Jan. 11, 2016
Will continue to encourage women to enter public service
HARRISBURG – Rep. Mauree Gingrich (R-Lebanon) announced today that she will retire from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives where she has served the citizens of the 101st Legislative District since 2003. Gingrich will finish her seventh and final two-year term in public office in November.
“I want to thank the citizens of my legislative district for their faith and trust in me over the past 14 years,” said Gingrich. “I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve and to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with my constituents. The experience has been both challenging and rewarding, and along with an outstanding staff, we have accomplished a great deal.”
Gingrich has had 15 bills signed into law with several more positioned for passage in the Senate, and she has served on several key House committees, including Appropriations, where she co-chaired the Welfare Reform Policy Development Team. There she wrote a key amendment to the Welfare Code to bring forth much-needed and long-awaited reform of the state welfare system. Gingrich’s amendment requires the Department of Human Services to verify all applicants’ eligibility for public assistance by cross-checking their Social Security number against 19 different electronic databases in order to prevent fraud.
On the House Health Committee, Gingrich authored a law crafted to ensure patient safety in hospital operating rooms by assigning a circulating nurse to perform patient assessments and coordinate procedures. She also sponsored legislation to require those responsible for sterilizing hospital instruments to be properly trained and certified. Her key health care priority before leaving the Legislature is a bill that will improve quality care in hospitals by ensuring safe nurse staffing levels.
Gingrich believes it is her responsibility as a legislator to give a voice to the voiceless and lend a hand to the most vulnerable, particularly children, the elderly, disabled and victims of domestic violence. She sponsored important child protection legislation that is now law, which requires schools to teach children how to recognize sexual predators and strategies to avoid becoming a victim. She is the recipient of the Children’s Hero Award from the Lebanon County Sexual Assault Resource Counseling Center and currently serves on the Joe Allegrini Children's Hero Foundation Board.
As the former owner of Mature Marketing Concepts — a marketing research company focused on older adults — and the former marketing director at Cornwall Manor, Gingrich gained valuable insight that has helped her craft legislation to benefit older Pennsylvanians. A member of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, Gingrich sponsored legislation to protect care-dependent older Pennsylvanians from neglect and abuse.
Before being elected to the House, Gingrich served 12 years on Palmyra Borough Council, including nine years as president. This experience was invaluable when she was appointed to the bipartisan, bicameral Pennsylvania Local Government Commission as a member of the General Assembly. After about 10 years of coordinating, drafting and revising, Gingrich succeeded in passing legislation to overhaul the Pennsylvania Borough Code for the first time in nearly 50 years. Her legislation clarifies the language in the code, making it easier for municipal officials and others to understand and comply. She followed with similar legislation to update the Township Code and Third Class City Code.
In 2013, Gingrich received her first committee chairmanship. She was named chairman of the House Gaming Oversight Committee where she sponsored legislation to address problem gambling. Her business experience is an asset in her current role as chairman of the House Labor and Industry Committee, where she continues to focus on Pennsylvania’s business climate and workforce development.
Gingrich’s attention to business development, job creation and advancing the role of women has been a common thread throughout her more than 25 years as a leader in public service at both the state and local levels. In fact, Gingrich has taken every opportunity to encourage women to embrace leadership roles, whether in the public or private sector. She vows to continue her work to encourage women to take on leadership roles after she leaves office.
“I am grateful for the extraordinary women who came before me and paved the way. I will continue to mentor and encourage women to consider public service roles. A legislative body functions best when it includes a variety of perspectives and differing points of view that make it truly representative. For that reason, women are an essential part of any leadership team.”
Gingrich is a founding member of the Lebanon County Commission for Women and an enthusiastic supporter and mentor of women, both individually and through the Anne B. Anstine Program for Excellence in Public Service. She is frequently called upon to speak to women’s groups, and annually conducts leadership classes for students at Harrisburg Area Community College, Lebanon Valley College, Penn State University’s Hershey Medical Center students and staff, as well as other colleges and organizations across the Commonwealth.
In addition to serving as president of the Palmyra Borough Council, she has served on the Palmyra Planning Commission and as a Civil Service commissioner. Gingrich has served on the board of the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce, was a past chairman of the Leadership Lebanon Valley Board, and is a recipient of the Athena Award, given annually by the Lebanon Valley Chamber in recognition of women in leadership roles who encourage other women to achieve their potential.
Representative Mauree Gingrich
101st District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Donna Pinkham
717.260.6452
dpinkham@pahousegop.com
RepGingrich.com