RoseMarie Swanger (born October 31, 1945) is an American politician and former member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from the 102nd District. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, she was first elected in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

and served until 2014.

Early life and education

Swanger was born on October 31, 1945, in

Lebanon, Pennsylvania Lebanon () is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lebanon is located in the central part of the Lebanon Valley, east of Harrisbu ...

. She graduated from South Lebanon High School in 1963, and later attended the Thompson Institute and

Lebanon Valley College Lebanon Valley College (LVC, Lebanon Valley, or The Valley) is a private college in Annville, Pennsylvania. History Lebanon Valley was founded on February 23, 1866, with classes beginning May 7 of that year and its first class graduating in 1870 ...

Political career

Swanger worked as a clerk in the mayor's office of

, from 1966 through 1972. She later worked as assistant city clerk from 1972 through 1974, and as city clerk for Lebanon from 1974 through 1984. She served as a county commissioner in

Lebanon County Lebanon County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Lebanon Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,568. Its county seat is the city of Lebanon. The county was formed from portions of Dauphin ...

from 1984 through 2004.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Swanger defeated incumbent

Pennsylvania State Representative The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

Peter Zug Peter J. Zug (born November 11, 1958) is an American politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 102nd district from 1993 to 2006. Zug graduated from Eastern Lebanon County High School in ...

in the

Republican primary following Zug's support for the controversial 2005 legislative pay raise. She later won the general election to represent the 102nd District. Swanger won re-election in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

. In 2014, Swanger announced she would not seek

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

Anti-Sharia bill

In 2011, Swanger introduced HB 2029, a bill which would prohibit courts from "consider nga foreign legal code or system" that lacks "the same fundamental liberties" as the Pennsylvania Constitution and U.S. Constitution. In a letter to her Republican colleagues, Swanger claimed, "Increasingly, foreign laws and legal doctrines -- including and especially

Shariah law Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

-- are finding their way into U.S. court cases. Invoking Shariah law, especially in family law cases, is a means of imposing an agenda on the American people." Her bill, based upon a model written by anti-Sharia activist

David Yerushalmi David Yerushalmi (born 1956) is an American lawyer and political activist who is the driving counsel behind the anti-sharia movement in the United States. Along with Robert Muise, he is co-founder and senior counsel of the American Freedom Law Ce ...

, was seen as "

Islamophobic Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

" and part of the wider anti-Sharia movement in the United States. In addition to Islamic leaders, Jewish and Catholic leaders questioned whether the bill would also compromise elements of their religious code and liberties. In response, the

Pittsburgh City Council The Pittsburgh City Council serves as the legislative body in the City of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city ...

passed a unanimous resolution condemning HB 2029. Swanger's bill ultimately failed to make it past committee in the State House. Her reintroduction of the bill in 2014 was met with similar results.

References

External links

Pennsylvania House of Representatives - RoseMarie Swanger
official PA House website
Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus - Representative RoseMarie Swanger
official Party website {{DEFAULTSORT:Swanger, RoseMarie 1945 births City and town clerks Living people Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives People from Lebanon County, Pennsylvania Women state legislators in Pennsylvania 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Lebanon County Commissioners (Pennsylvania)