EXPRESS FILE PHOTO Pictured are student representatives from Bucktail High School’s Ecology class and Student Government, from left, Martin Lewis, Mattisyn Mason, Kendall Wagner, the Hynerpeton, Laura Ransom, Eva Sockman, McKenna Bissman, Lola English, Makenna Stone and Emiliana DeMarte.

HARRISBURG — It wasn’t your typical day at the Pennsylvania State Capitol. A group of students from Bucktail High School in Renovo walked through the Senate chamber doors accompanied by an unlikely guest: a life-sized replica of Hynerpeton bassetti, a 360-million-year-old amphibian discovered in their own Clinton County backyard. Their mission? To convince lawmakers to name the ancient creature Pennsylvania’s official state fossil.

“Harry,” as the students affectionately call him, is at the center of a legislative tug-of-war that has captivated Harrisburg insiders and paleontology fans alike.

THE SENATE VICTORY

The timing was fortuitous. On the very morning of the Bucktail students’ presentation, the Pennsylvania Senate had unanimously passed Senate Bill 829 (50-0), sponsored by Senator Cris Dush (R-25). The bill would dethrone the current state fossil — a trilobite shared by 46 other states — and crown Harry as Pennsylvania’s unique champion.

“Unlike the trilobite, the Hynerpeton is found nowhere else on Earth,” the students’ leader told the chamber. “It lived in our rivers. It walked on our land. Harry is ours.” The students cheered. Harry — or his fossil stand-in — stood proudly beside them.

THE HOUSE PLOT

THICKENS

But every fairytale has a twist. Upon leaving the Senate, SB 829 was sent to the House State Government Committee for review.

On Feb. 3, the committee voted 14-12 along party lines to re-refer the bill, not to the full House floor, but to an entirely different committee: the House Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Centre).

The reason remains unclear. Rep. Brad Roae (R-Crawford/Erie) objected during the vote, arguing the bill should be reviewed immediately rather than delayed. His protest was noted — but the referral stood.

THE COMPANION BILL

Meanwhile, a backup plan waits in the wings. House Bill 1554, sponsored by Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R-Clinton/Union), is an identical companion bill that has sat in the House State Government Committee since June 2025. No vote has been scheduled. If SB 829 stalls in the Commerce Committee, supporters hope HB 1554 can rise as the unlikely hero.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING

Some of the original Bucktail students who began this quest have already graduated, and many more are set to graduate in June 2026. The community fears their dream may not become law before they cross the stage.

Although the project has been designated an Officially Recognized Project of the America250PA delegation, it may even miss the July 4th, 2026, deadline. But for now, Harry waits — an ancient amphibian caught in a modern legislative maze.

WHAT’S NEXT

SB 829 awaits review in the House Commerce Committee. No hearing date has been set. Supporters encourage constituents to contact Rep. Conklin’s office and ask why the bill was rerouted. HB 1554 sits in the State Government Committee.

Representative Carol Hill-Evans, Chair of that committee, has offered to meet with the students this week.

Hopefully, she will see merit in the proposal and bring it to a vote.