Career
Morhaim was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994 [1] and was re-elected in 1998,2002,2006,2010,and 2014. In 2017,the House and Senate reprimanded Morhaim for paid consulting work performed for a company seeking a medical cannabis license. [2] He chose not to run for re-election in 2018.
In the legislature,Morhaim served on committees including the Environmental Matters Committee (1995–2003),the Health and Government Operations Committee (2003–17),the Judiciary Committee,2017-19;Joint Committee on Administrative,Executive,and Legislative Review (2003–19),the Joint Committee on Health Care Delivery and Financing (2007–14),the Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee (2009–14),the Joint Committee on Transparency and Open Government (2011–14),the Joint Committee on Cybersecurity,Information Technology,and Biotechnology (2014–19),the Joint Committee on Legislative Information Technology and Open Government (2015–19),and the Joint Committee on Behavioral Health and Opioid Use Disorders (2015–19). [1] Morhaim sponsored numerous bills focusing on health care,the environment,and procurement reform. [3]
He served as co-chair of the Alliance for Patient Access,a bipartisan national organization of physicians elected to state office,and as co-chair of the Innovations in Health Care Task Force for the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL).
Morhaim is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine,and has over 40 years of front-line clinical experience. From 1981 to 1994,he chaired the Department of Emergency Medicine at Franklin Square Hospital (Baltimore) while building a 90-doctor,120-employee group at six Maryland hospitals. He is on staff at Sinai and Northwest Hospitals,part of the Lifebridge Health System. Other clinical experiences include the State of Maryland's medical mission to Kuwait following the first Gulf War,the Indian Health Service (Navajo area),Health Care for the Homeless (Baltimore),medical director for local ambulance companies,and medical director for the 1993 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Oriole Park.
Morhaim was on the faculty at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for 16 years,where he taught graduate students,did public health research,and wrote articles for both peer-reviewed and general media publications. He wrote The Better End:Surviving (and Dying) on Your Own Terms in Today’s Modern Medical World (Johns Hopkins Press).
Morhaim has served on the boards of several organizations,including the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI),Western Indemnity Insurance Company,Maritime Medical Systems,Brick Mental Health Foundation,Unified Community Connections (formerly United Cerebral Palsy),Baltimore Humane Society,Health Care for the Homeless,the State's Task Force on Recycling,Region III medical director for the State Emergency Medical System,and on the Executive Committees at Franklin Square and Sinai Hospital.
He has been recognized for his medical,academic,and legislative work by numerous organizations,including receiving the AMA's Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Public Service in 2011 and awards from Maryland nurses,physicians,architects,retailers,minority business groups,and others.
In 2018,Morhaim announced,after 24 years of service in the Maryland General Assembly,that he would not seek re-election.
In 2019,he was selected as Chair of the Baltimore County Behavioral Healthcare Council,which helps people with substance abuse and/or mental health problems.
Morhaim is married to Shelley Cole Morhaim (writer,film producer,and Chair of the Maryland State Arts Council),and they have three adult children.
Legislative notes
A list of key votes [note 1] on legislation introduced by Morhaim as the primary or co-sponsor: [5]
- 2016:Increases Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards (HB1106)
- 2016 Prohibits Firearms on Campus (HB1002)
- 2016 Requires Employers to Offer Paid Sick Leave of 2016 (HB580)
- 2015 Authorizes Expungement of Certain Crimes (HB124)
- 2013 Authorizes Medical Marijuana (HB1101)
- 2013:Amends the State Health Benefits Exchange and Medicaid Program (HB228)
- 2012:Establishes State Health Insurance Exchanges (HB443)
- 2011 Prohibiting Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination (HB235)
- 2009 Proof of Citizenship Requirement for ID Cards,Vehicle Licenses,and Permits (HB387)
- 2008 Increasing Renewable Energy Standards (HB374)
- 2008 Energy Efficiency Regulations (HB374)
- 2007 Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Green Fund (HB1220)
- 2007 Tobacco Tax to Fund Health Care (HB754)
- 2007 Indoor Smoking Ban (HB359)
- 2007 Maryland Clean Cars Act of 2007 (HB131)
- 2006 Mandatory Sentences and Other Penalties for Sex Offenders (HB2)
- 2006 Restrictions on Campaign Fund-Raising Activities by Members of the Board of Regents (HB1674)
- 2006 Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006 (HB1)
