Debra M. Davis (born October 11, 1959) is an American politician who represents

district 28 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 ...

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, ...

Background

Davis was born in Cheverly, Maryland, on October 11, 1959, where she attended Frederick Douglass High School in

Croom, Maryland Croom is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Southern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 2,720. Croom largely consists of former tobacco farms and forests converted ...

. In 1981, she graduated from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in Criminology. After attending the

University of Baltimore School of Law The University of Baltimore School of Law, or the UB School of Law, is one of the four colleges that make up the University of Baltimore, which is part of the University System of Maryland. The UBalt School of Law is one of only two law schools i ...

where she earned a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

, she was admitted to the

Maryland Bar The Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Maryland. The association pursues the following mission: "to effectively represent Maryland’s lawyers, to provide member services, and to promote profes ...

in 1995 and to the District of Columbia Bar in 1996. In 2010, Davis was elected to the Charles County Board of Commissioners, representing the Charles County District 2. During her two terms as commissioner, she gained the reputation as a maverick, often voting against the majority on issues large and small. During her second term, she also served as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Local Government Insurance Trust, becoming the first African-American to serve as LGIT Chair. In January 2018, Davis declared her candidacy for state delegate in Maryland's 28th legislative district. In the general election, Davis earned 23.8 percent of the vote, with incumbents

C. T. Wilson C. T. Wilson (born February 20, 1972) is an American politician and attorney who has represented District 28 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2011. Background Wilson was born in Missouri. An orphan, he lived in several foster homes as a ...

and Edith J. Patterson earning 22.8 percent and 23.2 percent respectively and all precincts reporting.

In the legislature

Davis has been a member of the

since January 9, 2019.

Committee assignments

* Judiciary Committee, 2019– (juvenile law subcommittee, 2019–20; public safety subcommittee, 2019–; criminal law & procedure subcommittee, 2021–) * Chair, House Re-entry Work Group, 2021 * Work Group to Address Police Reform and Accountability in Maryland, 2020

Other memberships

* Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, 2019– (chair, criminal justice subcommittee); Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus, 2019– * Women Legislators of Maryland, 2019–

Political positions

Education

Davis introduced legislation in the 2021 session that would expand access to

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people. It is a federal aid program, ad ...

(SNAP) assistance to eligible college students. The bill passed and went into effect on June 1, 2021.

Policing

Davis introduced legislation in the 2021 session that would establish a statewide police use-of-force policy. The bill received a hearing in subcommittee, but never received a vote.

Transportation

Davis introduced legislation in the 2021 session that would advance the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit, a 19-mile rail project from Branch Avenue Metro station in Suitland-Silver Hill to

White Plains, Maryland White Plains is an unincorporated community in Charles County, Maryland, in the United States, just south of Waldorf. It is at latitude 38°35'25" N, longitude 76°56'26" W. The United States Postal Service has assigned White Plains the ZIP Code ...

. The bill passed and was signed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Larry Hogan Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 62nd governor of Maryland since 2015. A moderate member of the Republican Party, he was secretary of appointments under Maryland governor Bo ...

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Debra M. Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Living people African-American state legislators in Maryland University of Baltimore School of Law alumni Maryland lawyers 21st-century American politicians People from Charles County, Maryland 1959 births 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