Senator Costa was appointed to the Commission in February 1997 and reappointed in 1999, 2001, and 2003. He is a member of the Commission's Budget & Management and Policy Committees. He received his B.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law. He served 1½ terms as Register of Wills in Allegheny County and had been a practicing attorney with the Pittsburgh law firm of Grogan, Graffam, and McGinley. Senator Costawas elected in a special election to the Senate in 1996, where he is Democratic Chair of the Judiciary Committee and is a member of the Senate Appropriations, Public Health & Welfare, and Transportation Committees. In addition, he is a former adjunct professor at the Community College of Allegheny County and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Victims of Violent Crime.