Senator Vincent J. Hughes - Biography

State Senator Vincent J. Hughes represents the 7th Senatorial District in the Pennsylvania Senate, where he serves as the Acting Caucus Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus. He has been a member of the Pennsylvania Senate since November of 1994. Prior to coming to the Senate, Senator Hughes was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1987-1994. While in the House, he chaired the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus from 1991-1994.

Over the years, Senator Hughes has worked on numerous issues. From political empowerment to creating jobs, and from expanding health insurance to the uninsured to the rebuilding of neighborhoods, Senator Hughes has used his position to provide solutions and service to people often times when they had no where else to go.

Most recently Senator Hughes has led the fight to increase PA's minimum wage, and has secured over $20 million dollars of state money to go to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) , to provide assistance to folk who need help with their heating bills. It should be noted that this is the first time that Pennsylvania has directed state dollars to go to this traditionally federally funded program.

Senator Hughes has spent a significant portion of his legislative career working on higher education issues. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), where he chairs its Audit Review Committee, and where he serves as a member of the board's Executive Committee. He is also a member of the PHEAA Foundation Board of Directors.

Continuing his work in higher education, Senator Hughes is a member of the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (SSHE), where he serves on its Finance and Administration Committee, and its Advancement Committee. The Pennsylvania SSHE is the governing organization of Pennsylvania's 14 universities.

Senator Hughes also serves on the Council of Trustees of Cheyney University, where he has worked to strengthen Cheyney's Keystone Honors program, and where he has worked tirelessly on Cheyney's capital program. In the past several years, Cheyney University has seen a dramatic improvement in its physical appearance because of investments of several million dollars to restore historical buildings and to complete delayed construction on other buildings. This is directly owed to Senator Hughes' work to secure the funding for the campus improvements and to see that the projects are not put on the back burner of PA's capital program.

Senator Hughes also created the James Hughes Memorial Scholarship Fund, in honor of his father. Since its inception nearly 10 years ago, the Fund has raised approximately $1million. The fund provides deserving Philadelphia high school students $1500 scholarships, each year until graduation. Last year the Fund gave out approximately 80 scholarships.

Nationally, Senator Hughes has been recognized for his ground breaking work for the Breaking The Silence Conferences, which focus direct services and attention on the issue of behavioral health in the African-American community. He has also been a speaker at numerous mental health conferences both locally and around the country, including the BET Conference on Mental Health and the Media, and the National Black Caucus of State Legislators' national conference, and its Health Committee conference. Additionally, Senator Hughes was a panelist/presenter at the American Psychiatric Association National Conference. Senator Hughes is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Mental Health Association. He formerly served as Chair of its Strategic Planning Committee.

Senator Hughes has also been recognized both locally and nationally for his work and leadership on the issue of HIV/AIDS. He is credited with helping to facilitate the largest increases in HIV funding in Pennsylvania's history, for the past four consecutive years. Most recently he announced a $1.5 million state grant to expand the City of Philadelphia's HIV/AIDS testing programs. His efforts also include securing a $500,000 grant in 2006 for Keystone Hospice to enable the facility to expand its services and enhance its ability to care for more patients affected by HIV/AIDS; moving the state Senate to unanimously adopt a resolution to designate February 7, 2003, as National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day; partnering with the national Black AIDS Institute for the Philadelphia effort for the "Rhythms of Health Tour," and sponsoring "Can We Talk" forums to promote dialogue around the issue of HIV/AIDS. He also is recognized for his work to engage the local faith-based community to become actively involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Senator Hughes was awarded the John Blue Award from BEBASHI, and has been recognized by the national Black AIDS Institute, with its prestigious Heroes In The Struggle Award.

Among the numerous community outreach projects that Senator Hughes has created, is his Economic Empowerment Series. This program, which Senator Hughes also titles, "Show Me The Money," focuses on direct services designed to increase the individual economic power of the constituents of the 7th Senatorial District. These services include numerous community workshops which address finding jobs, to finding money for college, to paying your utility bills. Senator Hughes is currently developing a complete personal financial management series of workshops. He has convened some of Philadelphia's top financial and economic minds as an advisory committee to develop and implement this important series of workshops.

Senator Hughes has spent considerable time assisting small and disadvantaged business. When he Chaired the PA Legislative Black Caucus (as then Representative Hughes), among other things, he worked with Governor Robert Casey to clean up the back log of unprocessed, approved loans to minority businesses. Senator Hughes currently sits as a member of the Board of the Pennsylvania Minority Business Development Authority (PMBDA).

Senator Hughes has also been a long time Board member of the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation (PCDC). PCDC is Philadelphia's leading financing and support organization for small and disadvantaged neighborhood businesses.

On the issue of community revitalization, Senator Hughes has been a leading participant in numerous community development projects. His establishment of the Center for Human Advancement prevented the old Provident Mutual Insurance Building at 4601 Market Street in West Philadelphia from being completely closed, and served as an anchor for the revitalization of that neighborhood, with over 100 new homes built and purchased at market rate for ownership, a nearby business incubator constructed, and several newly built and renovated retail stores. His securing of over $5 million of state money was key in the construction of the Lucien Blackwell Homes, where over 200 homes have been built, also for market rate home ownership. Senator Hughes also brought back over $6 million in grants and loans for the Parkside Retail Complex. This will enable a major shopping mall to be constructed in the Parkside community, which will bring in a Lowes store and a Shop Rite supermarket, along with several chain and neighborhood businesses. This project is planned to employ several hundred neighborhood residents, both during and after construction.

In the PA Senate, Senator Hughes is the Democratic Chair of the Public Health and Welfare Committee. He also serves on the Education, Rules and Executive Nominations, and Policy Committees. Senator Hughes is a member of the Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons. Senator Hughes was formerly a member of AFSCME Local 590 Union, where he served on its Board of Directors.

Senator Hughes is married to actress/entertainer/activist Sheryl Lee Ralph. They have four children, two girls and two boys. Senator Hughes worships at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church, where he is a member of its Trustee Board.