Jay
Costa is a Pennsylvania state senator from the 43rd District, a
position to which he was first elected in 1996. Having been reelected in
2000 and 2004, he began his third full term in January 2005.
Mr. Costa is the Senate Democratic Caucus Chairman, Democratic Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and a member of the Public Health and Welfare, Transportation and Policy committees. He has also garnered appointments to the legislative Budget and Finance Committee, the Pennsylvania Community Bank Operations Committee, the Public Employment Retirement Commission and the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, among other positions.
Together with Republican State Senator Stewart Greenleaf, Mr. Costa is co-sponsor of a bill that would create the Pennsylvania Innocence Commission, the purpose of which is to study and evaluate causes of wrongful conviction as they occur in the Commonwealth.
A former adjunct professor to the Community College of Allegheny County, Mr. Costa previously served as register of wills and as deputy sheriff in Allegheny County.
He earned his B.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from Duquesne University.
