A fiscal conservative with a track record of fighting crime and protecting families, Mike Regan was first elected to the Pennsylvania Senate in November 2016 and was re-elected to a second term in November 2020. He also served two productive terms in the state House of Representatives, after compiling more than two decades of law enforcement and public safety experience, which continues to inspire his legislative successes, constituent outreach and community service.
He currently serves as Chairman of the Law & Justice Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Local Government Committee and as a member of the Community, Economic, & Recreational Development Committee; Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee; Judiciary Committee; and Rules & Executive Nominations Committee.
Born and raised in central Pennsylvania, Mike served as a member of the U.S. Marshals Service within the U.S. Department of Justice, beginning in 1988. He began his career as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in the Southern District of Florida. In 1990, he returned to the Commonwealth as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and ascended to the post of Fugitive Task Force Commander in 1995.
In 2002, President George W. Bush nominated Mike to become the U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and served capably until his retirement in 2011, after 23 years of service. His extraordinary crime-fighting efforts led to his selection for the prestigious Public Service Excellence Award from the City of Harrisburg, and the U.S. Marshals Distinguished Service Medal. In 2020, Regan was awarded the Middle District of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Marshals Medal of Valor.
Following his retirement from the Marshals Service, Mike was named Deputy Inspector General of Pennsylvania, where he directed efforts to prevent, investigate and eradicate waste, fraud and abuse in state agencies and the Department of Public Welfare (now the Department of Human Services).
Elected to the state House of Representatives in 2012, Mike took on issues like sanctuary cities, medical cannabis, welfare reform, liquor privatization, school funding equity, local tax reform, the opioid epidemic and veterans’ issues.
In his first term in the House, Mike authored legislation to strengthen the penalties for unlawfully luring a child into a motor vehicle or structure, which was passed unanimously in both chambers and signed into law as Act 116 of 2013. He also authored Act 7 of 2016, which reformed horse racing and gaming laws and protected historical distilleries.
During his first term in the Senate, Mike was a leader on strengthening school security and protecting taxpayers.
Following the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Mike was asked by Senate Leadership to spearhead the Senate’s School Safety Task Force. After months of traveling across the state and hearing from members of law enforcement, emergency responders, superintendents, teachers and students, Mike helped to author a comprehensive bill that created multiple programs to improve school safety and security as well as provided a massive increase in school safety funding. Act 44 of 2018 allows for assessments, planning, training, and equipping our schools with the resources they need to ensure our children are safe. The act also includes a total of $60 million in new school safety grant funding.
Mike introduced comprehensive welfare reform legislation that became Act 125 of 2018. Act 125 addresses the most egregious abuses of our welfare system and enhances the law to protect the eligibility of our society’s most vulnerable and needy. This legislation addresses the eligibility of high-level felony drug dealers and non-compliant sex offenders and places controls on how and where EBT cards can be used, preventing the use of the cards at casinos and adult entertainment venues.
As Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee during the 2019-2020 legislative session, Mike was a leader on expanding the National Guard Educational Assistance Program to allow a spouse or children to receive a free five-year higher education when a member reenlists for an additional six years of service. He also convened roundtables across the state on the topic of Veterans Suicide, which lead to Mike’s championing legislation, signed into law as Act 111 of 2020 to establish Veterans Courts in Pennsylvania.
Always focused on protecting others, Mike also proudly shepherded Peyton’s Law through the legislature, making Pennsylvania only the second state in the nation with a law focused on educating parents and student athletes about the role an EKG can play in a pre-participation physical for detecting underlying heart defects. Named in honor of Peyton Walker, a graduate of Trinity High School in Camp Hill, who died of Sudden Cardiac Arrest at the age of 19, the legislation became Act 73 of 2020.
Mike was appointed as Chairman of the Senate Law and Justice Committee for the 2021-2022 legislative session, overseeing issues pertaining to the Pennsylvania State Police, other law enforcement matters, and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. As a member of the committee for the last four years and with his law enforcement background, Mike plans to focus on continuing to support our law enforcement officers and help ensure they are well-trained and well-supported, and expanding consumer convenience in relation to Pennsylvania’s liquor laws.
Within just the first few months as Chairman, Mike has done just that. For the second session in a row, Mike has championed the expansion of the Heart and Lung Act to ensure law enforcement officers are provided wage and medical benefits if they are temporarily disabled due to an injury in the line of duty. Senate Bill 503 was voted out of the Senate unanimously. As Chairman, he has moved numerous pieces of legislation out of committee that would expand consumer convenience and make Pennsylvania more competitive with the surrounding states.
Mike graduated from Cedar Cliff High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Crime and Justice from Albright College.
Mike and his wife, Fran, reside in Carroll Township, in the Northern York School District, and are the proud parents of four children. Over the years, Mike has inspired local youth as a wrestling and football coach and a Dillsburg-area soccer coach.
The 31st District includes parts of Cumberland and York Counties.