State Sen. David Argall from Schuylkill County will once again chair the influential Senate Majority Policy Committee next session.
The Rush Township Republican, who is a current member of the committee, is the first senator from the 29th district in Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne counties to serve in Senate leadership since the 1860s, his office said.
He represents 102 municipalities in Northeast Pennsylvania, including Hazleton, Pottsville, Jim Thorpe, Tamaqua and surrounding areas.
Argall previously chaired the Senate Majority Policy Committee from 2015-20 – three consecutive two-year legislative sessions. He was appointed to the 2025-26 chairmanship by Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland County).
Ward: 'A natural fit'
“Senator Argall will be a key member of the Senate Majority Leadership Team for the 2025-26 legislative session,” Ward said. “Having served on seven Senate committees last session, Dave’s experience and knowledge on the issues provide him with a keen understanding on matters important to Pennsylvanians and make him a natural fit to serve as Chairman of the Majority Policy Committee.”
Argall, 66, served in the state House from 1985 to 2009. He was elected to the Senate in a March 2009 special election following the death of Sen. James Rhoades.
He was elected to a fifth term in November, handily defeating challenges from Democrat John Zugarek and Libertarian Timothy Henning with 71% of the vote.
Argall's tenure on the policy committee has included crisscrossing the state to hold hearings on the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on employers and schools, waste and abuse in state welfare programs and repeat DUI offenders. He also chaired 10 public roundtables throughout Pennsylvania on school safety.
“Chairing the Majority Policy Committee allows me to examine a great variety of legislative ideas through public hearings and careful review, including the shortage of quality housing, the spread of blight and the impact of crime on our largest cities and smallest neighborhoods,” Argall said.
State Center legislation
One of Argall's personal legislative efforts this year has been advocating for answers about the future of the former White Haven Center in Luzerne County and two other shuttered residential facilities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities that continue to be maintained by the Department of General Services.
Argall said DGS statistics showed it was costing $8.9 million a year to maintain White Haven, $3.9 million to maintain the former Hamburg center in Berks County, and $15.3 million to maintain the former Polk Center in Venango County.
"I have tried to work with the department in the past, and it was just one delay after another, delay after another delay," Argall said in October. "I finally lost my patience. That's why I introduced this bill."
His Senate Bill 1277 passed by a bipartisan 47-3 vote on Oct. 8 in the upper chamber, where Republicans held a 28-22 majority.
It was referred to the House's State Government Committee on Oct. 9, but that body has not yet taken action.
