Joanne Claybon Benson (born March 11, 1941) 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 ...

who represents

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 ...

in the

Maryland State Senate 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- ...

. She formerly represented District 24 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, ...

Early life and education

Benson was born on March 11, 1941, in

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

. She attended

South Hagerstown High School South Hagerstown High School is located at 1101 South Potomac Street, in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. The current principal is Rodney Gayman. The 164,000 square-foot school is part of the Washington County Public Schools system and has an ...

and then graduated from

Bowie State College 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 ...

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 ...

in education in 1961. She later attended

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...

where she earned her

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in curriculum instruction in 1972.

In the legislature

Benson was a member of House of Delegates from 1991 to 2011. She served on the House Health and Government Operations Committee and its health occupations subcommittee, long-term care subcommittee, and its minority

health disparities Health equity arises from access to the social determinants of health, specifically from wealth, power and prestige. Individuals who have consistently been deprived of these three determinants are significantly disadvantaged from health inequiti ...

subcommittee. She is also a member and former chair of the

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 m ...

. She still presides at the Caucus meetings, providing an inspirational prayer as the Caucus' chaplain. In 2010 she defeated incumbent state senator Nathaniel Exum and was sworn into office in January 2011. In 2020 she was selected to be the Senate's Deputy Majority leader and has been chairman of the Senate Rules committee since 2019. In 2019, Benson worked with

Colorado Governor The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either app ...

John Hickenlooper John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. (; born February 7, 1952) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Colorado since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd governor of Colorado from 2011 to 20 ...

commute Commute, commutation or commutative may refer to: * Commuting, the process of travelling between a place of residence and a place of work Mathematics * Commutative property, a property of a mathematical operation whose result is insensitive to th ...

the sentence of Curtis Brooks, who had been sentenced as a juvenile to life in prison without parole.

Political positions

Gun control

During the 2019 legislative session, Benson introduced legislation to ban the manufacture or sale of privately made firearms.

Marijuana

In 2022, Benson voted against legislation to legalize

recreational marijuana Recreational drug use indicates the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime by modifying the perceptions and emotions of the user. When a ...

in Maryland. She also voted against a bill to place a referendum legalizing recreational marijuana on the 2022 ballot.

Minimum wage

In 2019, Benson voted in favor of legislation to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour, but expressed disappointment with the date's effective date of 2025.

Social issues

In 1991, Benson voted in favor of legislation to protect the right to abortion in Maryland. Benson opposed the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, a bill introduced in 2011 to legalize

same-sex marriage in Maryland Same-sex marriage in Maryland has been legally recognized since January 1, 2013. In 2012, the state's Democratic representatives, led by Governor Martin O'Malley, began a campaign for its legalization. After much debate, a law permitting same-s ...

, saying that she did not view gay marriage as a civil rights issue. Although she was absent for the vote on the bill, she said she would have voted against it. In 2012, she voted against the

Civil Marriage Protection Act Same-sex marriage in Maryland has been legally recognized since January 1, 2013. In 2012, the state's Democratic representatives, led by Governor Martin O'Malley, began a campaign for its legalization. After much debate, a law permitting same-s ...

. In 2022, Benson supported legislation to provide

paid family leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity le ...

to all Maryland workers, saying that paid family leave "should not be viewed as a privilege, but as something that is humane and just".

Taxes

In 2013, Benson voted in favor of legislation to raise

fuel tax A fuel tax (also known as a petrol, gasoline or gas tax, or as a fuel duty) is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries the fuel tax is imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation. Fuels used to power agricultural v ...

es in Maryland.

Transportation

During the 2021 legislative session, Benson introduced legislation to hold the

Maryland Department of Transportation The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is an organization comprising five business units and one Authority: * Maryland Transportation Authority (Transportation Secretary serves as chairman of the Maryland Transportation Authority) * M ...

to promises it made for the widening of

Capital Beltway The Capital Beltway is a Interstate Highway in the Washington metropolitan area that surrounds Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. It is the basis of the phrase "inside th ...

and Interstate 270 and modernizing the American Legion Memorial Bridge. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 101–35 in March, but did not receive a vote in the Senate.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Joanne C. Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates African-American state legislators in Maryland African-American women in politics 1941 births Living people Catholic University of America alumni Women state legislators in Maryland Politicians from Roanoke, Virginia Democratic Party Maryland state senators Bowie State University alumni People from Hyattsville, Maryland 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women Politicians from Prince George's County, Maryland