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Senator Pat Browne Takes Oath of Office
HARRISBURG -- Pat Browne today wrapped up his 10-year career in the
Pennsylvania State House of Representatives and started his new job as the state
Senator representing parts of Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties.
Shortly after 1 p.m., Senator
Browne was sworn into office by Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer to represent
the 16th Senatorial District, the seat that he won in an April 2005 special
election.
More than 150 guests came to
the state Capitol to attend the special ceremony. Monsignor John P. Murphy of
St. Thomas More Church, Allentown, was a special guest of Senator Browne and
delivered the invocation to open the Senate session.
“These are the people who
helped me get to where I am and I am glad they could make the trip. It’s only
right that they share in the happiness and the ceremony of the swearing in,”
Senator Browne said.
Born and raised in Allentown,
Senator Browne attended Allentown Central Catholic High School before graduating
from the University of Notre Dame in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in business
administration. He earned his law degree from Temple University in 1993.
Previous to his legislative
service, he was employed with the accounting firms of Coopers & Lybrand and
Price Waterhouse as a tax manager and senior tax associate, respectively. He is
a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association
and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
“I look forward to continuing
the work I started as a state Representative to develop legislation and policies
that promote economic development and create job opportunities for the people of
Pennsylvania and especially the Lehigh Valley,” Senator Browne said. “We are in
a crucial time in the Commonwealth. We must work to keep young people here. It
is essential that we take whatever steps necessary to make Pennsylvania a good
place to live, work and raise a family.”
In 1995, as a freshman state
Representative, he wrote the law that enacted the tax cuts that were key to then
Governor Tom Ridge’s plan to radically improve Pennsylvania’s economy and to
provide quality, high-paying jobs for its citizens. Senator Browne also
sponsored the “Small Business Jobs Protection Act” which greatly expanded
capital opportunities for Pennsylvania’s small business people.
Focusing on Pennsylvania's
seniors and families, then-Representative Browne sponsored the "School Property
Tax Rebate Act" which was the only state-sponsored property tax reduction in
Pennsylvania history. He also sponsored the “Health Cost Containment Act of
2003” which empowers patients in making health care decisions. He authored laws
that increased income tax exemptions for working families, repealed the “Widow’s
Tax” and eliminated taxes on retirement annuities. He served on the Select
Committee on Pharmaceutical Drugs which wrote the law which is providing
hundreds of thousands more of the state’s seniors with prescription drug
coverage.
“State government has a basic
responsibility to be responsive to the needs of all people,” Senator Browne
said. “That’s the challenge we face on a daily basis and one that I look
forward to addressing as a member of the state Senate.”
Senator
Browne resides in Allentown with his wife Heather and son, Alex.
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Sen. Pat Browne is sworn in and talks about his goals as a member of the
Pennsylvania Senate.
In a May 3 ceremony on the
Senate floor, Senator Pat Browne took the oath of office to
represent parts of Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties.
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