Matt Baker is serving his ninth term in the House of Representatives, representing all of Tioga County and western Bradford County. Baker brought a thorough knowledge of public service and state government with him when he was elected to office.
In the House, Baker was recently appointed to serve as the Republican chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee for the 2009-10 legislative session. In the upcoming session, Baker and the committee anticipate introducing legislation that would provide loan forgiveness for doctors and dentists willing to serve in rural areas and critical access areas as well as community health clinics. He also hopes to continue supporting caregivers and the fine work they do for all residents.
In the previous session, Baker served as the Republican chairman of the House State Government Committee. In his tenure, he also served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Health and Human Services of the Appropriations Committee. Other House standing committee assignments include the Professional Licensure Committee.
Additionally, Baker has previously served as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House of Representatives to the previous three Republican speakers. Baker’s primary role was to fill in for the Speaker when he could not preside over the House during a voting session.
Finally, Baker serves on the Board of Governors of the State System of Higher Education as well as the Primary Health Care Practitioners Program Advisory Council and the Capitol Preservation Committee. Baker also served on the Pennsylvania College of Technology Board of Directors from August 2007 to March of 2009.
The Pennsylvania Public Health Association awarded Baker the Public Health Excellence Award in 2002 for his advocacy of sound public health policies and practices. Baker was also named the 2003 Friend of Family Medicine by the PA Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP), which represents 4,800 family physicians, residents and medical students statewide. He won the honor primarily for his efforts to defeat a proposal known as rate collapsing, which would have forced primary care doctors to pay the same medical liability insurance rates as higher-risk physicians, such as surgeons.
In 2005, The Pennsylvania Public Policy Coalition presented Baker the Ernestine Williams Advocacy Award for his vision and leadership in the cause of caregivers. He was honored for sponsoring legislation to increase the monthly support and home modification allowances for caregivers under the PA Family Caregiver Support Program.
In 2009, Baker was awarded the Friend of Penn State Legislative Award.
Among some of the many laws Baker has authored during his tenure at the state Capitol are the following acts:
- Act 53 of 1996 mandates that inmates of a state correctional institution who have medical insurance pay for their own medical needs through that insurance before state funds are used.
- Act 129 of 1996 provides immunity from criminal and civil liability to those persons who donate wildlife to charitable organizations that receive and distribute wildlife.
- Act 120 of 1996 provides legal means for the closure of adult-oriented establishments and imposes penalties for violation.
- Act 23 of 1998 permits county commissioners to appropriate money from the county’s operating reserve fund to assist municipal corporations with any clean-up, maintenance, repair or improvements undertaken as a result of damage incurred or a dangerous condition resulting from a disaster emergency.
- Act 62 of 1997 – known as the “anti-cyber enticer act” – makes it a crime if a person knowingly contacts or communicates with a minor through the Internet for the purpose of engaging in any illegal sexual acts, open lewdness, prostitution, the peddling or making of obscene and other sexual materials and performances, or sexual abuse of children.
- Act 219 of 2002 statutorily authorizes crime victims to contact the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole and its hearing examiners via videotape and conference call.
- Act 62 of 2002 – known as Pennsylvania’s Identity Theft Act – makes it a third-degree felony to commit a first offense of the crime of identity theft and provides a maximum penalty of seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine. A third or subsequent offense raises the crime to a second-degree felony with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
- Act 166 of 2004 allows auto accident investigators to file summary charges up to a year after an accident, thereby giving law enforcement officials the necessary time needed to complete their investigation of the most difficult incidents – ones that cause serious bodily injury or death and frequently involved multiple vehicles.
- Act 64 of 2006 permits Pennsylvania corporations to file a continuation statement allowing financing statements filed with the Department of State prior to July 1, 2001 (if the filing of a continuation statement occurs before the original financing statement ceases to be effective after Dec. 30, 2005, or six months before the financing statement expires) to remain as a legally effective documenting. Under this legislation, a continuation statement is filed timely if the filling occurs before the time the financing statement would expire after June 30, 2006, but not before Dec. 30, 2005.
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Act 42 of 2009 requires judges to sentence persons convicted of identity theft to make restitution for all reasonable expenses incurred by the victim or on the victim’s behalf relating to investigating the theft, bringing or defending civil or criminal actions related to the theft, or taking other efforts to correct the victim’s credit record or negative credit reports related to the theft.
Baker is proud of the communities he represents and is very active in local civic affairs. He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Wellsboro, the Wellsboro Rotary Club, the Tioga County Development Corp., Charleston Valley Grange No. 54, and the Tioga County Tourist Promotion Agency. Baker is chairman of the Laurel Health Development Council and a member of the Pine Creek Headwaters Protection Group.
He is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council and the National Conference of State Legislators. In the House, Baker is also a member of the Rural Caucus, the Tax Reform Caucus and the Firefighters and Emergency Services Caucus. He has been a strong advocate for rural health issues and was awarded the Rural Health Legislator of the Year award in 1998. The National Federation of Independent Business has also named Baker Guardian of Small Business. Baker was also recognized by leadership for having attained a 17-year record of perfect attendance at every House floor session since first becoming a state legislator.
Baker graduated from Cowanesque Valley High School, Westfield. He holds an associate degree from Corning Community College, and earned a bachelor of science degree as an honors scholar from Elmira College. He also has a certificate in business management, and attended Mansfield University.
He previously served as a district legislative aide for 12 years prior to his election in 1992. He was responsible for handling local constituent services. He also was an elected Republican committeeman in Wellsboro for many years. Previously, he worked in a Wellsboro law firm for 12 years where he specialized in serving people with disabilities. He helped them in their cases to obtain Social Security and disability benefits before federal administrative law judges.
Formerly of Westfield, Pennsylvania, Baker resides in Wellsboro, Tioga County, with his wife Brenda.
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