The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Inc. (also known as The Maryland Legislative Black Caucus) is an American politicalorganization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly.[1] Incorporated in 1970, the Caucus membership has grown from 17 to 64 and is the largest state legislative black caucus in the country.[2]
By drafting and sponsoring legislation to address constituent needs and by examining all bills that affect the Black populace, the Caucus acts as a legislative body on behalf of all African Americans in Maryland. Currently, of Maryland's 24 sub-divisions, only Baltimore City, Prince Georges, Baltimore, Montgomery, Howard and Wicomico Counties have elected members to the Maryland Black Caucus. So additionally the Caucus presents a Black perspective from the entire state to the Legislature and advocates public policies that promote Black social, cultural and economic progress, statewide. In addition, the Caucus serves as a research study group to generate pertinent data in support of appropriate public policies.
Current membership
Members of the 2023 Maryland Legislative Black Caucus at the Maryland Statehouse
The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland was formed in 1970 as the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus. The Caucus has increased from it original membership of 17 to its present membership of 44.[10] From its inception to the 1990s, only Prince George's County and Baltimore City had sent members to the Caucus. The present membership of the Legislative Black Caucus now includes elected representatives from Baltimore, Montgomery, and Charles counties as well as the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
During the 2007 session of the Maryland General Assembly the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland pushed several bills through both Houses and had them signed into law. One of which was a bill that required state contractors to pay their employees a "living wage." For fiscal year 2008, the living wage is set at $11.30 in Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard, Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties and Baltimore City. It is set at $8.50 for all other areas of the State. Additionally, the Caucus pushed for SB 488. This bill allows an individual convicted of any crime, with the exception of buying or selling votes, to register to vote if not actually serving a court-ordered sentence of imprisonment, including any term of parole or probation, for a felony conviction.[12] Another Caucus bill, SB 543-2007 Darfur Protection Act-Divestiture from the Republic of Sudan, requires the Board of Trustees of the State Retirement and Pension System to encourage companies hold actively traded accounts in its portfolio that conduct business in Sudan to act responsibly and avoid actions that promote or enable human rights violations in Sudan.[13] Additionally, the Caucus pushed for Senate Joint resolution 6 which requires the state to express regret for the role that Maryland played in instituting and maintaining slavery and for the discrimination that was slavery's legacy.[14] The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland also supported the creation of state debt for funding towards the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C., leading to a $500,000 donation (equivalent to $735,000in 2023) to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation.
2009 legislation
During the 2009 session of the Maryland General Assembly, the following Caucus general priorities were passed: SB 186- Correctional Facilities-Released Inmates-Identification Cards Sponsored by Senator Catherine Pugh. This bill will require the Commissioner of Correction to issue an identification card to an inmate before being released from confinement in a State Correctional facility. The identification card must comply with the requirements for secondary identification for the purpose of an identification card issued by the Motor Vehicle Administration.
SB 489- Minority Business Enterprise Certification-Cap on Personal Net Worth Sponsored by Senator Catherine Pugh. This bill requires that the personal net worth cap for eligibility in the State's Minority Business Enterprise program be adjusted annually according to the Consumer Price Index. Personal net worth does not include up to $500,000 of the cash value of any qualified retirement savings plan or individual retirement account. The Maryland Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Attorney General's office and specified legislative committees must evaluate whether the personal net worth cap should be further adjusted, and report its findings to the General Assembly by December 1, 2010.
SB 568-Minority Business Enterprise Program-Directory of Minority Business Enterprise Sponsored by Senator Catherine Pugh. This bill requires the Maryland Department of Transportation to include in its directory of Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) a list of all MBEs that are ineligible to participate in the State's MBE program because (1) one or more of its owners has a personal net worth that exceeds the statutory cap; or (2) the MBE no longer qualifies as a small business under federal guidelines.
HB 637- Task Force on Prisoner Reentry Sponsored by Delegate Gerron Levi, this emergency bill establishes a Task Force on Prisoner Reentry. The Secretary of Public Safety and Correctional Services, or the Secretary's designee, must chair the task force and provide staff support for the taskforce from the Department. An interim report to the Governor and the General Assembly is required by December 31, 2010 and final report of findings and recommendation is required by December 31, 2011.
During the 2009 session of the Maryland General Assembly, the following Caucus budgetary priorities were passed:
Bowie State University received the $34 million needed for their new fine and performing arts building;
Coppin State University received $4.1 million of the $9.4 million needed for their science and technology center;
Morgan State University received $43.5 million of the $45 million needed for campus-wide renovations, new environment studies and business schools;
The Minority Outreach and Technical Assistance program funding remained in the budget; and
The Office of Minority Health received $335,000 out of $1 million set aside for infant mortality programs.
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives, and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives. Members of both houses serve four-year terms. Each house elects its own officers, judges the qualifications and election of its own members, establishes rules for the conduct of its business, and may punish or expel its own members.
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis. The State House also houses the Maryland State Senate and the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Maryland. Each delegate has offices in Annapolis, in the nearby Casper R. Taylor Jr. House Office Building.
The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single-member districts, the Senate is responsible, along with the Maryland House of Delegates, for passage of laws in Maryland, and for confirming executive appointments made by the Governor of Maryland.
Nicholaus Ryan Kipke is an American politician. Since 2007, he has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 31. He previously served as the Minority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2013 to 2021.
Jill Priscilla Carter is an American politician and attorney who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate since 2018, representing the 41st district in Baltimore. She previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2003 until her resignation in 2017.
Curtis Stovall Anderson is an American politician, lawyer and former broadcast journalist. He was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983, was the chairman of the Baltimore City Delegation, and past chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. After serving 12 years, he was elected again in 2002, and served until his retirement in 2023. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1992 (Clinton) and 2008 (Obama).
Cheryl Diane Glenn is an American politician. She was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's 45th legislative district which is situated in northeast Baltimore. She resigned in December 2019 in advance of a federal indictment for wire fraud and bribery to which she pleaded guilty in January 2020. In July 2020, she was sentenced to two years in prison.
Peter A. Hammen is an American politician who represented the 46th legislative district in the Maryland House of Delegates. Delegate Hammen was also the Chairman of the House Health and Government Operations Committee.
Barbara A. Robinson is an American politician who represents the 40th legislative district in the Maryland Senate. Robinson is a former chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland.
Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk is an American politician who represents District 21 in the Maryland House of Delegates. She unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in 2016, coming in third behind Anthony Brown and Glenn Ivey.
Marvin Earl Holmes Jr. is an American politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 23B in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Catherine Elizabeth Pugh is an American former politician who served as the 51st mayor of Baltimore from 2016 to 2019. She resigned from office amid a scandal that eventually led to criminal charges, three years in prison and three years probation.
The Annotated Code of Maryland, published by The Michie Company, is the official codification of the statutory laws of Maryland. It is organized into 36 named articles. The previous code, organized into numbered articles, has been repealed.
Tiffany T. Alston (born April 22, 1977) is an American politician who represented Prince George's County District 24 in the Maryland House of Delegates since January 2023, and from January 2011 to January 2013. She was suspended from office in 2012 after being found guilty of stealing General Assembly funds to pay an employee at her law firm.
Robbyn T. Lewis is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing the 46th district since 2017.
Jheanelle K. Wilkins is an American politician who has represented District 20 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served as the Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland since 2022.
Lena King Lee was an American educator, attorney, and politician who entered politics at the age of 60 and became one of the first African-American women elected to the Maryland General Assembly. Lee advocated for teachers' rights, women's rights, and affordable housing, and founded the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland in 1970. She was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 1989.
Gabriel Acevero is a Trinidadian–American organizer, activist and politician representing Maryland's 39th House district. On November 6, 2018, Acevero finished in first place with 31% of the vote and became the first openly gay Afro-Latino, and one of the youngest people, elected to the Maryland House of Delegates. Acevero is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Regina T. Boyce is an American politician who currently serves in the Maryland House of Delegates. Delegate Boyce is a Democrat who represents the 43rd Legislative District of the state of Maryland.
Stephanie M. Smith is an American politician who currently serves in the Maryland House of Delegates. Smith represents the 45th Legislative District of the state of Maryland which is located in east Baltimore City.
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