SEE LATEST
SPONSORED LEGISLATION
HB496 - Criminal Law - Sexual Crimes - Definition of Consent and Repeal of Force
Emily Khoury Shetty, Elizabeth M. Embry, Gabriel Acevero
Last updated 5 months ago
57 Co-Sponsors
Requiring certain facts to be considered when determining whether a lack of consent exists for the purposes of determining certain sexual crimes; altering the elements of second-degree rape to remove the requirement of use of force or threat of force; and requiring the Maryland Judiciary to report to the General Assembly, beginning October 1, 2024, and each October 1 thereafter, certain data for the preceding calendar year, disaggregated by county and offender age, race, and sex.
STATUS
Passed
HB601 - Street Racing and Exhibition Driving – Prohibited Acts, Enforcement, and Penalties
Mary A. Lehman, Sheila Ruth, Jackie Addison
Last updated 5 months ago
45 Co-Sponsors
Altering certain penalties and points assessments for certain motor vehicle violations related to participation in a race or speed contest; prohibiting a person from engaging in exhibition driving on any highway or private property that is used for driving by the public; establishing certain affirmative defenses to a certain charge of exhibition driving; etc.
STATUS
Passed
HB624 - Next Generation Scholars of Maryland Program - Program Administrator - Alterations
Ben Barnes
Last updated 5 months ago
1 Co-Sponsor
Altering the administrator of the Next Generation Scholars of Maryland Program to be the Maryland Higher Education Commission rather than the State Department of Education; and requiring the Department to assist the Commission with the review of applications and the selection of nonprofit organizations to administer the Program in local school systems.
STATUS
Passed
HB688 - Maryland Historical Trust - Historical and Cultural Museum Assistance Program - Funding
Ben Barnes
Last updated 5 months ago
1 Co-Sponsor
Altering prohibitions on grants from the Maryland Historical Trust; authorizing the Governor beginning in fiscal year 2025 and each fiscal year thereafter, to include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $5,000,000 to the Trust to be used to provide grants to museums under the Historical and Cultural Museum Assistance Program.
STATUS
Passed
HB457 - Environment - Synthetic Turf - Disclosure and Study
Mary A. Lehman, Gabriel Acevero, Jackie Addison
Last updated 5 months ago
58 Co-Sponsors
Requiring a producer or seller of synthetic turf to disclose to a customer typical maintenance practices and costs for removing, replacing, and disposing of synthetic turf; and requiring the Department of the Environment, in consultation with representatives of the industry, local environmental and community stakeholders, and synthetic turf producers, retailers, and users, to conduct a study on the synthetic turf industry in the State and report its findings to certain committees of the General Assembly by July 1, 2026.
STATUS
Passed
HB1073 - Tobacco Tax - Cigarettes - Rate Alteration
Ben Barnes
Last updated 8 months ago
1 Co-Sponsor
Altering the tobacco tax rate for cigarettes; and requiring that all cigarettes used, possessed, or held in the State on or after July 1, 2024, are subject to the tax enacted by the Act.
STATUS
Introduced
HB1072 - Sales and Use Tax - Alcoholic Beverages - Rate Alteration
Ben Barnes
Last updated 8 months ago
1 Co-Sponsor
Increasing the rate of the sales and use tax from 9% to 10% applied to certain sales of alcoholic beverages.
STATUS
Introduced
HB1206 - Maryland-Ireland Trade Commission - Establishment
Ken Kerr, Courtney Watson, Heather Bagnall
Last updated 5 months ago
70 Co-Sponsors
Establishing the Maryland-Ireland Trade Commission in the Department of Commerce to study and make recommendations regarding bilateral trade relations and investment opportunities between Maryland and Ireland; and requiring the Commission by December 1 2025, to report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly.
STATUS
Passed
HB1439 - Emergency Services - Funding
Emily Khoury Shetty, Ben Barnes, Jim Hinebaugh
Last updated 5 months ago
4 Co-Sponsors
Increasing the motor vehicle registration emergency medical system surcharge for certain motor vehicles; providing for the distribution of revenues derived from the surcharge; altering certain provisions of law related to the Maryland Trauma Physician Services Fund; increasing the fines for certain violations related to driving while impaired; requiring the Governor, beginning in fiscal year 2026, to include an annual appropriation to the Senator William H. Amoss Fire, Rescue, and Ambulance Fund of at least $16,500,000; etc.
STATUS
Passed
HB1281 - Economic Development - Tourism Zones - Designation and Benefits
Wayne A. Hartman, Marlon Amprey, Carl Anderton
Last updated 5 months ago
20 Co-Sponsors
Authorizing the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City or the governing body of a county or municipality to designate, by law, an area within that political subdivision as a tourism zone under certain circumstances; providing that the designation of an area as a tourism zone may not preclude the area from also being designated as an arts and entertainment district; authorizing a county or municipality to exempt from the admissions and amusement tax gross receipts from certain admissions or amusement charges levied in a tourism zone; etc.
STATUS
Passed
BIOGRAPHY
INCUMBENT
Representative from Maryland district HD-021
COMMITTEES
Maryland House
BIRTH
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ABOUT
Unfortunately I cannot reproduce lengthy excerpts from copyrighted material without permission. However, here is a summary of the key biographical details about Ben Barnes: Ben Barnes is an American politician who served as the 37th Lieutenant Governor of Texas from January 21, 2003 to January 19, 2009. He was initially elected in 2002 and served two four-year terms. Prior to becoming Lieutenant Governor, Barnes served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003. Barnes was born in Austin, Texas in 1961. He earned a finance degree from the University of Texas in 1984. After college, he founded a real estate appraisal firm and worked in banking. Barnes decided to run for the Texas Legislature in 1992. As a member of the House from 1993-2003, he chaired committees on financial institutions and economic development. Known as a moderate Democrat, Barnes focused on issues like education, healthcare and economic growth. After two terms as Lieutenant Governor, Barnes did not seek re-election in 2010. He went on to found a bipartisan public policy organization and also works as an attorney and business consultant. I aimed to provide a high-level summary of Ben Barnes' background and career without reproducing copyrighted material verbatim. Please let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions.read less
OFFICES HELD
Maryland House from Maryland
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