Pennsylvania State Senate

Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania General Assembly
Type
Type	Upper House
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 5, 2021
Leadership
President	John Fetterman (D) ; since January 15, 2019
President pro Tempore	Jake Corman (R) ; since November 12, 2020
Majority Leader	Kim Ward (R) ; since November 12, 2020
Minority Leader	Jay Costa (D) ; since January 4, 2011
Structure
Seats	50
Political groups	Majority caucus Republican (28); Independent (1); Minority caucus Democratic (21);
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article II, Pennsylvania Constitution
Salary	$88,610/year
Elections
Last election	November 3, 2020; (odd-numbered districts)
Next election	November 8, 2022; (even-numbered districts)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
	State Senate Chamber; Pennsylvania State Capitol; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Website
	Pennsylvania State Senate

The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the seats are contested at each election.^[2] Even numbered seats and odd numbered seats are contested in separate election years. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate becomes the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania in the event of the sitting Lieutenant Governor's removal, resignation or death. In this case the President Pro Tempore and Lieutenant Governor would be the same person.^[3] The Pennsylvania Senate has been meeting since 1791.

The President of the Senate is the Lieutenant Governor, who has no vote except in the event of an otherwise tie vote.

Senate leadership[]

President of the Senate: John Fetterman (D)
President Pro Tem of the Senate: Jake Corman (R)

Majority party (R)	Leadership position	Minority party (D)
Kim Ward	Floor Leader	Jay Costa
John Gordner	Whip	Anthony H. Williams
Bob Mensch	Caucus Chairman	Wayne D. Fontana
Ryan Aument	Caucus Secretary	Maria Collett
Pat Browne	Appropriations Committee Chairman	Vincent Hughes
Dave Argall	Policy Committee Chairman	Katie Muth
Camera Bartolotta	Caucus Administrator	Judy Schwank

Composition[]

Historical sessions[]

Affiliation	Party (shading indicates majority caucus)		Total	show

	Republican	Democratic		Vacant
1995–1996 session	29	21	50	0
1997–1998 session	30	20	50	0
1999–2000 session	30	20	50	0
2001–2002 session	30	20	50	0
2003–2004 session	29	21	50	0
2005–2006 session	30	20	50	0
2007–2008 session	29	21	50	0
2009–2010 session	30	20	50	0
2011–2012 session	30	20	50	0
2013–2014 session	27	23	50	0
2015–2016 session	30	20	50	0
2016–2017 session	31	19	50	0
2017–2018 session	34	16	50	0
2018–2019 session	28	22	50	0
2019–2020 session	29	21	50	0

Current session[]

As of June 9, 2021:

↓
21	1	28
Democratic		Republican

Affiliation	Party (shading indicates majority caucus)			Total	hide

	Republican	Ind	Democratic		Vacant
End of previous legislature	28	1	21	50	0

January 5, 2021^[4]	28	1	20	49	1
January 13, 2021^[5]	28		21	50	0
January 17, 2021^[6]	27		21	49	1
February 15, 2021^[7]	27		20	48	2
June 9, 2021^[8]^[9]	28		21	50	0
Latest voting share	58%		42%

Membership[]

The Senate is made up of 50 members who are elected by district. In 2012, a State Senate district had an average population of 254,047 residents.

Map of March 2021 partisan composition of legislative districts for state senate:

Republican senator

Democratic senator

Independent senator

Seat vacant

List of current members[]

District	Senator	Party	Residence	Counties represented	Term ends	First elected
1	Nikil Saval	Dem	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	2024	2020
2	Christine Tartaglione	Dem	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	2022	1994
3	Sharif Street	Dem	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	2024	2016
4	Art Haywood	Dem	Philadelphia	Montgomery, Philadelphia	2022	2014
5	John Sabatina	Dem	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	2024	2015
6	Tommy Tomlinson	Rep	Bensalem Township	Bucks	2022	1994
7	Vincent Hughes	Dem	Philadelphia	Montgomery, Philadelphia	2024	1994
8	Anthony Williams	Dem	Philadelphia	Delaware, Philadelphia	2022	1998
9	John Kane	Dem	Birmingham	Chester, Delaware	2024	2020
10	Steve Santarsiero	Dem	Lower Makefield Township	Bucks	2022	2018
11	Judy Schwank	Dem	Fleetwood	Berks	2024	2011
12	Maria Collett	Dem	Lower Gwynedd Township	Bucks, Montgomery	2022	2018
13	Scott Martin	Rep	West Lampeter Township	Lancaster	2024	2016
14	John Yudichak	Ind.	Plymouth Township	Carbon, Luzerne	2022	2010
15	John DiSanto	Rep	Susquehanna Township	Dauphin, Perry	2024	2016
16	Pat Browne	Rep	Allentown	Lehigh	2022	2005
17	Amanda Cappelletti	Dem	East Norriton Township	Delaware, Montgomery	2024	2020
18	Lisa Boscola	Dem	Bethlehem Township	Lehigh, Northampton	2022	1998
19	Carolyn Comitta	Dem	West Chester	Chester	2024	2020
20	Lisa Baker	Rep	Lehman Township	Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming	2022	2006
21	Scott Hutchinson	Rep	Oil City	Butler, Clarion, Forest, Venango, Warren	2024	2012
22	Marty Flynn	Dem	Scranton	Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe	2022	2021^{[note 1]}
23	Eugene Yaw	Rep	Loyalsock Township	Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union	2024	2008
24	Bob Mensch	Rep	Marlborough Township	Berks, Bucks, Montgomery	2022	2009
25	Cris Dush	Rep	Pine Creek Township	Cameron, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, McKean, Potter, Tioga	2024	2020
26	Tim Kearney	Dem	Swarthmore	Chester, Delaware	2022	2018
27	John Gordner	Rep	Berwick	Columbia, Luzerne, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder	2024	2003
28	Kristin Phillips-Hill	Rep	York Township	York	2022	2018
29	Dave Argall	Rep	Rush Township	Berks, Schuylkill	2024	2009
30	Judy Ward	Rep	Hollidaysburg	Blair, Cumberland, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon	2022	2018
31	Mike Regan	Rep	Carroll Township	Cumberland, York	2024	2016
32	Pat Stefano	Rep	Bullskin Township	Fayette, Somerset, Westmoreland	2022	2014
33	Doug Mastriano	Rep	Greene Township	Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, York	2024	2019
34	Jake Corman	Rep	Benner Township	Centre, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin	2022	1998
35	Wayne Langerholc	Rep	Johnstown	Bedford, Cambria, Clearfield	2024	2016
36	Ryan Aument	Rep	East Hempfield Township	Lancaster	2022	2014
37	Devlin Robinson	Rep	Bridgeville	Allegheny, Washington	2024	2020
38	Lindsey Williams	Dem	West View	Allegheny	2022	2018
39	Kim Ward	Rep	Hempfield Township	Westmoreland	2024	2008
40	Mario Scavello	Rep	Mount Pocono	Monroe, Northampton	2022	2014
41	Joe Pittman	Rep	Indiana	Armstrong, Butler, Indiana, Westmoreland	2024	2019
42	Wayne Fontana	Dem	Pittsburgh	Allegheny	2022	2005
43	Jay Costa	Dem	Forest Hills	Allegheny	2024	1996
44	Katie Muth	Dem	Royersford	Berks, Chester, Montgomery	2022	2018
45	Jim Brewster	Dem	McKeesport	Allegheny, Westmoreland	2024	2010
46	Camera Bartolotta	Rep	Monongahela	Beaver, Greene, Washington	2022	2014
47	Elder Vogel	Rep	New Sewickley Township	Beaver, Butler, Lawrence	2024	2008
48	Chris Gebhard	Rep	North Cornwall Township	Dauphin, Lebanon, York	2022	2021^{[note 2]}
49	Dan Laughlin	Rep	Millcreek Township	Erie	2024	2016
50	Michele Brooks	Rep	Jamestown	Crawford, Erie, Mercer, Warren	2022	2014

^ John Blake resigned on February 15, 2021. Flynn was elected in a special election on May 18.
^ Dave Arnold died January 17, 2021. Gebhard was elected in a special election on May 18.

Standing Committees[]

Committee Name	Majority Chair	Minority Chair
Aging & Youth	Judy Ward	Maria Collett
Agriculture & Rural Affairs	Elder Vogel	Judy Schwank
Appropriations	Pat Browne	Vincent Hughes
Banking & Insurance	John DiSanto	Sharif Street
Communications & Technology	Kristin Phillips-Hill	John I. Kane
Community, Economic & Recreational Development	John Yudichak	Amanda Cappelletti
Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure	Tommy Tomlinson	Lisa Boscola
Education	Scott Martin	Lindsey Williams
Environmental Resources & Energy	Eugene Yaw	Carolyn Comitta
Finance	Scott Hutchinson	Marty Flynn
Game & Fisheries	Dan Laughlin	Jim Brewster
Health & Human Services	Michele Brooks	Arthur L. Haywood III
Intergovernmental Operations	Doug Mastriano	Anthony H. Williams
Judiciary	Lisa Baker	Steve Santarsiero
Labor & Industry	Camera Bartolotta	Christine Tartaglione
Law & Justice	Mike Regan	Jim Brewster
Local Government	Cris Dush	Tim Kearney
Rules & Executive Nominations	Kim Ward	Jay Costa
State Government	Dave Argall	Sharif Street
Transportation	Wayne Langerholc	John Sabatina
Urban Affairs & Housing	Joe Pittman	Nikil Saval
Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparednesss	Patrick J. Stefano	Katie Muth

Past composition of the Senate[]

References[]

^ The Pennsylvania Manual, pp. 3–7.
^ Article II, section 3, Pennsylvania Constitution.
^ Article IV, section 14, Pennsylvania Constitution.
^ Senator Brewster not seated
^ Hughes, Sarah Anne (2021-01-12). "Federal judge rules in favor of Democratic Pa. Senate candidate GOP refused to seat". Spotlight PA. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
^ Murphy, Jan (January 17, 2021). "Pa. state senator dies from brain cancer at age 49". PennLive. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
^ "State senator to resign to join congressman's office". Associated Press. February 15, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
^ KRAWCZENIUK, BORYS. "Flynn sworn in as new state senator". Scranton Times-Tribune. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
^ Toth, Matthew (2021-05-18). "48th state senate district: Lebanon businessman declares victory with sizable lead in race". York Daily Record. Retrieved 2021-06-09.

Sources[]

Trostle, Sharon, ed. (2009). The Pennsylvania Manual. 119. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of General Services. ISBN 0-8182-0334-X.

External links[]

Coordinates: 40°15′52.9″N 76°53′1.9″W / 40.264694°N 76.883861°W / 40.264694; -76.883861

[10] John Blake resigned on February 15, 2021. Flynn was elected in a special election on May 18.

[:0-11] Dave Arnold died January 17, 2021. Gebhard was elected in a special election on May 18.

[1] The Pennsylvania Manual, pp. 3–7.

[2] Article II, section 3, Pennsylvania Constitution.

[3] Article IV, section 14, Pennsylvania Constitution.

[notseated-4] Senator Brewster not seated

[5] Hughes, Sarah Anne (2021-01-12). "Federal judge rules in favor of Democratic Pa. Senate candidate GOP refused to seat". Spotlight PA. Retrieved 2021-01-12.

[6] Murphy, Jan (January 17, 2021). "Pa. state senator dies from brain cancer at age 49". PennLive. Retrieved January 17, 2021.

[7] "State senator to resign to join congressman's office". Associated Press. February 15, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.

[8] KRAWCZENIUK, BORYS. "Flynn sworn in as new state senator". Scranton Times-Tribune. Retrieved 2021-06-09.

[9] Toth, Matthew (2021-05-18). "48th state senate district: Lebanon businessman declares victory with sizable lead in race". York Daily Record. Retrieved 2021-06-09.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[note 1]

[note 2]

show v t Pennsylvania Senate
Topics	Lieutenant Governor President President pro tempore
Elections	2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Districts	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

show v t Members of the Pennsylvania State Senate
President of the Senate John Fetterman (D) President pro tempore Jake Corman (R) Majority Leader Kim Ward (R) Minority Leader Jay Costa (D)
Nikil Saval (D) Tina Tartaglione (D) Sharif Street (D) Art Haywood (D) John Sabatina (D) Tommy Tomlinson (R) Vincent Hughes (D) Anthony Williams (D) John Kane (D) Steve Santarsiero (D) Judy Schwank (D) Maria Collett (D) Scott Martin (R) John Yudichak (I) John DiSanto (R) Pat Browne (R) Amanda Cappelletti (D) Lisa Boscola (D) Carolyn Comitta (D) Lisa Baker (R) Scott Hutchinson (R) Marty Flynn (D) Gene Yaw (R) Bob Mensch (R) Cris Dush (R) Tim Kearney (D) John Gordner (R) Kristin Phillips-Hill (R) Dave Argall (R) Judy Ward (R) Mike Regan (R) Pat Stefano (R) Doug Mastriano (R) Jake Corman (R) Wayne Langerholc (R) Ryan Aument (R) Devlin Robinson (R) Lindsey Williams (D) Kim Ward (R) Mario Scavello (R) Joe Pittman (R) Wayne Fontana (D) Jay Costa (D) Katie Muth (D) Jim Brewster (D) Camera Bartolotta (R) Elder Vogel (R) Chris Gebhard (R) Dan Laughlin (R) Michele Brooks (R)
Republican (28) Democratic (21) Independent (1) Pennsylvania General Assembly Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania State Senate

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