Jay Costa – The Democrat from Forest Hills was elevated from minority chair of the Appropriations Committee to floor leader this week.  Making waves in a state senate long controlled by Republicans won’t be easy, but Costa is part of a wave of Western Pa lawmakers earning leadership posts. 

State Sen. Vince Hughes – The only thing stopping Philly from losing all of its clout is Sen. Hughes, elected to replace Costa as minority leader of the Senate Appropriations Committee. With Democrats a small minority in the Senate, his impact will be limited but he will certainly be able to drive funding into the city.

State Rep. Dwight Evans – Losing a chairmanship is tough and it certainly will hurt Philadelphia’s ability to get state funding but the Inquirer’s reporting proves it wasn’t such a surprise. Memo to Evans Inc.: Consult Fumo Inc. to figure out where to send resumes.

Rep. Mike Doyle – It was great to see a Pennsylvanian help nominate Nancy Pelosi to be Minority Leader and it certainly won’t hurt him politically in a very safe district. You have to wonder, however, with Pelosi being attacked in Pittsburgh more than any other media market in the nation, was it the wise thing to do?

Reps. Tim Murphy, Jim Gerlach, Charlie Dent and Todd Platts – Part of the criticism of Washington is that many issues have become polarized. It was nice to see members of the state’s congressional delegation crossing the aisle to support an unemployment benefits extension. The legislation did not pass the House, but it shows that members can be pragmatic.

 Rep. Allyson Schwartz – In an interview with Politico yesterday, Rep. Schwartz indicated that she is floating a proposal to extend the Bush tax cuts for anybody who makes less than $500,000 a year. Good to see Rep. Schwartz being a prominent voice in a national policy debate and even if her proposal goes the way of most proposals in Congress, it shows that she is becoming a respected voice in Washington.