Political positions
Hester is a self-described moderate Democrat,seeking to find common ground with Republicans. [2]
Environment
In March 2019,Hester worried that a bill banning the use of plastic foam food containers in Maryland would hurt farmers,including those in her district. After the bill passed the legislature passed the Maryland Senate,she proposed passing legislation to help egg farmers transition to different kinds of materials,appealing to a compromise offered by Republican senator Jack Bailey. [2]
In 2020,Hester worked alongside state delegate Courtney Watson to secure $8.25 million dollars in funding from the state to support Howard County executive Calvin Ball's Safe &Sound Plan,a multi-phase proposal to advance flood mitigation projects and support local business and property owners in Ellicott City,Maryland. [8]
In 2021,the Maryland League of Conservation Voters gave Hester a perfect score in their annual environmental scorecard. [9]
Israel
In November 2023,Hester and eight other state senators signed a joint letter that threatened to defund immigrants rights group CASA de Maryland because it had called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war and condemned the "utilization of US tax dollars to promote the ongoing violence." [10]
Minimum wage
In March 2019,when the Maryland General Assembly was deciding whether to override Governor Larry Hogan's veto of a $15 minimum wage bill,Hester was tempted to vote against the minimum wage veto override,joining Republican senators who said a $15 wage would lead to job losses and hurt places in her district. She ultimately decided to vote to override the governor's veto on the bill,viewing it as a step toward economic equity,but she also supported GOP proposals to vary the minimum wage in different parts of the state and offered an amendment to give certain small businesses more time to pay the higher wage,both of which were rejected by Senate Democrats. [2]
In April 2019,Hester convened a bipartisan workgroup consisting of Democratic senators Guy Guzzone and Brian Feldman and Republican senators Andrew Serafini,Christopher R. West,and Mary Beth Carozza to look at possible aid for small business owners in light of the $15 minimum wage veto override. [11]
A 2021 analysis by the Maryland Free Enterprise Foundation,a business advocacy group,gave Hester a score of 33 percent,making her the second most business-friendly Democrat in the Maryland General Assembly. [12]
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