Senate Bill 829 Printer's Number 906

PENNSYLVANIA, June 6 - PRINTER'S NO. 906

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

No.

829

Session of

2025

INTRODUCED BY DUSH AND SANTARSIERO, JUNE 6, 2025

REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, JUNE 6, 2025

AN ACT

Designating the Hynerpeton bassetti, a stem tetrapod, as the

official State fossil of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania;

and making a repeal.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Findings and declarations.

The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:

(1) Hynerpeton bassetti is a specific type of extinct

tetrapod and an early four-limbed vertebrate that resembled a

modern day amphibian.

(2) Hynerpeton, meaning "crawling animal from Hyner," is

unique to this Commonwealth and was discovered in 1993 at the

Red Hill fossil site near Hyner, Pennsylvania.

(3) Due to the robust structure of the shoulder girdle,

the Hynerpeton was thought to have very powerful muscles,

which aided it in walking and swimming.

(4) The fossilized remains of Hynerpeton bassetti were

only found at the Red Hill fossil site, making this

vertebrate unique to this Commonwealth.

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