[9] As the Senate President Pro Tempore, Scarnati blocked attempts to reform the state's statute of limitations for child sexual assault.

[11] Scarnati became involved in a federal probe when he, along with Long Nyquist & Associates, accepted money from a fake firm run by the FBI.

Scarnati received $5,000 from an undercover agent in June 2010 and picked up a $17,500 contribution from Long Nyquist's political action committee.

While the probe caught others who were accused of agreeing to official action in exchange for money, neither Scarnati nor Long Nyquist were charged with doing so.

[12] In early 2019, Scarnatti's office agreed to the Senate's paying over $23,000 in legal expenses for a former employee accused of sexual misconduct, according to documents acquired via a public records request.

The employee had resigned in late 2017 among allegations that he sexually harassed two female subordinates, including texting them photos of feces and male genitals.

[13][14] Charles Kaza, priest of the St. Tobias Parish in Scarnati's hometown of Brockway, was removed in May 2019 over sexual abuse allegations.

[16] In May 2006, Robert Jubelirer and David Brightbill, the Republicans' two top leaders were defeated in the primary election, victims of the legislative pay raise fallout.

Scarnati narrowly won the race to replace Jubelirer against veteran lawmakers Stewart Greenleaf and Jeffrey Piccola.

Scarnati played a lead role in representing Republicans during Pennsylvania's 2009 budget impasse, and harshly criticized Governor Rendell's leadership style and priorities.

[21] When Chris Abruzzo was nominated to become secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in December 2013, and came under criticism for testifying that he was unaware of evidence that global warming was harmful to the environment, Scarnati defended Abruzzo, saying "We should not be deemed unfit to serve simply because we may not agree entirely with the strongly held view of some in this chamber and elsewhere.