biographical statement

Frank Pistella served the 21st district, part of Allegheny County) as a Democrat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1979-2006. Mr. Pistella was born April 22, 1951 in Pittsburgh, PA and was subsequently educated at Central District Catholic High School; John Carroll University, earning a BA in history in 1973; John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, earning a Certificate of Senior Executives in 1985; and Widener University School of Law in 1995. Mr. Pistella served as an Allegheny County Democratic Committeeman from 1974 to the present, as Clerk/Recorder of Deeds for Allegheny County/Pittsburgh from 1976-1977, and as a Clerk of Courts of Allegheny County/Pittsburgh from 1977-1978. After finishing his education at Widener, Mr. Pistella worked as a lawyer at Goldberg, Kamin and Garvin in Pittsburgh from 1999 to the present and served as a member of the Western Pennsylvania Federal District Court in 1999 and as a member of the Pennsylvania State Bar in 1999.

While at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Mr. Pistella served on the Aging and Youth Committee from 1999-2006 (Chairman); the Appropriation Committee from 1983-1990; the Business and Commerce Committee from 1981-1990 (Subcommittee Chair on Industrial Development and Tourism from 1983-1986); the Finance Committee from 1979-1986 and 1989-1990; the Health and Welfare Committee from 1985-1990 (Subcommittee Chair on Health from 1985-1990); the Intergovernmental Affairs Committee from 1997-1998 (Chairman); the Labor Relations Committee from 1991-1994 (Chairman); the Local Government Committee from 1995-1996 (Chairman); and the Urban Affairs Committee from 1979-80 and 1983-84. Mr. Pistella also served on the Select Committee on Pharmaceutical Pricing pursuant to House Resolution 358 during the 1999-2000 Session and the Select Committee on Long Term Care pursuant to House Resolution 237 during the 1985-1986 Session and House Resolution 45 of the 1987-1988 Session. Further, he served on the Local Government Commission from 1994-1997, the Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee from 1997-2006 and the Labor Relations Board from 1991-2003.

Legislatively, Mr. Pistella was concerned with issues regarding senior citizens (especially long term care, direct care advanced training programs, and the enhanced senior services demonstration program), confidentiality of medical reports and records, nursing shortages, indigents, amending the landlord/tenant act, mental health/mental retardation workers, the automobile lemon law and student loan forgiveness.

Mr. Pistella retired from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2006.

Found in 21 Collections and/or Records: