation of defendants and the protection of county
6 buildings; and
7 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania counties also have prothonotary offices
8 to file documents and records relating to civil court
9 proceedings, including divorce hearings, landlord and tenant
10 disputes and name changes; and
11 WHEREAS, In criminal court proceedings, county clerk of
12 courts offices help maintain and process records and documents
13 relating to criminal or juvenile court cases; and
14 WHEREAS, Each county's district attorney and their staff also
15 play a key role in criminal court proceedings by addressing
16 crime prosecution and prevention while working alongside various
17 levels of law enforcement; and
18 WHEREAS, County row offices also play a key role in counties'
19 fiscal and budgetary affairs, as county treasurers work with
20 their staffs to collect real estate taxes and other grants and
21 fees; and
22 WHEREAS, Further, county controllers' offices work to
23 maintain counties' fiscal and accounting records while ensuring
24 the compliance of records with current accounting standards; and
25 WHEREAS, Another county row office is that of the coroner,
26 who works with a team of medicolegal investigators to certify
27 causes of deaths in their respective counties to compile death
28 certificates; and
29 WHEREAS, County clerk of orphans' court offices work to file
30 and maintain petitions for guardianship and adoptions and are
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 1 often run by the same individual as the county register of wills
2 office, which issues marriage licenses and probates wills; and
3 WHEREAS, County row offices in Pennsylvania also provide
4 services like the issuance of marriage, hunting, fishing and dog
5 licenses; and
6 WHEREAS, The work done by county row office public service
7 employees should be recognized for all the vital services they
8 provide for the residents of Pennsylvania; and
9 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania should honor its county row office
10 employees for everything they do for our communities while also
11 celebrating the anniversary of when our first counties were
12 founded; therefore be it
13 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
14 week of November 16 through 22, 2025, as "County Row Office
15 Employee Appreciation Week" in Pennsylvania.
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