Alonzo T. Washington
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Alonzo T. Washington (born September 2, 1983) is an American politician, appointed to the Maryland Senate in 2023 to represent
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, which covers Prince George's County. He previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2012 to 2023 after being appointed to the seat by Governor
Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...
.


Early life and career

Washington was born in Washington, D.C., and raised by his mother, Elizabeth Washington. When he was eight years old, he and his five siblings lived in a
homeless shelter Homeless shelters are a type of homeless service agency which provide temporary residence for homeless individuals and families. Shelters exist to provide residents with safety and protection from exposure to the weather while simultaneously r ...
in College Park, Maryland. He graduated from Laurel High School in Laurel, Maryland. He was a member of both the track and football teams. Washington attended the University of Maryland, College Park, which he attended with help from the First Generation College Bound nonprofit, where he earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 2007. While in college, he played football during his freshman year and was a member of the
Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved int ...
fraternity. Washington is the first person in his family to graduate from both high school and college. After graduating, Washington worked for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as a paralegal. In 2008, he moved to the Prince George's County Council and where he worked as a community liaison and chief of staff to Prince George's County councilmember William A. Campos. Washington first got involved with politics in 2005 by becoming a member of the Prince George's County Young Democrats association. He was a member of the Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee from 2010 to 2014, serving as its secretary from 2012 to 2014. He has also been a member of the Roosevelt Democratic Club since 2012. After the resignation of Delegate Justin D. Ross, the Prince George's County Democratic Committee recommended Washington to the Governor to fill the vacated seat. Governor
Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...
appointed Washington to fill the seat on December 4, 2012.


In the legislature

Washington was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on December 19, 2012. In 2016, Washington ran for Delegate to the
2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the majo ...
. He was an uncommitted delegate and received 2.0 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary election. In July 2020, Washington was appointed by Prince George's County executive
Angela Alsobrooks Angela Deneece Alsobrooks (born February 23, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland, in 2018 after serving two terms as state's attorney fo ...
to lead a task force to look at reforming the county's police department. The task force presented a list of recommendations in its final report on December 4, 2020, which included repealing the
Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights The Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights (LEBOR, LEOBR, or LEOBoR) is intended to protect American law enforcement personnel from investigation and prosecution arising from conduct during official performance of their duties, and provides them ...
, getting rid of
military equipment A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
, and increasing police diversity and county residency; 46 of the plan's 50 recommendations were implemented. In December 2022, Governor-elect
Wes Moore Westley Watende Omari Moore (born October 15, 1978) is an American politician, investment banker, author, and television producer. He is the governor-elect of Maryland, after defeating Republican Dan Cox in the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial ele ...
nominated state senator Paul G. Pinsky to serve as the director of the Maryland Energy Administration. Washington filed to fill the vacancy left by Pinsky in the Maryland Senate later that month. On January 21, 2023, the Prince George's County Democratic Central Committee nominated Washington to serve the rest of Pinsky's term. On January 27, Moore appointed Washington to the Maryland Senate.


Committee assignments

;Maryland House of Delegates * Vice-Chair, Ways and Means Committee, 2020–2023 (member, 2013–2023; revenues subcommittee, 2013–2017; chair, election law subcommittee, 2017–2019, member, 2015–2023; chair, education subcommittee, 2020–2023, member, 2013–17; 2020–2023) * Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, 2015–2023 * Joint Committee on Federal Relations, 2015–2023 * Joint Committee on the Management of Public Funds, 2015–2023 * Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, 2020–2023 * Spending Affordability Committee, 2020–2023 * Deputy Majority Whip, 2015–2018 * Parliamentarian, 2019


Other memberships

* 1st Vice-Chair,
Prince George's County Delegation The Prince George's County Delegation refers to the delegates who are elected from districts in Prince George's County, Maryland to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates. Authority and responsibilities The Delegation is responsible for repres ...
, 2018–2023 (chair, law enforcement & state-appointed boards committee, 2015–2016, member, 2013–2016; chair, law enforcement committee, 2017–2018; chair, education committee, 2019) * Member, Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, since 2013 (1st vice-chair, 2015–2016) * Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, since 2019 * Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus, since 2019


Political positions


Alcohol

Washington introduced legislation in the 2017 legislative session that would allow
movie theater A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall ( Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...
s to sell alcoholic beverages under certain conditions. The bill received an unfavorable report from the Economic Matters committee.


Education

Washington introduced legislation in the 2015 legislative session that would create a college access pilot program for low-income students. The bill passed and became law on May 12, 2015. Washington introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would allow students to take a day off once every quarter for mental health reasons. The bill passed the Maryland House of Delegates by a vote of 131–1, but did not receive a vote in the Maryland Senate. He also introduced legislation that would allow teachers to instruct students remotely during the COVID-19 state of emergency if they hadn't been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The bill passed but was vetoed 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 ...
. The legislature voted to override his veto during the 2021 special legislative session.


Elections

Washington introduced legislation during the 2018 legislative session that would require social media companies to make more information about online political ads available to voters. The bill passed and became law on May 26, 2018. In August 2018, news media outlets including The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun filed a lawsuit challenging the law, arguing that it created unfair burdens on media sites that publish such ads. Hearings for the case began on October 28, 2019. Washington introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would expand early voting center hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on each voting day. The bill passed and became law on May 30, 2021.


Healthcare

In 2018, Washington co-sponsored the Healthy Maryland Act, which would establish a single-payer healthcare system in Maryland.


Housing

Washington introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would remove a state requirement that the Glenn Dale Hospital, which closed in 1981, be used as a continuing-care retirement community, potentially allowing for the property to be sold to housing developers. The bill passed and became law on April 18, 2019.


Government

Washington introduced legislation in the 2014 legislative session that would prohibit the Prince George's County Board of Education from issuing credit cards to its members. Afterwards, the Board of Education voted unanimously to ban its members from having county-issued credit cards. Washington introduced legislation during the 2015 legislative session that would establish an inspector general's office responsible for investigating and examining complaints about public schools. Washington introduced legislation during the 2021 legislative session that would require the Maryland Senate to approve the governor's nominee for state superintendent. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 98-40, but did not receive a vote in the Senate.


Policing

Washington introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would expand the required training for school resource officers to include restorative approaches. The bill passed in the House of Delegates by a vote of 93-42, but did not receive a vote in the Senate.


Taxes

Washington introduced legislation in the 2022 legislative session that would exempt diabetic care products from the sales and use tax. The bill passed and became law on April 1, 2022.


Electoral history


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Alonzo T. 1983 births Living people 2012 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians African-American state legislators in Maryland Maryland Terrapins football players Democratic Party Maryland state senators Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates People from Greenbelt, Maryland University of Maryland, College Park alumni 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American people Alpha Phi Alpha members Politicians from Prince George's County, Maryland