Senator Biography

• Two grown children; two grown stepchildren

• Sen. Camera Bartolotta brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a wealth of real-world experience to her job representing residents of Beaver, Greene and Washington counties. A longtime resident of Monongahela, she was elected to her first term representing the 46th Senatorial District in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018 and 2022. She currently serves as part of the Senate Republican Leadership team as Majority Caucus Secretary.
• During her time in the Senate, Camera has authored many new laws, including measures to allow first responders to access workers’ compensation benefits for a post-traumatic stress injury; help judges keep the most dangerous domestic violence offenders behind bars; relocate victims of domestic violence who live in public housing; improve the availability of job training programs throughout the state; ease strain on farmers and food supply; provide additional resources to support fire and EMS companies impacted by COVID-19; preserve access to ventilator and tracheostomy care by dedicating additional Medicaid funding; protect Pennsylvania’s fresh water supplies by ensuring the safe use of treated mine water in oil and gas operations; authorize the operation of Transportation Network Companies like Uber and Lyft in all 67 counties; strengthen penalties for motorists who injure workers and emergency responders in construction zones; and strengthen and improve the state’s School Bus Stop Arm Camera Law. She also introduced a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution to limit the future growth in state government spending and protect taxpayers.
• Camera also led efforts in the Senate to help more Pennsylvanians benefit from the state’s Clean Slate law and allow homeless individuals to receive free photo identification – breaking down major barriers to employment and financial independence.
• In the Senate, Camera’s committee assignments reflect the main concerns of the communities she represents, including the need for quality, family-sustaining jobs and smaller government. She currently serves as vice chair of the Senate Labor and Industry Committee, which is responsible for considering a wide range of issues pertaining to both employers and employees, including Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment Compensation, workplace safety, building codes and workforce development. Through her committee involvement, she led the Senate’s efforts to hold the Wolf Administration accountable for flaws in the state’s Unemployment Compensation system that led to delayed payments to hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• She also serves as a member of the Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development; Environmental Resources and Energy; Judiciary; Policy; Rules and Executive Nominations; and Transportation committees.
• Camera also co-chairs the Senate Gas and Oil Caucus, a bipartisan legislative body that focuses on issues impacting the gas and oil industry with the goal of promoting policies resulting in a positive future for constituents, the business community and state economy. She also co-founded the bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Caucus to focus on ways to help promote safer communities, reduce prison costs, reduce recidivism and ensure better outcomes for individuals who are part of the criminal justice system. In addition, utilizing her experience as an actor, director and producer, she founded the Film Industry Caucus, a bicameral group working to support research and analysis of the role that Pennsylvania’s film industry plays in economic development, job creation and revenue enhancement.
• Prior to being elected to the Senate, she opened the first quick-lube business in the Mon Valley, Duke of Oil, which provided quality, affordable service from 1988 to 2019. She produced “La Dolce Vita,” a cooking and lifestyle show that aired on WPXI-TV and PCNC.
• Camera is an active member of the community she has called home for more than three decades.
• She was appointed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council. She also serves on the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency Board of Directors, Pittsburgh Film Office Board of Trustees, the Pittsburgh Ballet Board of Trustees, the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics Board of Fellows, and the Pennsylvania Prison Society Board.
• Family is a great source of pride in Camera’s life and motivates her civic engagement. Her daughter, Devin, is an award-winning news reporter and evening anchor in New Orleans, and they recently celebrated the arrival of Camera’s first grandchild, Florence. Her son Dante is a private pilot in western Pennsylvania and they also recently welcomed her second grandchild, Rosella.

• State Senator, Republican Caucus Secretary

• St. Mary's College, California