UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster County, will discuss his drive to run for public office and career path during a talk at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 16, on Zoom.
In June 2020, Cutler's colleagues elected him to serve as the 139th speaker of the House after serving as the majority leader. In January, his colleagues re-elected Cutler to the position.
Cutler's emergence as a leader in Pennsylvania politics stems from his background as a caretaker for his parents, who were both diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Caring for his family placed Culter on a path to work in hospital administration, pursue a law degree and give back to his local community, he said. After putting himself through school to become an X-ray technician, Cutler graduated from Lebanon Valley College with a healthcare management degree. He pursued his law degree focusing on health care law at Widener Law School and practiced at a firm in Lancaster.
The hometown support for Cutler's family throughout their battle with ALS inspired a run for public office in 2006. Work on policies to improve efficiencies in hospitals, change eligibility requirements for human service assistance, and efforts to establish a state-based health insurance exchange reflect Cutler's commitment to transforming health outcomes for Pennsylvanians.
His experience working in hospital administration has translated into writing laws to help the commonwealth's hospitals operate more efficiently, including a bill to eliminate redundant hospital accreditation procedures for hospitals that meet all state licensing requirements. Act 60 of 2013 allows Pennsylvania hospitals to spend more time and money serving patients.
The discussion with Cutler is part of the School of Public Policy's "Profiles" virtual leadership series spotlighting professionals with careers in public policy.