Jay Costa (born November 17, 1957) is an American politician, currently serving as a member of the
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 ev ...
who has represented the
43rd District since 1996. On November 17, 2010, Senate Democrats elected Costa as their new floor leader, succeeding the retiring
Bob Mellow
Robert J. Mellow is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 22nd District from 1971 to 2010. He also served as the Minority Floor Leader from 1994 to 2010 and Presiden ...
.
[ ]
Education
Costa attended the
Community College of Allegheny County
Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) is a public community college in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. With four campuses and four centers, the college offers associate degrees, certificates, and diplomas.
History
The Pennsylvania legis ...
, earning an A.S.degree in Criminology in 1977. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a public research university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. As of fall 2021, the university enrolled 7,044 undergraduates and 1,865 postgraduates, for a total enrollment of 9,009 students. The univ ...
where he studied Criminal Justice with the ultimate goal of becoming a police officer, and then earned a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from the
Duquesne University School of Law
The Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University is a private Catholic university law school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. ...
.
Career
Jay Costa began his career after graduating with a bachelor's degree as a Deputy Sherriff of Allegheny County.
In 2013, Costa’s chief of staff, Tony Lepore, testified under oath that Lepore functioned as a “middle man” in a corruption scheme involving awarding lucrative state contracts. As of February 2021, Lepore is still working for Costa.
He is supportive of
abortion rights
Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...
and received a 100% rating from
Planned Parenthood
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...
in 2013 and 2014.
In May 2019, it was reported that Costa and State Attorney General
Josh Shapiro
Joshua David Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the Pennsylvania Attorney General since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the governor-elect of Pennsylvania.
Raised in Montgomery ...
had directed paid communications staffers to edit their Wikipedia pages with positive material.
December 18, 2020, it was let known Jay Costa's law firm received $7,309,100 in PPP (Covid Related Paycheck Protection Program) loans ranking it 7th in all of Pittsburgh.
Early in his career, Costa sponsored a plan to leverage rebates to lower drug costs for seniors.
In February 21, 2021, it was revealed Jay Costa's son, Anthony, works for lobbying firm Cameron Companies which "lobbies on behalf of some of the state’s largest corporations" including 3M.
In a March 12, 2021, ruling, RE: "Gittins v. Gateway Clipper," the defendant represented by Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote of which Jay Costa is a Principal was fined $67,614 for failing to turn over discovery information.
Costa has served on the board of trustees of the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
and is treasurer of the Community College of Allegheny County board.
References
External links
Senator Costaofficial caucus website
Pennsylvania State Senate - Jay Costaofficial PA Senate website
*''Follow the Money'' - Jay Costa
2006200420022000
campaign contributions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Costa, Jay
1957 births
Living people
Politicians from Pittsburgh
2012 United States presidential electors
Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators
21st-century American politicians