Andrea Fletcher Harrison (née Andrea Carleen Fletcher) is an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bic ...

. She currently serves in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the 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, ...

, representing

district 24 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

. She previously served on the Prince George's County Council, representing district 5.

Early life and education

Andrea Carleen Fletcher was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, to James C. Fletcher. She received an

Associate in Arts An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

in micro computer systems from

Prince George's Community College Prince George's Community College (PGCC) is a public community college in Largo, Maryland, Largo in Prince George's County, Maryland. The college serves Prince George's County and surrounding areas, including Washington, D.C. History Founded i ...

in 1992. She then received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in public policy from

Bowie State University Bowie State University (Bowie State) is a public historically black university in Prince George's County, Maryland, north of Bowie. It is part of the University System of Maryland. Founded in 1865, Bowie State is Maryland's oldest historically b ...

in 2002.

Career

Before getting into politics in 2002, Harrison was active with the Ardmore Springdale Civic Association, serving as its president, vice president, and secretary from 1994 to 2007. After the death of

Gwendolyn T. Britt Gwendolyn T. Britt (November 29, 1941 – January 12, 2008) was a member of the Maryland State Senate, first elected in 2003, to represent District 47 in Prince George's County, Maryland, USA, winning with 99.4% of the vote. Britt died suddenly i ...

on January 12, 2008,

Prince George's County ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...

councilmember David C. Harrington was appointed to serve the rest of Britt's term in the Maryland Senate. A special election was held to fill the rest of Harrington's term on the County Council. Harrison won the Democratic primary to fill the seat on April 2, 2008, edging out Edmonston mayor Adam Ortiz by 137 votes. She was sworn in on May 19, 2008, and represented district 5 until December 3, 2019. She was the first woman to represent the seat, which was previously held by her father. In 2012, she was elected to chair the county council. In 2016, Harrison campaigned in support of a referendum to expand the county council, which led to speculation as to whether she would seek re-election to the council. She declined running for either of the two at-large positions on the council, instead announcing her candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates in district 24 on December 14, 2017. During the primary, she was endorsed by

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

Anthony Brown. She won the Democratic primary, coming in third place in a field of 11 candidates with 14.5 percent of the vote.

In the legislature

Harrison was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 9, 2019.

Committee assignments

* Member, Economic Matters Committee, 2021 (banking, consumer protection & commercial law subcommittee, 2022–present; public utilities subcommittee, 2022–present) * Member, Study Group on Economic Stability, 2019–present * Member, Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee, 2020–present * House Chair, Protocol Committee, 2020–present * Member, Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight, 2022–present * Member, Environment and Transportation Committee, 2019–2021 (local government & bi-county agencies subcommittee, 2019–2021; motor vehicle & transportation subcommittee, 2019–2021)

Other memberships

* Member,

Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Inc. (also known as The Maryland Legislative Black Caucus) is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly. Incorporated in 1970, the Caucus me ...

, 2019–present * Member, Women Legislators of Maryland, 2019–present

Personal life

She is married with three children. She lives in Springdale, Maryland.

Political positions

Minimum wage

In 2013, Harrison introduced a bill to raise the minimum wage in Prince George's County to $11.50 an hour by 2016. The bill passed and was signed into law with an effective date of 2017 on December 17, 2013.

Social issues

In 2011, following a proposal to open a casino at

Rosecroft Raceway Rosecroft Raceway, nicknamed the "Raceway by the Beltway" for being close to Interstate 495, is a harness racing track in Fort Washington, Maryland. It first opened in 1949 and was owned by William E. Miller, a horse trainer and breeder. Rosec ...

, Harrison co-sponsored legislation to ban slots in Prince George's County. The county council voted in November to table the bill in a 5–4 vote, with Harrison voting against the table. In 2012, Harrison voted for a resolution voicing the county council's opposition to a bill introduced in the

Maryland General Assembly 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 chamb ...

that would allow casinos to be built in Prince George's County. In 2013, Harrison, alongside county executive

Rushern Baker Rushern Leslie Baker III (born October 24, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland in 2010 and won re-election in 2014. In 2018 and 2022, h ...

, wrote a letter to

Dan Tangherlini Daniel Mark Tangherlini (born 1967) is an American government official who currently serves as a Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service, Governor of the United States Postal Service. He served as administrator of the United States ...

to endorse a plan to move the headquarters for the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

Greenbelt, Maryland Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,921. Greenbelt is the first and the largest of the three experimental and controversial New Deal ...

Electoral history

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Andrea 1963 births Living people Bowie State University alumni Politicians from Washington, D.C. Politicians from Prince George's County, Maryland African-American state legislators in Maryland 21st-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Maryland 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women County commissioners in Maryland