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<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nAccording to The Daily Item<\/a>, Pennsylvania’s governor, Tom Wolf, signed the state’s Stolen Valor Act into law this week;<\/p>\n John Getz, state adjutant of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Pennsylvania, said the legislation\u2019s title is apt and the legislation is warranted to punish impersonators who try to benefit from pretending to be a veteran.<\/p>\n \u201cI think they are criminals because they are stealing the valor of people who have done these deeds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Previously, lying about military service was not illegal in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n The legislation makes it a third-degree misdemeanor for a person to falsely claim to be a veteran in order to commit fraud, get a job or get elected to public office. It carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $2,000 fine. The penalty is increased to up to two years in jail and $5,000 fine if the person falsely claims to have received medals, including the Congressional Medal of Honor, a Silver Star or Purple Heart.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The states with Stolen Valor Acts have been more successful fighting the scourge of lying about military service than states which rely solely on federal enforcement. We’ve seen more prosecutions by state enforcement in recent years. <\/p>\n Not mentioned in the article is the hard work put towards that goal by Matt Ott<\/a>, who made the Stolen Valor Act in Pennsylvania his pet peeve when he was deceived by Nate Fornwalt<\/a> three years ago. Matt, the son of two veterans, marched through the halls of the state legislature shaking hands and fighting for this bill. Thanks, Matt.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"