Tom Murt
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Thomas P. Murt (born 1960) is 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 ...
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 ...
, representing the 152nd legislative district. He 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 ...
.


Early life, education, and career

Tom Murt is a native of
Hatboro, Pennsylvania Hatboro (known locally as the Boro) is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,238 at the 2020 census. History The town of Hatboro is located on land purchased from William Penn by the family of Nichol ...
, and graduated from
Archbishop Wood High School Archbishop Wood Catholic High School is a private school, private, Roman Catholic high school within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The school was founded in 1964 in Warminster Township, Pennsylvania, Wa ...
. His wife, Maria Murt, received a
Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
from
Widener University Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school ...
and is a professor of nursing at
Widener University Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school ...
. Representative Murt has a bachelor's degree in economics from
Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...
and a master's degree in education from
La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...
. He also earned a Teaching Certificate from
Gwynedd-Mercy College Gwynedd Mercy University (GMercyU) is a private Roman Catholic university in Lower Gwynedd Township, Pennsylvania. It occupies a campus in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Gwynedd Mercy University was founded in 1948, as Gwynedd-Mercy College, ...
. He completed graduate economics coursework at
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...
and received a doctorate in education there. Murt served in the
U.S. Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...
from 1991 to 2009. In 2003, he was called to active duty and served for 14 months with the
U.S. Army's The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
4th Infantry Division in
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. Following his deployment in Operation: Iraqi Freedom, Murt returned to the
U.S. Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...
with the 656th Area Support Group. Murt was nominated for the Army Commendation Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal for outstanding service during Operation: Iraqi Freedom and Operation: Enduring Freedom. Prior to elected office, he was assistant coordinator for the Counseling and Advising Center at
Penn State Abington Penn State Abington is a commonwealth campus of the Pennsylvania State University located in Abington, Pennsylvania. The campus is set on of wooded land. The roughly 4000 undergraduate students (full-time and part-time students combined) are ta ...
, where he currently teaches business classes part-time. Murt was elected to the Upper Moreland Township Board of Commissioners in 1993 and served for ten years but resigned after he was called to active duty in the Army. He also served on the board of the
Upper Moreland School District Upper Moreland School District is located in Upper Moreland Township, Montgomery County in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Township has a general population of 25,000 residents who are served by the post offices of Wil ...
.


Athletic career

In 1983, Murt was appointed as the Head Wrestling Coach at
La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...
. He was only 23 years-old at the time and was the youngest Division I Head Coach of any sport in the United States. Murt took over a program at LaSalle that had not won a dual meet in two seasons and had never won a tournament. As Head Coach, Murt led the team to seven victories in his first season. In his second year as Head Wrestling Coach at La Salle University, Murt led the program to its first ever winning season. In the 1985-86 season, Murt led the LaSalle Wrestling program to a record-setting 14-win season, a record that still stands. The season featured a dual-meet victory over Division I powerhouse
Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...
and a team championship at the Explorer Wrestling Classic Tournament held in Philadelphia. Murt resigned as Head Wrestling Coach at La Salle University when he was elected to the Upper Moreland School Board in 1989.


Political career

In 2006, Tom Murt ran for the Pennsylvania State House against incumbent Sue Cornell in the Republican primary. He benefited from voter anger over the 2005 legislative pay raise. Even though Cornell won the party endorsement and had support from other State Representatives Murt prevailed in the primary with 55% of the vote. Murt went on to defeat Democrat Michael Paston in the general election with 54% of the vote. In the 2016 Pennsylvania House of Representative elections, Tom Murt was re-elected to his seat after defeating Democratic nominee Albert J. DerMovsesian, Sr. Murt won his 2016 re-election with 64.22% of the vote. In April 2019, Murt was named in an investigation by USA TODAY, The Arizona Republic and the Center for Public Integrity as having introduced or supported more
model legislation A model act, also called a model law or a piece of model legislation, is a suggested example for a law, drafted centrally to be disseminated and suggested for enactment in multiple independent legislatures. The motivation classically has been the ...
than any other state legislator in the United States. According to the report, Murt introduced one bill and sponsored seventy-one others that "came from
ALEC Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a diminutive of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include: People * Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat *Alec Acton (1938†...
, its liberal counterpart ALICE, the
State Innovation Exchange The State Innovation Exchange (SIX), formerly American Legislative and Issue Campaign Exchange (ALICE), is a nonprofit organization established in September 2012 by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. ...
,
Council of State Governments The Council of State Governments (CSG) is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization in the United States that serves all three branches of state government. Founded in 1933 by Colorado state Sen. Henry W. Toll, CSG is a region-based forum that ...
,
Goldwater Institute The Goldwater Institute is a conservative and libertarian public policy think tank located in Phoenix whose stated mission is "to defend and strengthen the freedom guaranteed to all Americans in the constitutions of the United States and all fift ...
and other groups that specialize in writing copycat bills". In response, Murt said he supports good legislation, whether it comes from a constituent, a colleague, or groups that advocate for causes he believes in. In January 2020, Murt was named chairman of the House Human Services Committee by Speaker of the House
Mike Turzai Michael Coyne Turzai (born August 2, 1959) is an American politician and former Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives who served as Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, S ...
. He assumed this position after former chairman
Gene DiGirolamo Gene D. DiGirolamo (born March 28, 1950) served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 18th District from 1995 to 2020. He serves as the Bucks County Commissioner after being sworn in on January 6, 2020. A ...
resigned. In January 2020, Murt announced he would retire at the end of his current term and not seek reelection in 2020, wanting to spend "30 more years with my family and friends" and write a book about Harrisburg.


Legislation

Murt authored a comprehensive update of Pennsylvania's Child Labor Law after holding numerous hearings.


References


External links


Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Thomas P. Murt
official PA House website
Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus - Representative Thomas P. Murt
official Party website {{DEFAULTSORT:Murt, Tom Living people People from Hatboro, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania State University alumni La Salle University alumni Gwynedd Mercy University alumni Temple University alumni 1960 births 21st-century American politicians