Nov. 26, 2019
HARRISBURG – Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) issued the following statement on the death of the Hon. Bob Godshall, a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from Montgomery County.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Bob Godshall, whose strong legacy lives throughout the Pennsylvania Capitol,” said Turzai. “During his 18 terms in office, Rep. Godshall was a strong voice for the residents of the 53rd Legislative District and for people throughout the state.”
During his 36 years in the House, Godshall received many awards, citations and special recognition. He had said the one that he treasured the most was the 2011 “American Hero Award” from the National Kidney Registry. The recipient of a life-saving bone marrow transplant, Godshall’s groundbreaking legislation to provide tax breaks to employers who grant workers time off to donate an organ or bone marrow was intended to increase donations by living donors. His legislation is a national model to encourage similar measures in other states. In addition, Godshall authored Act 33 of 2017, Right-to-Try law, which permits eligible patients with terminal illnesses to use investigational drugs, biological products and devices not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It became a model which Congress ultimately mirrored into national law.
From 2007 through 2018 when he retired, Godshall served as chairman of the House Consumer Affairs Committee. As chairman, he championed legislation to phase in electric rate increases when rate caps were lifted.
Before leading the Consumer Affairs Committee, Godshall was the long-time chair of the House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee. During this time, he worked with former Gov. Tom Ridge to take Pennsylvania from ranking in the lower half of the country to the top five in the nation promoting Commonwealth tourism, which is the second-leading industry in Pennsylvania with an economic impact of nearly $33 billion annually. Godshall was also chairman during the development of the National Constitution Center, of which he served on the board of directors for 12 years.
Godshall was preceded in death by his son Brad. He is survived by children, Jami Godshall Adams, Tanya Godshall Neuman, Shanin Godshall Macaluso and Grey Godshall, as well as several grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
The family has shared the following details of the service plans for Friday, Nov. 29:
Visitation - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Service - 1 p.m.
Zion Mennonite Church
149 E. Cherry Lane
Souderton, PA 18964
Phone: 215-723-3592
zionmennonite.org/
Luncheon will follow the service at Indian Valley Country Club
650 Bergey Road
Telford, PA 18969
For GPS, you may need to type in "Franconia Township"
indianvalleycc.com/
“On behalf of my family and the residents of our Commonwealth, I extend my condolences to his family. May Bob rest in peace,” Turzai said.
Representative Mike Turzai
Speaker of the House
28th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Christine Goldbeck
717.787.7977 (office) 570.205.0736 (cell)
cgoldbec@pahousegop.com
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