Congressional Spotlight: Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)

Each month The Nonprofit Alliance (TNPA) introduces you to a member of Congress who is a leader on legislative matters important to our TNPA community, with representation from both parties.

What was the moment you realized you were serious about getting into public service?

I have always known that I wanted to spend my life helping people and working to better the lives of my fellow Pennsylvanians. Much of my career has been guided by the inscription on the Finance Building in Harrisburg: “all public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor.”

Describe your life in six words.

Husband, father, grandfather, son, elected servant

More About Senator Casey

TNPA has worked closely with Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.

Throughout his career Senator Casey has been a strong advocate for policies that will raise wages for the middle class and improve opportunities for people in need. As the Chairman the Special Committee on Aging, he has been a leader on policies impacting seniors, including his effort which resulted in the enactment of the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act, which became law in 2018 and created a federal advisory council charged with developing a one-stop-shop of information to help grandparents raising grandchildren and other kinship caregivers raising relative children address challenges that they face.

The words “all public service is a trust, given in faith and accepted in honor” are inscribed over the front door of the Finance Building in Pennsylvania’s state capital in Harrisburg. These principles have guided the Senator throughout his career in public service. After serving first as Pennsylvania’s Auditor General and then as the Commonwealth’s Treasurer, he was elected to the US Senate in 2006. The Senator serves on four committees in the Senate – the Finance Committee, the Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee, the Intelligence Committee, and as noted the Special Committee on Aging.

We at TNPA know the Senator best for his cosponsorship of S. 566, The Charitable Act. This bipartisan legislation of Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE) would provide a tax deduction for all taxpayers – regardless of their level of income – when making a charitable contribution. With only 9% of taxpayers itemizing their taxes and thus eligible to claim a deduction when supporting a charity, the other 91% of taxpayers receive no tax benefit when supporting charitable causes. Already 20 Senators – 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans – have signed on to the Lankford/Coons bill and having Senator Casey on to this legislation is a real plus.

TNPA looks forward to continuing to work closely with Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.