Rep. Tony Payton Jr.

Sworn in to his first term in 2007, state Rep. Tony Payton Jr. is a dynamic legislator from Philadelphia. Prior to his election to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Rep. Payton worked as a housing counselor at United Communities in South Philadelphia, where he educated low-income families on personal finance to help them achieve home ownership. It was through this work that he realized his desire for public service and, consequently, pursued and won a seat in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Since his election, Rep. Payton has been at the forefront of intelligent reform in Pennsylvania. He introduced legislation to create the Pennsylvania Youth Commission, which is designed to engage young professionals to join in the democratic process; authored the REACH Scholarship Initiative, which would provide free tuition and fees to any state university for high school students who maintain a 3.0 grade point average and 90 percent attendance record; and introduced the Pennsylvania Green Jobs Act, which is designed to stimulate the expansion of clean energy research in Pennsylvania and increase the promotion and development of jobs and training in the clean energy sector.

Each of these initiatives exemplifies Rep. Payton’s commitment to civic engagement, education and job creation in Pennsylvania's communities. He takes great pride in his ability to bring a unique energy and perspective to the General Assembly and to faithfully represent the common interests of his constituents. His legislation has been labeled visionary by leading economists and educators throughout the Commonwealth.

In addition to these legislative commitments, Rep. Payton is involved with many leadership organizations that engage the community and other leaders in the political process. In 2005, he was named a fellow with the Center of Progressive Leadership, which is a nine-month, part-time leadership development program for a select group of organizational leaders, future candidates, community organizers and progressive activists across the state. In 2007, he was elected president of the Pennsylvania Young Democrats, a statewide organization with 47 chapters throughout the Commonwealth. In 2007, he was also named one of the most influential African Americans under the age of 40 by the Philadelphia Tribune.

Rep. Payton enjoys spending his free time serving Philadelphia’s nonprofit community and mentoring youth with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania. He can also be seen frequently playing pickup basketball with young men and women at one of the many playgrounds located in his district.