Biography

12/08/1963 -

Patrick M. Browne (R16) Lehigh and Northampton Counties 2005-2022

Early Life:

Patrick M. Browne, born December 8, 1963, Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania; son of James and Bernice Darcy Browne; graduated, Allentown Central Catholic High School, 1982; University of Notre Dame, (B.A.), business administration/accounting, 1986; Temple University School of Law, J.D., 1993; Certified Public Accountant; attorney; elected, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1995-2005; elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, Special election, April 5, 2005-2022; married, Heather, son Alex.

Professional titles; business ownership; board memberships; local government; club memberships:

Member, Saint Paul's Catholic Church, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Early Career:

Certified Public Accountant, firms of, Coopers and Lybrand, Philadelphia; senior associate, Price Waterhouse, New York.

Pennsylvania Politics:

Elected, Republican, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1995-2005; appointed, Legislative Commission on Restructuring Pennsylvania's Urban Schools, 1997; appointed, Select Committee on Pharmaceuticals, 2000; appointed, Legislative Audit Advisory Commission, 2001-2008; chairman Legislative Audit Advisory Commission 2001-2004; appointed, Joint State Government Commission, 2001-2022; appointed, Select Committee Investigating the Integration of Human Rights Standards in Pennsylvania Laws and Policies, 2002, 2004; resigned, May 3, 2005.

Elected, Republican, Pennsylvania State Senate, Special election, April 5, 2005-2022; Majority Caucus Administrator 2009-2011, Senate Majority Whip, 2011-2014, Chairman, Appropriations Committee, 2014-2022; appointed, board, Public School Employees Retirement System, 2009-present; appointed, co-chairman, Public School Building Construction and Reconstruction (PlanCon) Advisory Committee, 2016-2018; appointed, co-chairman, Higher Education Funding Commission, 2019-2022; appointed, co-chairman, Special Education Funding Commission 2019-2022; elected, delegate, Republican National Convention, 2008, 2012; co-chairman, bi-partisan, bi-cameral Early Childhood Education Caucus and the Legislative Arts and Culture Caucus; committee assignments, Finance (Vice Chairman); Aging and Youth, Law and Justice, Local Government.

Crafted the one-of-a-kind, 130-acre Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ) to help revitalize and expand the tax base of the then financially struggling city of Allentown. There has already been more than $1 billion of new development investment in Allentown and more than $3 million in annual school property tax revenues for Allentown School District generated through the zone. The NIZ has already served as a model for economic development in other distressed areas – cities, boroughs and townships – throughout the Commonwealth with the creation of the City Revitalization and Improvement Zones (CRIZ) which will afford a similar tax financing program to smaller cities in Pennsylvania, 2009.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Biography:

https://archives.house.state.pa.us/people/member-biography?ID=76