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House Democratic Caucus
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House Democratic Caucus chooses leaders for 2009-2010 Legislative Session

 

HARRISBURG, Nov. 18 – The 104-member House Democratic Caucus today elected its slate of leaders for the 2009-10 Legislative Session.

 

The leadership team includes:

n  House Speaker-Designee Keith McCall, 122nd District, Carbon County – A member of the House since 1983, McCall served as majority whip in the most recent session and has served as chairman of the House Transportation and Consumer Affairs committees. McCall will stand for election to the Speakership before the entire Legislature on swearing-in day, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. McCall would serve as the first speaker of the House from Carbon County in the history of the General Assembly. McCall, 48, attended both Penn State University and the Harrisburg Area Community College and is married with two children.

n  House Majority Leader Todd Eachus, 116th District, Luzerne County – A member of the House since 1997, Eachus served as majority policy committee chairman in the most recent session and led major legislative efforts to expand health care coverage for uninsured working people. Eachus also serves as Chairman of the House Democratic Campaign Committee. Eachus, 46, is a graduate of Pitzer College and is married with three children.

n  House Majority Whip Bill DeWeese, 50th District, Greene/Fayette/Washington counties – A member of the House since winning a special election on May 10, 1976, DeWeese served as majority leader in the most recent session. DeWeese served as Democratic leader since 1995, and was speaker of the House from 1993-94, majority leader from 1990-92 and majority whip from 1989-90. DeWeese, 58, is a graduate of Wake Forest University and is single;

n  House Majority Caucus Chairman Mark Cohen, 202nd District, Philadelphia County – A member of the House since winning a special election on June 10, 1974, Cohen continues as chairman, a position he has been elected to since 1995. Cohen also served as whip from 1993-94 and majority caucus chairman from 1990-92. Cohen, 59 is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and received his Juris Doctor from the Widener University School of Law and his Master of Business Administration from Lebanon Valley College. He is married with one child.

n  House Majority Caucus Secretary Jennifer Mann, 132nd District, Lehigh County – A member of the House since 1998, Mann served as vice-chairwoman of the House Finance Committee and Speaker Pro Tempore in the most recent session. Mann also serves as a member of the Democratic Leadership Council Leadership Team, chairing the DLC’s State Legislative Advisory Board. Mann, 39, is a graduate of Lehigh University and is single;

n  House Majority Policy Committee Chairman Mike Sturla¸ 96th District, Lancaster County – A member of the House since 1991, Sturla served as chairman of the House Professional Licensure Committee in the most recent session. Sturla, 52, is a graduate of the University of Kansas and is married with two children.

n  House Majority Caucus Administrator Ron Buxton, 103rd District, Dauphin County – A member of the House since 1993, Buxton served as subcommittee chairman for the House Consumer Affairs and Tourism and Recreational Affairs committees, and on the board of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency in the most recent session. Buxton, 59, is married with three children.

n  House Majority Appropriations Committee Chairman Dwight Evans, 203rd District, Philadelphia County – A member of the House since 1981, Evans continues for a tenth term as appropriations chairman– a position he has been elected to every term since 1991. Evans, 50, is a graduate of Lehigh University and is single.

 

"While our new leadership team comes from all corners of the state, we share a common goal: to stand up for working families and fight for the issues that matter most to the people of this great Commonwealth," McCall said. "We plan to continue to expand upon the record of achievement we started in the last session: improving access to health care, investing in job creation, rebuilding our infrastructure and fighting to lower energy costs."

 

"This team is going to hit the ground running and get right to work in January," Eachus said. "The people sent us here because they trusted our vision and our leadership in these tough economic times, and we're going to do everything we can to reward that trust and help make a better Pennsylvania for us all."

 

"Over the last two years, the partnership among Speaker-designate Keith McCall, Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans, myself and the rest of the leadership team has worked well. As we move to the 2009-2010 session, I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue our substantive, mission-focused agenda with Keith in the Speaker’s chair and Ed Rendell in the Governor’s Office," DeWeese said.

 

"I am looking forward to the new session," Evans said. "We have much work to do, but I’m confident our new leadership team, our freshmen members and our returning veterans are ready to meet the challenges we face in Pennsylvania.

 

Also casting their first votes for leadership were 15 newly elected members: Reps.-elect Tom Houghton, 13th District; Robert F. Matzie, 16th District; Dom Costa, 21st District; Daniel J. Deasy, Jr., 27th District; Steve Santarsiero, 31st District; Matthew Bradford, 70th District; Bryan Barbin, 71st District; Frank Burns, 72nd District; Richard Mirabito, 83rd District; Kevin Murphy, 113th District; Tim Briggs, 149th District; Paul J. Drucker, 157th District; Brendan F. Boyle, 170th District; Kenyatta Johnson, 186th District; Vanessa L. Brown, 190th District.

 

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