Allen Kukovich
Encyclopedia
Allen Kukovich is a former member of the Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...

, where he represented the 39th senatorial district from 1996 through 2004. He was also a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....

 from 1977 through 1996. He served as the Pennsylvania Democratic State Chairman
Pennsylvania Democratic Party
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of Pennsylvania. The party has had strong support in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia area for a long time, having controlled the mayoral office in Philadelphia since 1952, and the Pittsburgh...

 from June 2002 through March 2003.

Person life

Allen Kukovich was born in September, 1947 in Manor, Pennsylvania
Manor, Pennsylvania
Manor is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,796 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Manor is located at ....

, a small town in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...

.

He attended Penn Township High School before heading to Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...

 in Ohio, where he graduated in 1969. In 1973, he received his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...

 in Pittsburgh and worked for several years in private law practice in Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Greensburg is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city is named after Nathanael Greene, a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War...

.

Political career

After the unexpected death of state Representative John Laudadio
John Laudadio
John F. Laudadio, Sr. is a former Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.-References:...

 in 1977, Kukovich won a special election on November 8, 1977 to complete the remainder of the deceased member's term of office
Term of office
Term of office or term in office refers to the length of time a person serves in a particular office.-Prime Minister:In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister has no term limits...

.

While in the House, Kukovich served as Majority Policy Chairman and also chaired several other key committees.

A reformer known for his efforts to reduce the size of the Pennsylvania General Assembly
Pennsylvania General Assembly
The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times , the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. Since the Constitution of 1776, written by...

 and promote open government
Open government
Open government is the governing doctrine which holds that citizens have the right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public oversight. In its broadest construction it opposes reason of state and racist considerations, which have tended to legitimize...

 and accountability
Accountability
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving...

, he is credited with leading the successful effort creating the Children's Health Insurance Program
State Children's Health Insurance Program
The State Children's Health Insurance Program – later known more simply as the Children's Health Insurance Program – is a program administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides matching funds to states for health insurance to families with children...

 in Pennsylvania, which later served as a model for other state's health insurance programs, and which provides hundreds of thousands of children in Pennsylvania with free or low-cost health insurance each year. Politically, he was "liberal leaning."

In 1996, he defeated incumbent Democratic state Senator Eugene Porterfield
Eugene Porterfield
Eugene E. Porterfield is a former member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, serving from 1989 to 1996, and an acclaimed businessman.-Early Life:...

 who represented Pennsylvania's 39th Senatorial District. Kukovich the primary won with a 10% margin and won the general election. In 2000, Porterfield re-registered as a Republican and unsuccessfully challenged Kukovich for his seat. In the Senate, Kukovich served as Democratic Chair of the Aging and Youth Committee, where he played a pivotal role in the passing of the expanded PACE legislation.

Kukovich ran for Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor in 2002. In a crowded field, Kukovich came in third place
Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 2002
The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 2002 was held on November 5, 2002, and included the races for the governor and lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.-Gubernatorial Primaries:Attorney General Mike Fisher ran unopposed for the Republican nomination...

, behind fellow state senator
Pennsylvania State Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate has been meeting since 1791. It is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such...

 Jack Wagner
Jack Wagner (politician)
Jack E. Wagner is the current auditor general of Pennsylvania. The statewide elected office is charged with serving as the commonwealth’s independent fiscal monitor...

 and the eventual winnier, Catherine Baker Knoll
Catherine Baker Knoll
Catherine Baker Knoll was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. She was the 30th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, serving under Governor Ed Rendell from 2003 to 2008.-Background:...



In 2002, the political website PoliticsPA
PoliticsPA
- Content :The website focuses on news aggregation, linking to major political news making headlines across the state. The editors write occasional features, like the weekly "Up & Down" scorecard and one-off lists like "Harrisburg's Smartest Staffer" and "Best Dressed Lobbyist" lists...

 named him to the list of "Smartest Legislators," suggesting that he was "the policy wonk of all legislators."

Following the primary, Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...

, the Democratic nominee for Governor, asked Kukovich to serve as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Kukovich held that post through the successful gubernatorial campaign of Rendell/Knoll.

In November, 2004, Kukovich lost his senate seat to Republican Bob Regola
Bob Regola
Robert T. "Bob" Regola is a Republican politician, and former member of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Regola represented the 39th District from 2005 to 2009. He previously served as chairman of the Board of Supervisors for Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania...

. Shortly after he left office, Kukovich was tapped to serve as Director of Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 Rendell's Southwestern Pennsylvania office, a post he currently holds.

Kukovich help found the Pennsylvania chapter of Common Cause
Common Cause
Common Cause is a self-described nonpartisan, nonprofit lobby and advocacy organization. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican former cabinet secretary under Lyndon Johnson, as a "citizens' lobby" with a mission focused on making U.S. political institutions more open and...

 in the early 1970s and is currently an Executive Board member of the national organization, Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action is an American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA works for social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research and supporting progressive candidates.-History:...

(ADA).
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