Jay Costa

Jay Costa
Minority Leader of the Pennsylvania Senate
Assumed office
January 4, 2011
Preceded by Bob Mellow
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 43rd district
Assumed office
May 13, 1996
Preceded by Michael Dawida
Register of Wills of Allegheny County
In office
January 6, 1992 – May 13, 1996
Preceded by Rita Wilson Kane
Succeeded by Marty Madigan (Acting)[a]
Personal details
Born (1957-11-17) November 17, 1957
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Roxanne Ross
Education Community College of Allegheny County
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (BA)
Duquesne University School of Law (JD)
a.^ Madigan served as Acting Register of Wills until David Wecht was elected as Costa's permanent successor in 1997.[1]

Jay Costa is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who has represented the 43rd District since 1996.[2] He is a member of the Costa political family in Pittsburgh. On November 17, 2010, Senate Democrats elected Costa as their new floor leader, succeeding the retiring Bob Mellow.[3]

In 2006 Costa voted to pass the Marriage Definition Constitutional Amendment, which legally defines marriage as between one man and one woman. He is strongly supportive of abortion rights and received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood in 2013 and 2014.[4][5]

Personal life

Costa attended the Community College of Allegheny County, A.S. in 1977. After that in 1979 he attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and then in 1989 received his JD at Duquesne University School of Law.[6]

Political career

Senator Costa has dedicated his life to public service, and making sure state government is used as a force for good – protecting and providing opportunities for those who need it most. His record of accomplishment features signature laws in the areas of education, family law, judicial reform, public safety, job creation and health care.

Early in his career, Senator Costa sponsored a plan to leverage rebates to lower drug costs for seniors. He was a strong supporter of expanding the nationally-recognized CHIP program and Medicaid. Applying his background in family law, he pushed a proposal that allows pooled trust funds to serve individuals with disabilities. Senator Costa successfully encouraged other court reforms – sponsoring proposals to improve diversity in jury pools and provide certified interpreters for deaf, hearing impaired and those with limited English proficiency.

A former deputy sheriff, Senator Costa actively promotes public safety and security. He sought maximum penalties for burglary and burglary-related offenses and worked to halt ordinances that penalize residents who call for emergency assistance – particularly in domestic violence situations. Senator Costa also supported upgrades to child protection laws and the reporting of child abuse. Over the course of his career, Senator Costa has been a strong, effective promoter of education. Seeking additional funding for K-12 education, higher education and pre-school he is recognized as one of the General Assembly’s leaders in education.

Recognizing his accomplishments, Senator Costa was elected Leader by his colleagues in 2010. Beyond his legislative work, Senator Costa has served on the board of trustees of the University of Pittsburgh and is treasurer of the Community College of Allegheny County board. He is on the boards of the Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Senator John Heinz History Center, 3 Rivers Wet Weather, Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, CLO, Forest Hills Community Development Corporation and a life trustee of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

References

  1. ↑ Fischione Donovan, Sandra (May 21, 1997). "County races decided". The Allegheny Times. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  2. ↑ Cox, Harold (2004). "Pennsylvania Senate - 1995-1996" (PDF). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  3. ↑ Bumsted, Brad (November 18, 2010). "Pennsylvania political power shifts west". The Pittsburgh Tribune. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Legislative Scorecard". Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "Jay Costa, Jr.'s Political Summary". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Center, Legislativate Data Processing. "Senator Jay Costa". The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved 2016-12-09.

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