David J. “Chip” Brightbill concentrates his practice in governmental and regulatory matters at all levels of government, particularly involving issues of health care, transportation, the Liquor Code, energy and the environment.
Prior to joining Stevens & Lee, Chip was a partner in the firm of Siegrist, Koller, Brightbill & Long with 30 years of experience in matters involving litigation, business, estates, real estate and municipal governments. He also served 24 years in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, including seven as the Senate Leader and six as the Chair of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. During this period he also served nine years as a litigator in the District Attorney’s Office, with four as the District Attorney.
Chip’s legislative accomplishments include the following:
- Act 2 of 1995, Senate Bill 1 – facilitates the reuse of abandoned industrial sites. Since the inception of his landmark “brownfields” program, more than 1,000 sites have been cleaned up across the Commonwealth. Senator Brightbill’s law won the prestigious Innovations in Government Award from the Ford Foundation and Harvard University and was honored as a national model by the Council of State Governments. In 2001, President Bush visited Pennsylvania to sign a national brownfields law and congratulate Senator Brightbill on his efforts.
- Act 23 of 2004 – the Infrastructure and Facilities Improvement Program is an innovative economic development tool that helps draw thousands of new jobs to Pennsylvania and is credited with bringing more than 4,000 jobs to the Commonwealth.
- Act 46 of 2005 – establishing Dual Enrollment across Pennsylvania that helps students earn college credit before graduating from high school by establishing partnerships between high schools and local colleges and universities.
- Act 13 of 2002 – Medical Malpractice Reform is designed to provide relief from the high malpractice premiums that were targeted as the cause for some doctors leaving Pennsylvania. Senator Brightbill received the Pennsylvania Medical Society Leadership Recognition Award and the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania Board of Directors award for his work.
- Act 21 of 2003, Senate Bill 521 – established a procedure to help ensure that serious juvenile sex offenders are not released while they remain a danger to the community. This law authorizes county solicitors to seek an involuntary commitment of a sexually violent young adult who is “aging out” of the juvenile justice system.
- Act 62 of 1987, Senate Bill 805 – created Project Independence, moving more than half a million people from the welfare rolls to the employment rolls and serving as a model for future welfare reforms. This law saved Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $150 million.
- Passage of a comprehensive tobacco settlement package in 2001, which includes annual allocations for hospital uncompensated care, home and community-based care for seniors, a prescription drug program for low-income seniors, health-related research, tobacco prevention and cessation programs and other health-related programs.
- Lebanon School Board, past member
Education
- Duquesne University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, Editor-in-Chief, Duquesne Law Review
- The Pennsylvania State University, B.S. in Economics
- Elizabethtown College, Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
Powerful partnerships. Standout solutions.
- Harrisburg Government Affairs
- Phone: 717.234.1045
- Fax: 610.371.7758
- Regulatory and Government Affairs
- State and Local Government
David J. “Chip” Brightbill concentrates his practice in governmental and regulatory matters at all levels of government, particularly involving issues of health care, transportation, the Liquor Code, energy and the environment.
Prior to joining Stevens & Lee, Chip was a partner in the firm of Siegrist, Koller, Brightbill & Long with 30 years of experience in matters involving litigation, business, estates, real estate and municipal governments. He also served 24 years in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, including seven as the Senate Leader and six as the Chair of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. During this period he also served nine years as a litigator in the District Attorney’s Office, with four as the District Attorney.
Chip’s legislative accomplishments include the following:
- Act 2 of 1995, Senate Bill 1 – facilitates the reuse of abandoned industrial sites. Since the inception of his landmark “brownfields” program, more than 1,000 sites have been cleaned up across the Commonwealth. Senator Brightbill’s law won the prestigious Innovations in Government Award from the Ford Foundation and Harvard University and was honored as a national model by the Council of State Governments. In 2001, President Bush visited Pennsylvania to sign a national brownfields law and congratulate Senator Brightbill on his efforts.
- Act 23 of 2004 – the Infrastructure and Facilities Improvement Program is an innovative economic development tool that helps draw thousands of new jobs to Pennsylvania and is credited with bringing more than 4,000 jobs to the Commonwealth.
- Act 46 of 2005 – establishing Dual Enrollment across Pennsylvania that helps students earn college credit before graduating from high school by establishing partnerships between high schools and local colleges and universities.
- Act 13 of 2002 – Medical Malpractice Reform is designed to provide relief from the high malpractice premiums that were targeted as the cause for some doctors leaving Pennsylvania. Senator Brightbill received the Pennsylvania Medical Society Leadership Recognition Award and the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania Board of Directors award for his work.
- Act 21 of 2003, Senate Bill 521 – established a procedure to help ensure that serious juvenile sex offenders are not released while they remain a danger to the community. This law authorizes county solicitors to seek an involuntary commitment of a sexually violent young adult who is “aging out” of the juvenile justice system.
- Act 62 of 1987, Senate Bill 805 – created Project Independence, moving more than half a million people from the welfare rolls to the employment rolls and serving as a model for future welfare reforms. This law saved Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $150 million.
- Passage of a comprehensive tobacco settlement package in 2001, which includes annual allocations for hospital uncompensated care, home and community-based care for seniors, a prescription drug program for low-income seniors, health-related research, tobacco prevention and cessation programs and other health-related programs.
Affiliations
- Lebanon School Board, past member
Education
- Duquesne University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, Editor-in-Chief, Duquesne Law Review
- The Pennsylvania State University, B.S. in Economics
- Elizabethtown College, Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa
Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania