A relentless fighter for working families, children and local communities, Wayne Fontana was first elected to represent the 42nd Senatorial District in the Pennsylvania Senate in 2005. The district includes the City of Pittsburgh wards: 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 32 and the
following suburban municipalities: Avalon, Bellevue, Ben Avon, Carnegie, Crafton, Dormont, Emsworth, Green Tree, Ingram, Kennedy, McKees Rocks, Millvale, Mt. Lebanon, Neville, Reserve, Scott, and Stowe.
Wayne currently is the Democratic Chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee. He also serves a member of the following committees: Community, Economic, and Recreational Development, Housing & Urban Affairs, Finance, Local Government, Policy and Ethics.
Wayne serves as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) and locally as Chairman of the Sports and Exhibition Authority.
As a senator, Wayne has worked to bring new jobs and revitalization to many of the struggling industrial
communities he represents and has secured hundreds of millions of dollars during his time in the Senate
for projects in his district.
Wayne authored legislation that was enacted which assists homeowners and municipalities struggling to
eradicate the ongoing lead exposure issue to allow municipal authorities to use their own resources for
the rehabilitation and replacement of private water and sewer laterals that are attached to public
systems when the public health and safety are a factor.
Wayne has also championed causes aimed at helping at-risk children. His hallmark legislation was a law
that toughened child abuse reporting requirements for school personnel. He also authored legislation
that established a statewide task force to examine the educational problems facing homeless children; helped expand the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP); and helped launch a website to assist
people working with child abuse victims.
Wayne started the FontanaFest/Charity, a 501c3, where he has raised more than $80,000 over the last
four years to support the UPMC Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund and cancer research at the UPMC
Children’s Hospital Pittsburgh.
Prior to his election to the Senate, Wayne served as an inaugural member of Allegheny County Council,
where he was elected to serve as vice president. During his tenure on council, Wayne was responsible
for authoring the County’s Homestead Exemption Program and secured passage of legislation that
reduced Allegheny County’s millage tax rate.
Wayne is a realtor and real estate broker by profession. He has previously worked for Howard Hanna
Real Estate Services as a Sales Manager and Associate Broker and is a past recipient of the Distinguished Service Award by the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh.
A former member of Boilermakers Local 154 and Teamsters Locals 249 and 211, Wayne has deep roots
in the community. He previously served as Vice Chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee
and as a 19th Ward Committee person. He is as a member of the Italian Sons & Daughters of America
and was a recipient of the Pittsburgh Downtown Community Development Corporation Community
Leader Award.
A graduate the Community College of Allegheny County, Wayne holds an Associate’s Degree in Business. Born and raised in the Beechview section of the City of Pittsburgh, he and his wife Francine reside in the Brookline section of Pittsburgh. They have three children and five grandchildren.