Marc Alan Korman (born September 21, 1981) is an American politician from
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. He is a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
who 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 16 in
Montgomery County.
Since 2023, he has served as the Majority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates.
Early life and education
Korman was born in
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
on September 21, 1981. He graduated from
Richard Montgomery High School in 1999, and entered the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
at 17 years old,
where he earned a
B.A. degree in history in 2002;
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...
, where he earned an
M.A. degree in government with honors in 2007; and the
University of Maryland School of Law, where he earned a
J.D. degree
magna cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...
in 2010.
Career
Korman first got involved with politics at USC, unhappy about the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
's decision in
Bush v. Gore
''Bush v. Gore'', 531 U.S. 98 (2000), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court on December 12, 2000, that settled a recount dispute in Florida's 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. On December 8, th ...
. Following the ruling, Korman joined, and later became president of, the university's Young Democrats Club. He also interned for California governor
Gray Davis
Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis Jr. (born December 26, 1942) is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 37th governor of California from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, only a few months into his second term, Davis was recalled and remov ...
and worked as a staff assistant at the Kalsman Institute at
Hebrew Union College
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
. After graduating from USC, Korman began working as a legislative aide to Congressmen
Brad Sherman of
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and
Brian Baird
Brian Norton Baird (born March 7, 1956) is an American psychologist and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011.
After leaving the U.S. House of Representatives, he served as the p ...
of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
.
Korman 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 2010 and the
District of Columbia Bar in 2011.
Since 2010, he has worked as an associate at the law firm
Sidley Austin
Sidley Austin LLP is an American multinational law firm with approximately 2,000 lawyers in 20 offices worldwide. The firm's headquarters is at One South Dearborn in Chicago's Loop. The firm specializes in a variety of areas in both litigation ...
, practicing in communications and transportation litigation.
Korman declared his candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 16 on June 10, 2013.
Korman won the Democratic primary election, receiving 21.8 percent of the vote,
and later won the general election with 22.1 percent of the vote.
In the legislature
Korman was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14, 2015.
On January 5, 2023, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates
Adrienne A. Jones
Adrienne A. Jones (born November 20, 1954) is the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, the first African-American and first woman to serve in that position in Maryland. Initially appointed by Governor Parris Glendening to fill the vacancy ...
named Korman as the House Majority Leader, succeeding
Eric Luedtke
Eric Luedtke (born November 13, 1981) is an American politician and educator from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. From 2011 to 2023, he served in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 14 in Montgomery County, whic ...
.
Committee assignments
* Member, Appropriations Committee, 2015–present (education & economic development subcommittee, 2015–2018; oversight committee on personnel, 2015–present, chair, 2019; capital budget subcommittee, 2019–present; chair, transportation & the environment subcommittee, 2019–present)
* Member, Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight, 2019–present
* Member, Legislative Policy Committee, 2020–present
* House Chair, Spending Affordability Committee, 2021–present
* Member, Joint Committee on Federal Relations, 2015–2020
Other memberships
* Chair, Montgomery County Delegation, 2019–present (vice-chair, land use, transportation, & public safety committee, 2015–present)
* Member, Maryland Military Installation Legislative Caucus, 2017–present
* Co-Chair, Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus, 2019–present
* Member, Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, 2019–present
Political positions
Environment
During the 2020 legislative session, Korman introduced legislation that would strengthen the state's plan to make 50 percent of its bus fleet zero-emission by 2030, instead requiring that more than 50 percent of Maryland's fleet be zero-emission by 2030. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 112-22.
Healthcare
During the 2020 legislative session, Korman introduced legislation that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to consent to receive vaccines without parental permission.
Taxes
During the 2020 legislative session, Korman introduced legislation that would apply the state's
sales tax to digital services. The bill passed, but was vetoed by Governor Hogan on May 7, 2020. The Maryland General Assembly voted to override the gubernatorial veto on February 12, 2021.
Transportation
During his campaign for House of Delegates, Korman proposed a three-point plan for improving
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
services that included increasing funding for operations oversight, improving the aesthetics of stations, and establishing a dedicated funding source for the system.
In May 2016, Korman and
Erek Barron released a list of Metro reform proposals, including ideas involving dedicated funding, the make-up of the
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States Con ...
board, and vendors in stations to boost revenue. During the 2018 legislative session, Korman introduced legislation that would give the Washington Metro its own dedicated source of funding. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Hogan on April 25, 2018.
Korman is regarded as a leading critic of proposals made by Governor
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 ...
to widen the
Capital Beltway, the
Baltimore–Washington Parkway, and
Interstate 270. During the 2019 legislative session, he introduced legislation that would require the governor's plan to complete an environmental assessment before moving forward. In 2020, Korman introduced legislation that would enshrine a number of pledges made by
Maryland Transportation Secretary Greg Slater on public-private partnership projects. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 97-36. The measure was re-introduced during the 2021 legislative session, during which it again passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 101-35.
During the 2015 legislative session, Korman introduced legislation requiring the
State Highway Administration to provide more notice of sidewalk closures when they issue a permit allowing their closure. The bill received an unfavorable report from the Environment and Transportation Committee.
During the 2022 legislative session, Korman introduced legislation that would connect
Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) Trains to routes in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...
and
Newark, Delaware
Newark ( )Not as in Newark, New Jersey. is a small city in New Castle County, Delaware, New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is located west-southwest of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington. According to the 2010 United States Census, ...
.
Personal life
Korman met his future wife, Rebecca, while on a
Birthright Israel trip with other Hill staffers in 2004. The couple married in June 2007, and together have two children.
Korman is Jewish, and lives in
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...
.
Electoral history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Korman, Marc
1981 births
Living people
People from Rockville, Maryland
Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates
21st-century American politicians
People associated with Sidley Austin
People from Bethesda, Maryland