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Senator Jane Clare Orie is serving her third full term representing the 40th Senatorial District, which includes Southwestern Pennsylvania communities in Allegheny and Butler Counties.

Prior to joining the State Senate, Orie served two full terms in the House of Representatives, gaining a reputation as a hard worker and committed advocate for her constituents. Orie also spent 10 years as a prosecutor, serving as state Deputy Attorney General in the Division of Criminal Prosecution and an Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney.

Senator Orie has been instrumental in working to strengthen Pennsylvania's domestic violence and child abuse laws and fighting to provide victims with greater rights and protections. She authored the "Domestic Violence Health Care Response Act," which makes Pennsylvania the first state in the nation to establish universal screenings in selected hospitals.

She is also a leader in promoting programs to prevent school violence. Working with many community-based organizations across the state, as well as federal, state and local officials, Orie has organized roundtables, forums, training sessions and seminars to implement a multidisciplinary approach to tackling school violence.

Senator Orie authored "Jessica's Law," which imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years for convicted child molesters who prey on children 12 years old and younger. She also led efforts to improve "Megan's Law" and ensure that more sex offenders are required to register under the law. Additionally, Senator Orie is the prime sponsor of legislation which would bring Pennsylvania into compliance with the Federal Adam Walsh Act which seeks uniformity across the country with regard to sexual offenders, and separate legislation to require the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) for certain sex offenders.

As Co-Chair of the Autism Caucus, Senator Orie was honored to be a leader in the passage of Act 62 of 2008, the Autism Insurance legislation. Act 62 provides better protections than any other law in the nation and has become the national model for autism legislation. Autism is one of the most serious developmental disorders in the country today and is more prevalent than pediatric AIDS, diabetes, and cancer combined. According to recent studies, there is a 1 in 150 occurrence of autism in children and that number is steadily growing each year.

Another important issue that Senator Orie sponsored was expansion of Pennsylvania's Newborn Screening and Follow-up Program to include 29 "core" genetic conditions that are serious but treatable if caught early. Newborn screening is a vital public health activity that provides early identification and treatment for infants born with life-threatening genetic conditions, including certain metabolic, hormonal, genetic and or functional disorders some of which can be treated through measures as simply as changing diet.

Senator Orie has introduced several bills to reform state government. One of the most prominent being Senate Bill 102, which proposes to eliminate most no bid contracts, including for professional services contracts. SB 102 was introduced to address the issue of "Pay to Play" – the award of no bid professional service contracts to individuals who have connections within State Government due to political contributions or personal connections. It would for the first time provide for a open process which includes: disclosure on how a contract for professional services was awarded, a provision requiring the disclosure of all political contributions made by those who bid on state contracts and annual reports by those who receive state contracts.

Senator Orie serves on six key Senate committees, including Vice Chair of the Senate Aging and Youth Committee. She is also a member of the Community, Economic, and Recreational Development; Finance; Inter-Governmental Operations; Judiciary; and Rules and Executive Nominations Committees.

She is an active member of many boards and organizations across Southwestern Pennsylvania and has received awards and accommodations for outstanding commitment and dedication and leadership. In 2008, Senator Orie was 1 of approximately 50 women from around the world who was asked to participate in an intense leadership course, Women and Power: Leadership in a New World, at Harvard University – John F. Kennedy School of Government.

In October 2009, Senator Orie was awarded the Educational Excellence Award by the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary & Secondary School Principals for her significant contributions to the attainment of educational excellence in the Commonwealth's elementary and secondary schools.

In April 2010, Senator Orie was recognized as a stalwart friend of lupus patients and their families by the Lupus Foundation of Pennsylvania. As Chair of the Lupus Caucus, Senator Orie maintains her commitment to all those suffering from lupus by advocating awareness and education.

A lifelong resident of McCandless Township, Orie has a B.A. degree from Franklin & Marshall College and a law degree from Duquesne University School of Law.

MAJOR PIECES OF LEGISLATION

• Predatory Lending Legislation
• Drug Court Legislation
• Tobacco Settlement Allocation (passed into law 2001)
• Increased Capital Stock Exemption (passed into law 1997)
• Domestic Violence Health Care Response Act (passed into law 1998)
• Ignition Interlock Legislation (passed into law 2000)
• Constitutional Changes to Megan's Law (passed into law 2000)
• Comprehensive School Violence Prevention Act (passed House 1999)
• Resolution for Domestic Violence Awareness Month (passed 1998, 1999, 2000)
• Resolution Calling for a Study of the Mental Health System (passed House 2000)
• Resolution Studying Local Property Tax System (passed 2002)
• Safe Exchange/Supervised Visitation Center (pilot project in Allegheny County)
• Sexually Violent Predators Act
• Legislation to reduce the burden of Reassessments in Allegheny County
• Mandatory School Violence Reporting Act
• Amendment to increase penalties for "habitual DUI offenders"
• Increased funding for Community Colleges
• Increased funding for Seton Hill College National Education Center for Women in Business (passed 1998)
• Continuous Sexual Abuse of Children
• Increased Training and Education programs for Domestic Violence
• Mental Health Courts Legislation
• Mental Retardation Education and Career Planning Act

CAUCUS MEMBERSHIPS

• Lupus Caucus
• Joint House & Senate Autism Caucus
• Legislative Arthritis Caucus
• Firefighters and Emergency Services - Subcommittee: Funding, Retention and Recruitment
• Steel Workers
• Coal Miners
• Land Use Management
• Family and Children's Caucus
• MH/MR
• Renewable Energy
• Domestic Violence
• Internet Caucus
• Charter School Caucus
• Pro-Life Caucus
• Irish Caucus
• Bike Caucus (Senate 2005)
• Sportsmen Caucus (Senate 2005)

GOVERNMENT TASK FORCE APPOINTMENTS

• PA Senate Member, Child Safety Task Force
• PA Senate Member, Working Families Task Force
• PA Senate Member, Children's Trust Fund Board
• PA Senate Member, TEAM PA
• Health Care Law Task Force, House Judiciary Committee
• PA Senate Member, Domestic Relations Law
• PA House of Representatives Sexually Violent Predators
• PA House of Representatives DUI, Chairman
• PA House of Representatives Domestic Violence (Policy Committee)
• PA House of Representatives Eminent Domain
• PA House of Representatives Adoption
• PA Senate House Ad Hoc Economic Development Task Force
• PA Senate and House Economic Development Roundtable: Tax & Spending Policy Subcommittee
• PA Economy League Ad Hoc Task Force on Water and Sewer Infrastructure
• Allegheny County Violence Prevention Task Force, Co-Chair Government Subcommittee
• Allegheny County Children's Cabinet
• Allegheny County Mental Health Task Force
• Allegheny County DA's Animal Cruelty Prevention
• Mayor's Homeless Task Force
• Pittsburgh's 21st Century Future (PGH 21) (regarding City Budget and Revenue Reforms)

ORGANIZATIONS/AFFILIATIONS

Professional

• Executive Women's Council of Greater Pittsburgh, Inc.
• Governor's Conference for Women, Statewide Steering Committee
• Women in Government, PA State Director
• American Bar Association
• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Allegheny County Bar Association
• Pennsylvania District Attorney's Association
• PBA Government Lawyers Committee
• Business and Professional Women (BPW) PA
• BPW/USA
• North Hills Professional Women's Network
• National Conference of State Legislators
• Women's Professional Network (WPN)

Political

• Co-Chair Southwestern PA Steering Committee (Bush-Cheney Campaign)
• White House Women's Information Network
• PA Council of Republican Women
• National Republican Legislators Association
• American Council of Young Political Leaders
• The Catholic Task Force (Victory 2000)
• Women's Legislative Exchange
• Center for Women in Politics in PA: Engaging the Next Generation of Leaders
• Ross Republican Women

Community and Economic Development

• Order Italian Sons and Daughters of America North Hills Lodge 0174
• Governor's Conference for Women, (Statewide Steering Committee)
• St. Barnabas Leadership Conference
• Northern Allegheny Chamber of Commerce
• Cranberry Chamber of Commerce
• Allegheny Valley Chamber of Commerce
• Zelienople-Harmony Area Chamber of Commerce
• StrongLand Chamber of Commerce
• Three Rivers Wet Weather Demonstration Program, Finance Committee
• Southwestern Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Task Force, Economy League
• Allegheny Conference on Community Development
• Ad Hoc Economic Development
• North Suburban Builders Association
• Women 2000 Summit: Partnering for Growth
• Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program
• YWCA Tribute to Women, 1999 Co-Chair
• Pittsburgh North Anti-Racism Coalition
• Women in Politics, Pennsylvania State Director
• Crime Prevention Association of Western Pennsylvania
• 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, Government Advisory Council Hampton Township Rotary Club