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Costa Comments on Corbett’s Decision to Drop Voter ID Appeal

Harrisburg – May 8, 2014 – State Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) released the following statement following the Corbett administration’s announcement that they would not appeal the court decision which struck down Pennsylvania’s controversial...

Costa Issues Statement on the Death of Sen. Ray Musto

Harrisburg – April 24, 2014 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following statement on the death of former Sen. Ray Musto. Musto served in the Senate from 1982 to 2010 representing Luzerne, Carbon and Monroe Counties. Musto began his career...

Senate Democrats Deride Gov’s Budget as Election-Year Pandering

Harrisburg, February 4, 2014 – Senate Democratic leaders today called Gov. Tom Corbett’s 2014-15 budget proposal election-year pandering and woefully lacking on multiple levels. “The governor really needs to stop promising and start delivering for Pennsylvania.”...

Senate Democrats Press Corbett on Human Services Funding Failures

PITTSBURGH, January 30, 2014 – Flanked by people who have struggled due to state human services budget cuts, Senate Democrats today detailed their budget priorities and challenged Gov. Tom Corbett to produce a spending plan that is aligned with the needs of...

Costa Pleased that Court Strikes Voter ID Law

Harrisburg – Jan. 17, 2013 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following reaction to Commonwealth Court’s rejection of the controversial voter ID law. The law required all voters to produce approved photo identification prior to casting their...

Gov. Heeds Democratic Call to Drop Lottery Privatization Plan

Harrisburg – Dec. 30, 2013 – Gov. Tom Corbett’s decision to discontinue his attempt to privatize the state Lottery is good news for Pennsylvania taxpayers and it aligns with repeated Senate Democratic calls for him to drop the plan and stop wasting resources, Senate...

Sen. Costa Testifies at Healthy PA Hearing

The following are Sen. Costa's remarks at the Healthy PA hearing in Pittsburgh on Dec. 20: Thank you very much for providing me the opportunity to discuss Gov. Corbett’s Healthy PA plan. This is an important initiative and I am pleased to convey my thoughts about...

Child Protection Legislative Package Clears Senate, Costa Says

Harrisburg – December 12, 2013 – A legislative package designed to help prevent child abuse and increase protections for children has now cleared the Senate and is headed to the governor for approval, according to Senate Democratic Leader, Sen. Jay Costa...

Senate Democrats Announce Legislative Plan for Veterans

Harrisburg – November 19, 2013 – At a Capitol news conference today, Senate Democrats outlined a comprehensive package of legislation designed to help veterans and their families deal with issues as they return to civilian life from military service. According to...

General Assembly Launches New Website

HARRISBURG – A completely revamped version of the General Assembly’s website was launched this morning to give the public better access to a wide array of legislative information, including bill text and history, votes in the Senate and the House, committee meetings...

Senate Democrats’ Small Games Plan Now Backed by Governor

Harrisburg – October 24, 2013 – State Senate Democrats said today they were pleased that Gov. Tom Corbett has now signaled his approval of their plan to direct revenues generated from small games of chance in taverns to the Lottery Fund. The Democratic plan would bolster lottery programs and create a potential funding source for a property tax freeze benefitting seniors.

Senate Democrats Comment on Corbett Health Plan

Harrisburg, September 16, 2013 – Senate Democrats issued the following joint statement in response to Gov. Tom Corbett’s announcement of his plan to reform the state’s Medicaid program. Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), Sen. Vincent J. Hughes...

Costa Disputes Corbett Administration on Philly Schools Deal

Harrisburg, August 13, 2013 – Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) today issued a statement disputing the Corbett administration contention that state funding earmarked for the Philadelphia School District was contingent on additional concessions from...

Senate Democrats Again Call for Gov. to End Lottery Privatization Plan

Harrisburg – July 19, 2013 – Citing yesterday’s announcement by the Pennsylvania Lottery of record sales and revenues for the 2012-13 Fiscal Year, Senate Democrats released a letter that was sent to Gov. Tom Corbett today asking that he immediately end plans to privatize the Lottery.

Costa: State Funding Aids Homestead Development

Harrisburg – July 15, 2013 – More than $1.1 million in state tax credits that will help finance a multi-phased development in Homestead have been approved by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA), state Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said today. “This is...