Pennsylvania State Senate

Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania General Assembly
Type
Type	Upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
Term limits	None
History
Founded	1790; 235 years ago
New session started	January 7, 2025
Leadership
President	Austin Davis (D) ; since January 17, 2023
President pro tempore	Kim Ward (R) ; since November 30, 2022
Majority Leader	Joe Pittman (R) ; since November 30, 2022
Minority Leader	Jay Costa (D) ; since January 4, 2011
Structure
Seats	50
Political groups	Majority Republican (27); Minority Democratic (23);
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article II, Pennsylvania Constitution
Salary	$102,844/year + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 5, 2024; (odd-numbered districts)
Next election	November 3, 2026; (even-numbered districts)
Redistricting	Bipartisan Commission
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- and odd-numbered district 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 to break a tie vote.

Qualifications

Senators must be at least 25 years of age. They must be a U.S. citizen and a Pennsylvania resident four years, and a resident of that district one year prior to their election and must reside in that district during their term.^[4]

Senate leadership

Officers


Position	Officer
President of the Senate	Austin Davis
President pro tempore	Kim Ward
Secretary & Parliamentarian	Michael Gerdes
Chief Clerk	Donetta D’Innocenzo

Caucus Leadership

Majority party (R)	Leadership position	Minority party (D)
Joe Pittman	Floor Leader	Jay Costa
Wayne Langerholc	Whip	Christine Tartaglione
Kristin Phillips-Hill	Caucus Chairman	Maria Collett
Camera Bartolotta	Caucus Secretary	Steve Santarsiero
Scott Martin	Appropriations Committee Chairman	Vincent Hughes
Lisa Baker	Caucus Administrator	Judy Schwank
Dave Argall	Policy Committee Chairman	Nick Miller

Composition

Historical sessions

Affiliation	Party (shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Republican	Ind	Democratic		Vacant
1995–1996 session	29	0	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	1	21	50	0
2021–2022 session	28	1	21	50	0
2023–2024 session	28	0	22	50	0

Current session

As of May 5, 2025:

↓
23	27
Democratic	Republican

Affiliation	Party (shading indicates majority caucus)			Total

	Republican	Ind	Democratic		Vacant
End of previous legislature	28	0	22	50	0

January 7, 2025	27	0	22	49	1
May 5, 2025	27	0	23	50	0
Latest voting share	54%	46%

Membership

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

List of current members

District	Senator	Party	Residence	Counties represented	First elected	Term ends
1	Nikil Saval	Dem	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	2020	2028
2	Christine Tartaglione	Dem	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	1994	2026
3	Sharif Street	Dem	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	2016	2028
4	Art Haywood	Dem	Philadelphia	Montgomery, Philadelphia	2014	2026
5	Joe Picozzi	Rep	Philadelphia	Philadelphia	2024	2028
6	Frank Farry	Rep	Langhorne Borough	Bucks	2022	2026
7	Vincent Hughes	Dem	Philadelphia	Montgomery, Philadelphia	1994	2028
8	Anthony Williams	Dem	Philadelphia	Delaware, Philadelphia	1998	2026
9	John Kane	Dem	Birmingham	Chester, Delaware	2020	2028
10	Steve Santarsiero	Dem	Lower Makefield Township	Bucks	2018	2026
11	Judy Schwank	Dem	Fleetwood	Berks	2011	2028
12	Maria Collett	Dem	Lower Gwynedd Township	Montgomery	2018	2026
13	Scott Martin	Rep	West Lampeter Township	Berks, Lancaster	2016	2028
14	Nick Miller	Dem	Allentown	Lehigh, Northampton	2022	2026
15	Patty Kim	Dem	Harrisburg	Dauphin	2024	2028
16	Jarrett Coleman	Rep	Upper Macungie Township	Bucks, Lehigh	2022	2026
17	Amanda Cappelletti	Dem	East Norriton Township	Delaware, Montgomery	2020	2028
18	Lisa Boscola	Dem	Bethlehem Township	Lehigh, Northampton	1998	2026
19	Carolyn Comitta	Dem	West Chester	Chester	2020	2028
20	Lisa Baker	Rep	Lehman Township	Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming	2006	2026
21	Scott Hutchinson	Rep	Oil City	Butler, Clarion, Forest, Venango, Warren	2012	2028
22	Marty Flynn	Dem	Scranton	Lackawanna, Luzerne	2021^{[note 1]}	2026
23	Eugene Yaw	Rep	Loyalsock Township	Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, Tioga, Union	2008	2028
24	Tracy Pennycuick	Rep	Harleysville	Berks, Montgomery	2022	2026
25	Cris Dush	Rep	Pine Creek Township	Cameron, Centre, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, McKean, Potter	2020	2028
26	Tim Kearney	Dem	Swarthmore	Delaware	2018	2026
27	Lynda Culver	Rep	Sunbury	Columbia, Luzerne, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder	2023	2028
28	Kristin Phillips-Hill	Rep	York Township	York	2018	2026
29	Dave Argall	Rep	Rush Township	Carbon, Luzerne, Schuylkill	2009	2028
30	Judy Ward	Rep	Hollidaysburg	Blair, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Mifflin	2018	2026
31	Dawn Keefer	Rep	Dillsburg	Cumberland, York	2024	2028
32	Pat Stefano	Rep	Bullskin Township	Bedford, Fayette, Somerset, Westmoreland	2014	2026
33	Doug Mastriano	Rep	Greene Township	Adams, Franklin	2019	2028
34	Greg Rothman	Rep	Silver Spring Township	Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry County	2022	2026
35	Wayne Langerholc	Rep	Johnstown	Cambria County, Centre, Clearfield	2016	2028
36	James Andrew Malone	Dem	East Petersburg	Lancaster	2025^{[note 2]}	2026
37	Devlin Robinson	Rep	Bridgeville	Allegheny, Washington	2020	2028
38	Lindsey Williams	Dem	West View	Allegheny	2018	2026
39	Kim Ward	Rep	Hempfield Township	Westmoreland	2008	2028
40	Rosemary Brown	Rep	East Stroudsburg	Lackawanna, Monroe, Wayne	2022	2026
41	Joe Pittman	Rep	Indiana	Armstrong, Indiana, Jefferson, Westmoreland	2019	2028
42	Wayne Fontana	Dem	Pittsburgh	Allegheny	2005	2026
43	Jay Costa	Dem	Forest Hills	Allegheny	1996	2028
44	Katie Muth	Dem	East Vincent Township	Berks, Chester, Montgomery	2018	2026
45	Nick Pisciottano	Dem	West Mifflin	Allegheny	2024	2028
46	Camera Bartolotta	Rep	Monongahela	Beaver, Greene, Washington	2014	2026
47	Elder Vogel	Rep	New Sewickley Township	Beaver, Butler, Lawrence	2008	2028
48	Chris Gebhard	Rep	North Cornwall Township	Berks, Lancaster, Lebanon	2021^{[note 3]}	2026
49	Dan Laughlin	Rep	Millcreek Township	Erie	2016	2028
50	Michele Brooks	Rep	Jamestown	Crawford, Lawrence, Mercer	2014	2026

^ John Blake resigned on February 15, 2021. Flynn was elected in a special election on May 18.
^ Ryan Aument resigned December 31, 2024 to become State Director to U.S. Senator Dave McCormick. Malone was elected in a special election on March 25, 2025, and was sworn in on May 5, 2025.
^ Dave Arnold died January 17, 2021. Gebhard was elected in a special election on May 18.

Standing committees

Current committees, majority chairs, minority chairs, and vice chairs include:^[5]

Committee Name	Majority chair	Minority chair	Vice chair
Aging & Youth	Wayne Langerholc	Maria Collett	Judy Ward
Agriculture & Rural Affairs	Elder Vogel	Judy Schwank	Michele Brooks
Appropriations	Scott Martin	Vincent Hughes	Elder Vogel
Banking & Insurance	Chris Gebhard	Sharif Street	Lisa Baker
Communications & Technology	Tracy Pennycuick	Nick Miller	Kristin Phillips-Hill
Community, Economic & Recreational Development	Rosemary Brown	Anthony H. Williams	Chris Gebhard
Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure	Patrick J. Stefano	Lisa Boscola	Frank Farry
Education	Lynda Schlegel Culver	Lindsey Williams	Doug Mastriano
Environmental Resources & Energy	Gene Yaw	Carolyn Comitta	Scott Hutchinson
Finance	Scott Hutchinson	Nick Pisciottano	Jarrett Coleman
Game & Fisheries	Greg Rothman	Lisa Boscola	Dan Laughlin
Health & Human Services	Michele Brooks	Art Haywood	Lynda Schlegel Culver
Institutional Sustainability & Innovation	Frank Farry	Tim Kearney	Dave Argall
Intergovernmental Operations	Jarrett Coleman	Christine Tartaglione	Cris Dush
Judiciary	Lisa Baker	Amanda Cappelletti	Gene Yaw
Labor & Industry	Devlin Robinson	John I. Kane	Camera Bartolotta
Law & Justice	Dan Laughlin	Wayne D. Fontana	Joe Picozzi
Local Government	Dawn Keefer	Patty Kim	Rosemary Brown
Rules & Executive Nominations	Joe Pittman	Jay Costa	Wayne Langerholc
State Government	Cris Dush	Steve Santarsiero	Patrick J. Stefano
Transportation	Judy Ward	Marty Flynn	Devlin Robinson
Urban Affairs & Housing	Joe Picozzi	Nikil Saval	Dawn Keefer
Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparednesss	Doug Mastriano	Katie Muth	Tracy Pennycuick

Past composition of the Senate

References

^ The Pennsylvania Manual, pp. 3–7.
^ Article II, section 3, Pennsylvania Constitution.
^ Article IV, section 14, Pennsylvania Constitution.
^ "Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania"."Article II. The Legislature"."§5. Qualifications of Members".
^ "Senate Committee List | 2025–2026 Session – PA State Senate". Senate Committee List | 2025–2026 Session – PA State Senate. Retrieved April 14, 2025.

Sources

Trostle, Sharon, ed. (2009). The Pennsylvania Manual. Vol. 119. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Department of General Services. ISBN 978-0-8182-0334-3.

External links

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

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

[6] Ryan Aument resigned December 31, 2024 to become State Director to U.S. Senator Dave McCormick. Malone was elected in a special election on March 25, 2025, and was sworn in on May 5, 2025.

[:0-7] 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.

[4] "Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania"."Article II. The Legislature"."§5. Qualifications of Members".

[8] "Senate Committee List | 2025–2026 Session – PA State Senate". Senate Committee List | 2025–2026 Session – PA State Senate. Retrieved April 14, 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[note 1]

[note 2]

[note 3]

[5]

v t e Pennsylvania Senate
Topics	Lieutenant Governor President President pro tempore
Elections	2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
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
List of Pennsylvania state legislatures

v t e Members of the Pennsylvania State Senate
President of the Senate ▌Austin Davis (D) President pro tempore ▌Kim Ward (R) Majority Leader ▌Joe Pittman (R) Minority Leader ▌Jay Costa (D)
▌Nikil Saval (D) ▌Christine Tartaglione (D) ▌Sharif Street (D) ▌Art Haywood (D) ▌Joe Picozzi (R) ▌Frank Farry (R) ▌Vincent Hughes (D) ▌Anthony Williams (D) ▌John Kane (D) ▌Steve Santarsiero (D) ▌Judy Schwank (D) ▌Maria Collett (D) ▌Scott Martin (R) ▌Nick Miller (D) ▌Patty Kim (D) ▌Jarrett Coleman (R) ▌Amanda Cappelletti (D) ▌Lisa Boscola (D) ▌Carolyn Comitta (D) ▌Lisa Baker (R) ▌Scott Hutchinson (R) ▌Marty Flynn (D) ▌Gene Yaw (R) ▌Tracy Pennycuick (R) ▌Cris Dush (R) ▌Tim Kearney (D) ▌Lynda Schlegel Culver (R) ▌Kristin Phillips-Hill (R) ▌Dave Argall (R) ▌Judy Ward (R) ▌Dawn Keefer (R) ▌Pat Stefano (R) ▌Doug Mastriano (R) ▌Greg Rothman (R) ▌Wayne Langerholc (R) ▌James Malone (D) ▌Devlin Robinson (R) ▌Lindsey Williams (D) ▌Kim Ward (R) ▌Rosemary Brown (R) ▌Joe Pittman (R) ▌Wayne Fontana (D) ▌Jay Costa (D) ▌Katie Muth (D) ▌Nick Pisciottano (D) ▌Camera Bartolotta (R) ▌Elder Vogel (R) ▌Chris Gebhard (R) ▌Dan Laughlin (R) ▌Michele Brooks (R)
▌Republican (27) ▌Democratic (23) Pennsylvania General Assembly House Senate List of past assemblies

v t e Legislatures of the United States
United States Congress	United States House of Representatives United States Senate
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