2026 Pennsylvania General Election 

Christine M Tartaglione

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The Senator is a lifetime Philadelphia resident. She attended St. Martin of Tours, St. Basil Academy, and Peirce Junior College where she graduated Maxima Cum Laude.

About Senator Christine M. Tartaglione

Community Service and Awards

Locally, Senator Tartaglione serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Temple University and Temple University Health System Episcopal Campus.

Christine M. Tartaglione is a lifelong Philadelphia resident. She attended St. Martin of Tours, St. Basil Academy, and Peirce Junior College, where she graduated with maxima cum laude honors. She serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Temple University and Temple University Health System Episcopal Campus.

The Senator answered the call to public service at an early age by serving as an assistant to Philadelphia City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski from 1986-1989. She later worked as a Senior Executive Assistant to State Treasurer Catherine Baker Knoll from 1989-1992.

The Senator answered the call to public service at an early age by serving as an assistant to Philadelphia City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski from 1986-1989. She later worked as a Senior Executive Assistant to State Treasurer Catherine Baker Knoll from 1989-1992. Her commitment to working families led to the position of Business Representative for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1776 in 1992.

Christine Tartaglione previously worked as a business representative for United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1776, a senior executive assistant to State Treasurer Catherine Baker Knoll, and an assistant to Philadelphia City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski.

Legislative Accomplishments

In 1994, Senator Tartaglione became the fifth woman in state history to win election to the State Senate and in 2010 became the first woman to serve in Senate Democratic Leadership when she was elected Caucus Secretary.

In 1994, Senator Tartaglione became the fifth woman in state history to win election to the State Senate and in 2010 became the first woman to serve in Senate Democratic Leadership when she was elected Caucus Secretary. She now is the first woman to serve in the Senate Democratic Whip. Now in her eighth term, she serves as Democratic Chairwoman of the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, and serves on the Labor & Industry, Law & Justice, Rules & Executive Nominations, Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness standing committees in the Senate, as well as the bicameral Legislative Budget and Finance Committee and the Senate Committee on Ethics and Official Conduct.

Christine was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1994 and is serving her eighth term.

Senate Bill 19
Comprehensive Modernization of the Minimum Wage 

State Senator Christine Tartaglione has introduced Senate Bill 19, legislation aimed at raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026 and tying future increases to the cost of living. The bill also strengthens wage protections for tipped employees and modernizes enforcement tools to prevent wage theft and ensure fair pay across the Commonwealth.

Comprehensive Modernization of the Minimum Wage

Wage Equity

Senate Bill 237

Everyone deserves equal pay for equal work. I’ve reintroduced legislation to make it illegal to discriminate against workers based on their rate of pay. This bill ensures fair wages for comparable work, while still allowing differences based on merit, experience, or seniority.

My Legislation

Expanding the Family Medical Leave Act in Pennsylvania

Senate Bill 342

No one should have to choose between caring for a loved one and keeping their job. I’ve reintroduced legislation to extend FMLA protections to include siblings, grandparents, and grandchildren in limited cases, because families come in many forms. Inspired by a Pennsylvanian who left her job to care for her terminally ill sister, this bill offers six weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to those stepping in when no one else can.

Protecting Workplace Safety

Senate Bill 346

Too many public workers in Pennsylvania still don’t have the same basic safety protections that private sector workers get under OSHA. I’ve reintroduced legislation to change that by creating a state Occupational Safety and Health Review Board and extending OSHA standards to public employees—like transit workers, school staff, and municipal workers—who often face serious risks on the job.

Harrisburg, PA, June 10, 2026 – Legislation authored by State Senators Christine Tartaglione (D–2, Philadelphia) and Frank Farry (R–6, Bucks) to strengthen Pennsylvania’s Prevailing Wage Act passed the Senate today with bipartisan support.

Senate Bill 908 would close a long-standing gap in the law by extending prevailing wage protections to off-site custom fabrication work for public construction projects.

Tartaglione Prevailing Wage Bill Passes Senate

“Families across Pennsylvania are going to work, raising children, and caring for loved ones, all while the cost of care continues to rise faster than their paychecks,” said Tartaglione. “Aligning Pennsylvania’s Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit with the expanded federal credit is a common-sense way to put more money back into the pockets of working families and help make childcare and dependent care more affordable. At a time when so many Pennsylvanians are struggling to keep up with rising costs, we should be doing everything we can to support them.”

State Lawmakers Announce Legislation to Increase Child Care Tax Credits for PA Families

Advocates for regulating and taxing skill games, closing the Delaware loophole, and raising the minimum wage as long-term revenue measures.

This budget also relies heavily on one-time revenues and fund transfers while failing to adopt long-term revenue solutions that were already on the table. Regulating and taxing skill games, closing the Delaware loophole, and raising the minimum wage would have generated sustainable revenue, strengthened our economy, and reduced future budget pressures. Instead, those opportunities were left behind.

Tartaglione Calls Budget a Step Forward That Makes Important Investments but Falls Short for Working Pennsylvanians

Introduced Senate Bill 19 to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, index future increases to the cost of living, and strengthen tipped-worker and wage-theft protections.

Reintroduced legislation to prohibit pay-rate discrimination and require equal pay for comparable work, while allowing differences based on merit, experience, or seniority.

Reintroduced legislation to provide up to six weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for eligible workers caring for siblings, grandparents, or grandchildren.

Reintroduced legislation to establish a state Occupational Safety and Health Review Board and extend Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards to public employees.

As a state senator, she authored Senate Bill 908 to extend prevailing-wage protections to off-site custom fabrication for public construction projects.

Supports aligning Pennsylvania’s Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit with the expanded federal credit to make care more affordable.

- Introduced Senate Bill 19 to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026, index future increases to the cost of living, and strengthen tipped-worker and wage-theft protections.
- Reintroduced legislation to prohibit pay-rate discrimination and require equal pay for comparable work, while allowing differences based on merit, experience, or seniority.
- Reintroduced legislation to provide up to six weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for eligible workers caring for siblings, grandparents, or grandchildren.
- Reintroduced legislation to establish a state Occupational Safety and Health Review Board and extend Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards to public employees.
- As a state senator, she authored Senate Bill 908 to extend prevailing-wage protections to off-site custom fabrication for public construction projects.
- Supports aligning Pennsylvania’s Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Tax Credit with the expanded federal credit to make care more affordable.

Economy

“These investments are about saving lives, strengthening communities, and creating real opportunities for our young people,” said Senator Tartaglione. “Violence prevention starts with meeting people where they are, providing mentorship, education, safe spaces, and pathways to success. I’m proud to help bring these resources back to the 2nd District and support organizations that are doing this work every single day.”

Senator Christine Tartaglione Announces Over $2 Million in State Funding to Support Violence Prevention and Youth Programs in the 2nd District

Supported state funding for youth programs that provide mentorship, education, safe spaces, and pathways to success as part of violence-prevention efforts.

- Supported state funding for youth programs that provide mentorship, education, safe spaces, and pathways to success as part of violence-prevention efforts.

Education

Prohibiting Safe Injection Sites in the Commonwealth

Senate Bill 347

The Senate recently passed my bill to prohibit safe injection sites in Pennsylvania. As someone in long-term recovery I believe we need real treatment and real support, not sanctioned spaces for drug use. This bill won’t affect harm reduction tools like naloxone or syringe services, but it will make clear that our state does not support facilities for illegal drug use and will not subject our communities to further victimization during the opioid crisis.

“Movement is medicine, and everybody deserves the chance to move and live with dignity,” Senator Tartaglione said. “As someone who uses a wheelchair, I know firsthand how important mobility and accessibility are to every aspect of daily life. Too many Pennsylvanians are being denied devices that could completely change their future simply because insurance companies decide they are not ‘necessary enough.’ If a doctor determines a device is medically necessary, then it should be covered.”

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Unite to Expand Access to Life-Changing Prosthetic and Orthotic Care

Disability Legislation Package

Senate Bills 592, 593, and 594

As a person with a disability, I’m always fighting for increased accessibility and inclusion in Harrisburg which is why I’ve reintroduced a package of legislation to advance the rights of people with disabilities. SB 592 permanently establishes the Office for People with Disabilities so that we always have a voice to advocate for people with disabilities in any current or future Governor’s administration. SB 593 creates a hiring preference in the civil service for people with disabilities who have an unemployment rate approximately three times higher than people who do not have a disability in Pennsylvania. SB 594 requires insurers to cover two annual wheelchair maintenance well-visits under their policies in order to address any issues with a wheelchair before any accident or loss of function can happen.

Harrisburg, PA − March 19, 2026 – Senator Tina Tartaglione (D-2, Philadelphia) proudly announces the unanimous Senate passage of Senate Bill 867, her bipartisan legislation with Senator Devlin Robinson and Senator John Kane to restore and modernize Pennsylvania’s process for adopting updated accessibility standards in building codes. SB 867 addresses this gap by establishing a clear, transparent framework for reviewing and adopting updated accessibility codes.

Tartaglione Legislation to Modernize Accessibility Standards Passes Senate

Sponsored legislation to prohibit safe injection sites in Pennsylvania while preserving naloxone and syringe services.

Supports insurance coverage for prosthetic and orthotic devices when a doctor determines they are medically necessary.

Reintroduced Senate Bill 594 to require insurers to cover two annual wheelchair maintenance visits.

Sponsored Senate Bill 867 to establish a framework for reviewing and adopting updated accessibility standards in building codes.

- Sponsored legislation to prohibit safe injection sites in Pennsylvania while preserving naloxone and syringe services.
- Supports insurance coverage for prosthetic and orthotic devices when a doctor determines they are medically necessary.
- Reintroduced Senate Bill 594 to require insurers to cover two annual wheelchair maintenance visits.
- Sponsored Senate Bill 867 to establish a framework for reviewing and adopting updated accessibility standards in building codes.

Healthcare

As of October 16, 2026, Christine M Tartaglione’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Voting & Elections

Harrisburg, PA, September 9, 2026 – State Senator Christine Tartaglione (D–2, Philadelphia) today announced the introduction of Senate Bill 1449, legislation that would prohibit the possession, use, sale, transfer, manufacture, and production of machine gun conversion devices, commonly known as “Glock switches” or “auto sears”, in Pennsylvania.

Senator Tartaglione Introduces Legislation to Ban Glock Switches in Pennsylvania

Twenty-nine states have already enacted laws prohibiting machine gun conversion devices. Senate Bill 1449 would bring Pennsylvania in line with those states while reinforcing existing federal restrictions.

“My goal here is to honor the victims of gun violence, improve public safety, and give law enforcement another tool to keep these dangerous devices off our streets,” Tartaglione said. “Pennsylvania must make it unmistakably clear that handguns cannot legally be converted into machine guns. I urge my colleagues in the General Assembly to join me in supporting this common-sense legislation.”

“Public safety is about more than enforcement; it’s about prevention, opportunity, and investment,” Tartaglione added. “By supporting these organizations, we are building stronger, safer neighborhoods and giving our young people the tools they need to succeed.”

Introduced Senate Bill 1449 to prohibit possession, use, sale, transfer, manufacture, and production of machine-gun conversion devices in Pennsylvania.

Said public safety requires prevention, opportunity, and investment, and supported organizations serving young people.

- Introduced Senate Bill 1449 to prohibit possession, use, sale, transfer, manufacture, and production of machine-gun conversion devices in Pennsylvania.
- Said public safety requires prevention, opportunity, and investment, and supported organizations serving young people.

Public Safety

Energy & the Environment

- Your state senator represents the interests of your district in the Pennsylvania State Senate. The State Senate, along with the State House of Representatives, makes up your state lawmaking body: the Pennsylvania General Assembly. 
- Your state senator can author, sponsor, and vote on bills that may become state laws after going through the legislative process.
- The State Senator and their staff members respond to constituent concerns and questions through emails, phone calls, and website announcements. 
- The State Senator oversees the executive branch and can vote to overrule a veto by the Governor.   
- There are 50 Pennsylvania state senators, each representing a single district.
- Senators must be at least 25 years old, U.S. citizens, and residents of Pennsylvania for four years. They must also have lived in their district for one year before the election and must remain there throughout their term.
- State senators are elected to four-year terms and have a salary of $106,000, with a 1-3% annual increase.  

Your representative and state lawmaker in the Pennsylvania Senate.