1. Allyson Schwartz is an American Democratic Party politician who represented parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2015 and Northeast and Northwest Philadelphia in the Pennsylvania Senate from 1991 to 2005.
Allyson Schwartz has finished second in a statewide Democratic Party primary twice: for United States Senate in 2000 and for Governor in 2014.
Allyson Schwartz's mother left Vienna in 1938 after Germany annexed Austria, and came to the United States, where she settled at a Jewish foster home in Philadelphia.
Allyson Schwartz's father was a dentist in Flushing, Queens, and a veteran of the Korean War.
Allyson Schwartz has a brother, Neal, and two sisters, Nancy and Dale.
Allyson Schwartz graduated from the Calhoun School, on the Upper West Side of New York City, in 1966 and then enrolled at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts.
Allyson Schwartz earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Simmons in 1970, as well as a Master of Social Work degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1972.
Allyson Schwartz worked as assistant director of the Philadelphia Health Services Department from 1972 to 1975, and executive director of the Elizabeth Blackwell Center, a reproductive health clinic in Philadelphia, from 1975 to 1988.
In 1990, Allyson Schwartz ran for Pennsylvania's 4th senate seat, based in Northwest and Northeast Philadelphia.
Allyson Schwartz won two counties outside of the region: Centre and Union.
Allyson Schwartz did not have to give up her state senate seat to run in the Democratic primary for the US Senate; Pennsylvania state senators serve staggered four-year terms, and Allyson Schwartz was not up for reelection until 2002.
Allyson Schwartz had originally planned to run for Auditor General, but changed her plans after Hoeffel's announcement.
Allyson Schwartz was a member of the New Democrat Coalition and was the chair of the New Democrat Coalition Taskforce on Health.
In January 2014, Allyson Schwartz resigned from the taskforce chairmanship in the New Democratic Coalition.
The first piece of legislation Allyson Schwartz introduced after being elected to Congress focused on providing tax credits to businesses that hire unemployed veterans.
In 2011, Allyson Schwartz introduced the Hiring Our Veterans Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in November of that year.
In 2012, Allyson Schwartz introduced the Servicemembers' Access to Justice Act to improve the enforcement of Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.
Allyson Schwartz was backed by Senator Bob Casey, who introduced this legislation in the Senate on May 23,2012.
Allyson Schwartz was the first Democratic member of the House of Representatives to call for Rep.
Allyson Schwartz was known as one of the leading health care experts in government.
Allyson Schwartz authored several key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including increasing access to primary care, banning pre-existing conditions exclusions and allowing young adults to remain on their parent's health coverage.
Allyson Schwartz voted twice against Republican-led efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, and supported legislation requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortion care to women who could die without it.
Allyson Schwartz announced her intention to give up her House seat to challenge incumbent Republican Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, who was up for re-election in 2014.
In February 2013, Allyson Schwartz stated that she would not run for re-election for the United States House of Representatives.
Allyson Schwartz left the group in January 2021 after 6 years at the helm.
Allyson Schwartz is married to David Allyson Schwartz, a cardiologist, and they live in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.