WASHINGTON – President Obama signed a bill to name the post office in Pittston, Pennsylvania, after fallen Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Joshua D. Miller – almost three years to the day after he was killed in the line of duty.

“I’m deeply honored to tell the family and friends of Trooper Miller that he will be commemorated by the naming of the post office in his hometown,” said U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, who introduced the bill in congress.

Trooper Miller was shot and killed in the line of duty on June 7, 2009. He and his partner rescued a nine-year-old boy who was kidnapped at gunpoint from his mother. After a lengthy car chase, police were able to stop the kidnapper’s car. As Trooper Miller and his partner approached the stopped vehicle, the kidnapper opened fire on them. Trooper Miller was shot in the upper chest near the neck and in the leg, and his partner was shot in the arm. While they returned fire, another state trooper and a local law enforcement officer were able to smash a window in the kidnapper’s vehicle, grab the nine-year-old boy, and carry him to safety.

Barletta’s bill passed in the House on November 16. It was passed by the Senate on May 17. It was sent for the president’s signature on May 29.

This is the first bill introduced by Rep. Barletta that has become law.