Veteran state Rep. Tim Hennessey has announced he will seek an 11th term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Hennessey, a Republican, has represented the 26th District since 1993 and has easily won reelection by large margins in previous contests.
No Democrat has yet announced an bid to challenge Hennessey.
The district Hennessey seeks to represent will change slightly next year as a result of redistricting following the 2010 U.S. Census.
The 26th House District will no longer include Spring City and Coatesville, but will add South Coventry and a southern portion of Pottstown.
Hennessey, 66, is the chairman of the Aging and Older Adult Services Committee and pointed to that fact that much of the legislation he has supported ‘has passed with large bi-partisan support.’
‘I’m pleased that much of the legislation I’ve shepherded through the Aging Committee has passed with large bi-partisan support,’ Hennessey said in the release announcing his candidacy.
‘I work with committee staff to modify bills to meet every legitimate concern, regardless of party. That’s a tribute to our committee’s efforts to identify and work out the problems even before we report bills to the floor,’ Hennessey said. ‘It’s the best way to get things accomplished in Harrisburg and everywhere else.’
Most recently, Hennessey authored Act 108, which passed both the House and Senate unanimously.
Act 108 creates a legal framework for judicial proceedings dealing with the elderly, according to the release.
Hennessey also authored House Bill 511, a proposal to prohibit drug companies from requiring mandatory mail order of medicines. According to his release, that bill led directly to Act 207, which was signed into law in 2012.
Other legislation authored by Hennessey includes legislation to prevent the administration from ‘borrowing’ out of the PA Lottery fund, which is dedicated to helping senior citizens, in order to plug budget holes.
The Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s Association named him ‘Advocate of the Year’ in 2012, as did the Pennsylvania Assisted Living Association, and he currently serves on the Governor’s Commission to develop a state-wide plan to address the impacts of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Hennessey, who lives in North Coventry, is a 1965 graduate of St. Pius X High School. He earned a bachelor’s from St. Joseph’s University in 1969, and a law degree in 1972 from Villanova University School of Law.