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Mark Painter
Mark Painter
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; from the 146th district
	In office; January 1, 2013 – January 6, 2015
Preceded by	Tom Quigley
Succeeded by	Tom Quigley
Personal details
Born	August 3, 1957 (age 67)
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Coleen
Children	4
Residence	Limerick Township, Pennsylvania
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania

Mark Painter (born August 3, 1957) is a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He represented the 146th District from 2013 until 2015. The district is located in Montgomery County, including Limerick Township, Lower Pottsgrove Township, Perkiomen Township, Trappe, Royersford, and parts of Pottstown.

Early life

Mark Painter was born in Stowe, Pennsylvania and graduated from Pottsgrove High School in 1974. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned degrees in electrical engineering and law, graduating in 1978.^[1]

After his two sons were diagnosed with autism, Painter became concerned with the lack of access to special education programs. Along with his wife, he helped organize parents of special needs children to help develop new programs for students with autism. This experience led Mark into the field of special education law, where he represented parents advocating for better services from their school districts.^[1]

From 1998 to 2012, Painter served almost four terms as tax collector for Limerick Township, until he was elected to the House. He attends St. James Lutheran Church in Limerick, where he has also taught Sunday School. He is a lifetime member of the Limerick Historical Society, and serves on the board of directors of the Royersford Free Public Library and Royersford Community Chest.^[1]

Political career

In 2010, Painter unsuccessfully ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 146th District against the incumbent Tom Quigley, by a margin of 56%–44%.^[2] In 2012, Painter again challenged Quigley, this time winning the seat 50.4%–49.7%.^[3] Mark Painter was defeated in his re-election bid in 2014, losing to former state representative Tom Quigley by a margin of 52%–48%.^[4]

While serving as a state representative, Painter made property tax reform a priority. He was a co-sponsor of House Bill 76 to eliminate property taxes in Pennsylvania and replace them with increases in the income and sales taxes,^[5] and also voted in favor of that change. Painter had also introduced legislation to expand the property tax rebate program for seniors, including HB 2215 to allow families to deduct property taxes from their income for eligibility in the property tax rebate program, and HB 2214 to allow seniors to receive up to 15 percent of their paid property taxes back through the property tax rebate program.^[6]

He also supported increased state funding for education as a means to lower local property taxes.^[7] Painter introduced the Pennsylvania Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to prohibit workplace discrimination against pregnant women and women with newborn children^[8] and proposed two amendments that would add protections to the Landlord and Tenant Act for tenants who are victims of domestic violence.^[9] He also supported increased state funding for education and opposed heavily relying on local property taxes.^[7]

During his term as state representative, Painter served on the Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Human Services, Local Government, Commerce, and Policy committees.^[10]

Other ventures

Since September 2015 Painter has been hosting and producing a podcast on the history of the twentieth century, taking an interdisciplinary approach that includes both politics but also culture, literature, religion and art.^[11]

Personal life

Painter lives in Limerick Township with his wife Coleen. They have two biological children and two foster children from Southeast Asia.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Rep. Mark Painter Biography". Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-17.
^ "2010 General Election - Representative in the General Assembly". Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information. Pennsylvania Department of State. 2010. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
^ "2012 General Election - Representative in the General Assembly". Commonwealth of PA - Elections Information. Pennsylvania Department of State. 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
^ Evan Brandt (2014-11-05). "Quigley takes revenge, ousts Painter, wins back 146th Dist. seat". The Phoenix Reporter & Item. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
^ "Signs of hope for Pa. property tax reform". The Pottstown Mercury. 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
^ "Bill Research Report" (PDF). County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
^ ^a ^b "Pa. Legislature gets down to business, but not on property tax reform". The Reporter. 2013-06-19. Retrieved 2014-07-08.
^ Tara Murtha (2014-02-21). "Pennsylvania Legislator Introduces Pregnant Workers Fairness Act". RH Reality Check. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
^ "House OKs Painter amendments to help domestic violence victims". Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
^ "Rep. Mark Painter". Pennsylvania House of Representatives. 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-17.
^ "Home". historyofthetwentiethcentury.com.