Robert W. O'Donnell (born September 25, 1943) is an American Democratic Party politician who is a former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
He is the author or prime sponsor of a number of significant and complex legislative proposals that have been enacted into law, including the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority Act (PICA) which was the vehicle for the financial recovery of the City of Philadelphia; the Municipal Pension Reform Act, which provided for the financial soundness of public pensions in Pennsylvania and legislation reforming insurance underwriting procedures.
Speaker O’Donnell also introduced the first charter schools legislation in the Commonwealth, a version of which was passed later during Governor Tom Ridge's tenure.
[7] A practicing attorney for thirty five years, O’Donnell’s area of specialization has been public finance and he has served as counsel to the firms of Saul Ewing in Philadelphia and Thorp, Reed and Armstrong, LLC in Pittsburgh.
The firm’s clients have included the School District of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association, Keystone Mercy Health Plan, MBIA Insurance Corporation, The Pittsburgh Municipal Trust and PA Early Stage Partners.