Mark N. Fisher

Mark Nicholas Fisher (born August 3, 1962) is an American politician who represents District 27C in the Maryland House of Delegates, which covers parts of Calvert County. He previously represented District 27B from 2011 to 2015. He also hosts a podcast called ''Mark and the Millennials'', which explores the divide between conservative millennials and the baby boomer generation.

Early life and education

Fisher was born in Baltimore. He attended George Washington University, where he earned a B.A. in international affairs and economics. After graduating, he became a managing member for telecommunications infrastructure company Telecom Capital Group LLC. In 2003, Fisher founded Gray's Field Foundation, a nonprofit group to fund preservation of a baseball field in Owings, Maryland.

Fisher is a Catholic. He is married and has three children, and lives in Prince Frederick, Maryland.

In the legislature

Fisher ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 27B in 2010, challenging incumbent Democratic legislator Sue Kullen. In an upset, he defeated Kullen in the general election with 52.6 percent of the vote. He was sworn in on January 12, 2011. He was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee from 2011 to 2015, and has been a member of the House Economic Matters committee since 2015. A founding member of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, ''Maryland Matters'' has described Fisher as one of the most vocal conservatives in the House of Delegates.

During the 2021 legislative session, Fisher spoke against the state's new legislative redistricting map, claiming that Democrats had gerrymandered multiple districts in Anne Arundel County to benefit the party. After the Maryland General Assembly passed the new maps, Fisher joined the lawsuit against the new maps and argued that his own district was gerrymandered, citing that it was drawn into Prince George's County. The Supreme Court of Maryland ruled that the new maps did not violate the state constitution in April 2022.

Political positions

Economic issues

During the 2013 legislative session, Fisher voted against a bill to index the state's gas taxes to inflation.

In February 2014, Fisher criticized Media Rights Capital, the production company behind '' House of Cards'', for threatening to leave the state unless it was given millions of dollars in tax credits, calling it "ransom".

In March 2014, Fisher voted against a bill that would raise the state minimum wage to $10.10/hour. He also introduced an amendment to this bill that would exempt all businesses with 50 or fewer employees from the minimum wage increase, which would fail by a 45–88 vote. In 2019, he voted against a bill that would raise the state minimum wage to $15/hour, calling it " socialism".

During the 2016 legislative session, Fisher voted against a bill requiring employers to provide workers with seven days of paid sick leave per year, arguing it would cause restaurants to automate low-paying jobs.

In March 2020, Fisher introduced an amendment to House Bill 932, which would implement a sales tax on digital services, that would have exempted educational products from the tax on the basis that the generated revenue would be going to the Blueprint for Maryland's Future. The amendment failed along party lines.

In 2022, following a spike in gas prices as the result of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Fisher said he supported holding a special legislative session to suspend gas and electric taxes, eliminate retirement income and business property taxes, and lower the income tax rate.

During the 2023 legislative session, Fisher introduced a bill to ban people or businesses associated with the Government of China from buying farmland in Maryland.

Education

During the 2011 legislative session, Fisher voted against Maryland's Dream Act, which provided in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.

In March 2019, Fisher introduced an amendment to the Maryland state budget that would restrict $1 million of the University System of Maryland budget until completion of a report to facilitate the exercise of First Amendment rights on campus. The amendment failed by a vote of 42–96.

In March 2020, Fisher introduced an amendment to the Blueprint for Maryland's Future (HB1300) that would allow students attending "failing schools" to transfer to an "alternative school" within the same county. His amendment was rejected by a vote of 41–93. He opposes the Blueprint, saying that he would support "suspending and rewriting" the bill because of its cost.

In April 2023, Fisher sent a letter to State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury accusing the Maryland State Department of Education of hiding scores from failing scores by altering data files available on the department's website. An investigation conducted by the state inspector general found no evidence of these claims.

Environment

In March 2020, Fisher voted against a bill that would prohibit stores from providing customers with plastic bags, calling it "Stalinist". He voted against the bill again when it was reintroduced in 2021.

In 2021, Fisher introduced a bill that would have prevented elected officials at the state and local level from using the government's electric vehicle charging stations without paying for it. Democrats on the House Environment and Transportation Committee rewrote his bill to allow state employees and local elected officials free access to the charging stations for their personal vehicles. The committee then voted 17–5 to approve the changes and brought the bill to the House floor for debate, where Fisher proposed an amendment that would revert the bill back to its original state. His amendment was rejected by a vote of 47–80.

During the 2022 legislative session, Fisher said he opposed the Climate Solutions Now Act, calling it a "takeover of the economy".

Gun policy

During the 2013 legislative session, Fisher voted against the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, a bill that placed restrictions on firearm purchases and magazine capacity in semi-automatic rifles.

Health policy

Fisher opposed legislation to establish the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, suggesting it was a "price control" bill. During the 2024 legislative session, he opposed a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to buy their own health insurance.

National politics

Fisher has criticized the indictments against Donald Trump, predicting that the United States would "devolve into a banana republic". In May 2024, he signed onto a letter condemning the jury's guilty verdict in the Trump hush money trial, calling the ruling a "political prosecution from a kangaroo court and left-leaning prosecutor" that is turning the U.S. justice system into a "third world parody of law and order".

Nuclear energy

Fisher's district includes the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, Maryland's only nuclear power plant.

In February 2021, Fisher suggested that investing in the nuclear power industry could be a solution to the climate crisis, arguing that there is not enough solar or wind infrastructure to address the climate emergency. He advocated for nuclear power investments in the Climate Solutions Now Act of 2021.

In March 2019, Fisher introduced legislation to include nuclear as a Tier 1 Fuel that could be used as part of the state's renewable portfolio. He later amended his bill to instead mandate a study on the future of the nuclear industry in Maryland, causing it to pass the House Economic Matters Committee by a vote of 20–1. His bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 102–34, but would not receive a vote in the Senate.

Social issues

Fisher opposed a bill to add an amendment codifying abortion access rights to the Constitution of Maryland.

During the 2023 legislative session, Fisher opposed the Trans Health Equity Act, a bill that would require the state's Medicaid program to cover gender-affirming treatment, comparing transgender healthcare to "child mutilation" and the book ''Brave New World'', and calling it a violation of human rights. He introduced an amendment to the bill to allow cancer victims to have their ovum frozen, which was rejected by the legislature.

Electoral history

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Mark N.
Living people
1962 births
21st-century American legislators
Catholic politicians from Maryland
George Washington University alumni
People from Prince Frederick, Maryland
Politicians from Baltimore
Republican Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates
21st-century Maryland politicians
American political podcasters