Legislative efforts continue to keep open Scotland School for Veterans' Children

Two bills in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives would keep Scotland School for Veterans’ Children open, if they ever get out of committee and reach the floor of the full House.

Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-Chambersburg, introduced HB1552 early in June. Rep. Bryan Barbin, D-Johnstown, introduced the other, HB1713, a week or two later.

Basically, both bills are similar, calling on a moratorium on the closing of the school until a legislative study can determine if other options are available.

Kauffman’s bill languishes in the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

Barbin’s has cleared that committee and is now in the rules committee. A spokeswoman in Barbin’s Harrisburg office said her boss hopes it will move onto the floor of the house this week or next, but pointed out there are no guarantees that if it does reach the floor for a full House vote before the legislature agrees on a 2010 budget that it would survive and become law.

Both Barbin and his local counterpart on the Republican side of the aisle have said they feel the school is important enough to Pennsylvania veterans to warrant a closer look at the proposed closing by the legislature.

Barbin said in a memo to fellow House members earlier this month that the bill would prevent either the closure or sale of the school "or any other veterans facility" unless findings justifying the closure and/or sale of the property has been reviewed by Senate and House committees for at least six months.

"During a time of war, the Legislature must stand up for veterans and prevent closure and sale of the commonwealth’s investments in veterans health and well being of their families," Barbin wrote.

He said that if the legislature doesn’t act, "no veterans facility is safe from closure or sale."

"The service of 6,000 deployed guardsmen demands that we just say no," he wrote.

The school property went on a state Department of General Services property disposition list in May.

That list values the 183-acre campus and its buildings at $5 million.