Since being sworn into his first term as state representative, Rep. Jim Christiana has championed government reforms representing the people of the 15th Legislative District of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
He has already introduced several key pieces of legislation. His first bill would stop the revolving door in government by proposing a new ethical code of conduct for executive branch employees. Workers would be prohibited from working for state government if they lobbied the executive branch during the state two years prior to state employment. He then introduced PENNWATCH, the Pennsylvania Web Accountability, Transparency and Contract Hub, an online database to make government more open and accessible to taxpayers. A third bill would establish a temporary stimulus oversight council to keep the General Assembly informed regarding the utilization of Federal stimulus funding in Pennsylvania. A companion bill amends the Right-to-Know Law providing for public availability, submission and retention of contracts. He is also part of a team of members banding together to support comprehensive Unemployment Compensation reform to restore balance in the fund for unemployment compensation benefits.
He has been appointed to serve on the House Children and Youth Committee, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, the House Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, and the Professional Licensure Committee. He has also been appointed as a member of the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, a joint bipartisan legislative committee that helps eliminate unnecessary expenditures and ensures that state funds are being spent for the purpose intended by the Legislature. He is also a member of the Penn State Beaver Advisory Board, the Mountain State University Advisory Board, the Big Brothers and Big Sisters Board (Beaver County), the Phase 4 Board, the House and Senate PA Fair Caucus, the Steel Caucus, the Community College Caucus, the American Italian Caucus, the Gas and Oil Caucus, the Cigar Caucus, the YMCA Caucus, the Autism Caucus, and the Pro-Life Caucus.
His service as a state legislator follows his initial immersion into public service as the youngest councilman in Beaver Borough. First elected to that office in 2005, Jim chaired the Beaver Council’s Finance Committee. In that role, he has already proven his dedication to protecting the taxpayers by sponsoring and delivering a property tax cut for Beaver Borough residents. Additionally, Jim worked to build a $150,000 budget surplus in the first year and $300,000 budget surplus in his second year leading the Finance Committee. fIn recognition for his service to the community and commitment to helping others, Jim was recently chosen 2010 Fast Track Community Leader.
Jim continues his dedication to fiscal responsibility in Harrisburg by continuing to pursue his goals of rolling back the 2004 Personal Income Tax increase for working citizens and small business owners; lowering the tax burden on job creators in order to grow the economy and stimulate employment opportunities for local residents and making the state budget process and state government itself more transparent and accessible to the public. He also supports reducing the Pennsylvania legislature; the most expensive legislature in the country, and is aginst the practice of giving legislative bonuses. He is a firm believer that being a legislator is not a career and should be a service with limits, term limits!
A great-grandson of Italian immigrants and a fourth-generation Beaver Countian, Jim is keenly aware of the concerns facing western Pennsylvanians. Jim is a 2002 graduate of Beaver High School and a 2006 Washington & Jefferson College graduate with a major in political science. He is a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Beaver.
Prior to being elected state representative, Jim worked as a sales consultant at the Bobby Rahal Automotive Group in Pittsburgh.
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