Bill Ferguson (politician)
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William Claiborne Ferguson IV (born April 15, 1983) is an American politician, attorney, and former schoolteacher. He is a Democratic member of the
Maryland 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- ...
, representing the 46th district since 2011, and serving as the
President of the Maryland Senate The president of the Maryland Senate is elected by the State Senate. The incumbent is Bill Ferguson who has held the role since 2020. The Maryland Constitution of 1864 created the new position of Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, elected by the vot ...
since 2020. The district is composed of parts of
Baltimore City Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
.


Education and early career

Ferguson was born in
Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...
and graduated from
Georgetown Preparatory School Georgetown Preparatory School (also known as Georgetown Prep) is a Jesuit college-preparatory school in North Bethesda, Maryland for boys in ninth through twelfth grade. It has a 93-acre (380,000 square meters) campus. It is the only Jesuit boar ...
and
Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan†...
with a double major in political science and economics in 2005. He then joined Teach For America, teaching history and government to ninth and tenth graders at Southwestern High School in Baltimore for two years. In 2007, he earned a
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 ...
degree from the
Johns Hopkins School of Education The Johns Hopkins School of Education is one of nine academic divisions of the Johns Hopkins University. Established as a separate school in 2007, its origins can be traced back to the 1909 founding of Johns Hopkins’ College Courses for Teacher ...
. Since 2012, Ferguson has served as the director of reform initiatives at the Johns Hopkins School of Education. Ferguson served as a community liaison on educational issues for
Sheila Dixon Sheila Ann Dixon (born December 27, 1953) is an American politician who served as the forty-eighth mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. When the former mayor, Martin O'Malley, was sworn in as governor on January 17, 2007, Dixon, the president of the Bal ...
, the president of the
Baltimore City Council The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore and its more than 600,000 citizens. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The Council holds reg ...
, from 2005 to 2006. From 2009 to 2010, he was a special assistant to
Andres Alonso Andrés Alonso (born June 14, 1957) was the chief executive officer of the Baltimore City Public School System in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Alonso came to Baltimore from the New York City Public School system in July 2007. He had been d ...
, the chief executive officer of
Baltimore City Public Schools Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS), also referred to as Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) or City Schools, is a public school district in the city of Baltimore, state of Maryland, United States. It serves the youth of Baltimore Cit ...
. He graduated ''
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 ...
'' from the
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S. Its location places Maryland L ...
with 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 ...
in 2010.


In the legislature

In 2010, Ferguson challenged six-term incumbent George W. Della, Jr. for the Democratic nomination for the 46th district in the Maryland Senate. He won the primary election by a margin of 59-41%. Running in a heavily Democratic district, he won the general election with no formal opposition, receiving 98% of the vote. He is the youngest state senator ever elected in Maryland. His youth earned him the nickname of "Baby Senator". On October 24, 2019, Senate Democrats unanimously voted to nominate Ferguson to succeed Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller. Ferguson was perceived as more progressive than Miller. He was sworn in as Senate President on January 8, 2020.


Personal life

Ferguson is married to Lea (née Smith), who he proposed to during the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009. Together, they live in Canton and have two children, Caleb and Cora, and two dogs.


Political positions


Education

Ferguson supports the Kirwan Commission recommendations and served on the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education before becoming President of the Maryland Senate. Ferguson opposed legislation introduced during the 2015 legislative session that would have armed
school resource officer The United States Department of Justice defines School Resource Officer (SRO) as "sworn law enforcement officers responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools." SROs are employed by a local police or sheriff's agency and work closely w ...
s while they patrolled schools, calling it a "counterproductive strategy" and saying that counseling and other services would be more useful in enhancing school safety. In 2018, Ferguson blamed 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 ...
after Baltimore schools closed early amid facilities problems, saying that the governor did not provide adequate funding for public schools.


Environment

In 2019, Ferguson voted in favor of an amendment to make the
Wheelabrator Incinerator Wheelabrator Baltimore is a waste-to-energy incinerator located in the Westport neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland and is operated by Wheelabrator Technologies, a subsidiary of Energy Capital Partners. It has an electric generation capacity of 64 ...
ineligible to receive renewable energy subsidies, which passed in a 34-12 vote.


Marijuana

Ferguson supports the legalization of
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 ...
, saying he'd support legalizing it by passing a law during the General Assembly session. In 2021, he co-sponsored legislation to legalize marijuana. In 2022, Ferguson said that a voter referendum to legalize marijuana "wouldn't be his first choice", but stressed that it would be unfair to put the question before the voters without letting them know the details of the state's marijuana program.


Policing

During the 2018 legislative session, Ferguson introduced legislation that would establish a Commission to Restore Trust in Policing to investigate the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force, whose members' abuse of power over several years resulted in federal convictions of eight of the unit's nine officers on
racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. Originally and of ...
charges related to a robbery and extortion scheme. The bill passed both chambers unanimously and was signed into law by Governor Hogan on May 15, 2018. The Commission published its final report on December 2, 2020. In February 2021, Ferguson said that he would support repealing and replacing the state's Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights. In March 2021, Ferguson said that he would support giving
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
full local control of its police department, supporting a bill to include a city charter amendment to do so on the ballots of Baltimore voters as soon as 2022. The bill passed both chambers and became law on May 8, 2021. In October 2021, Ferguson spoke out against Governor Hogan's proposal to increase funding for local law enforcement, saying in a statement that "divisive rhetoric does not make us safer" and that "improving public safety isn't about just writing a bigger check", but said that lawmakers "support investments that enhance trust and safety".


Social issues

Ferguson was a co-sponsor of the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which legalized
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 ...
. In June 2021, Ferguson spoke out against Governor Hogan's decision to opt out of federal unemployment insurance programs provided under the
American Rescue Plan Act The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to sp ...
, writing a letter to the governor urging him to rethink the decision. During the 2022 legislative session, Ferguson introduced legislation that would require companies on The Block in Baltimore to close at 10 p.m. nightly. Following a compromise made between city politicians and venues on The Block, the bill was amended to require clubs to hire off-duty Baltimore police officers to patrol the nightlife district three nights a week and implement new security rules. The bill unanimously passed both chambers and became law on April 9, 2022.


Taxes

In 2020, Ferguson stated that he would be opposed to an across-the-board increase in taxes to pay for the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, a sweeping education reform bill. During that year's legislative session, he introduced legislation that would levy a tax on digital advertising to pay for the Commission's reforms, which passed but was vetoed by Governor Hogan on May 7, 2020. The General Assembly voted to override the governor's veto on February 12, 2021. In May 2022, Ferguson rejected calls for an extension to Maryland's fuel
tax holiday A tax holiday is a temporary reduction or elimination of a tax. It is synonymous with tax abatement, tax subsidy or tax reduction. Governments usually create tax holidays as incentives for business investment. Tax relief can be provided in th ...
, claiming it would have "long-term consequences" for critical infrastructure in the state.


Transportation

In 2013, Ferguson called for a "rethink" of the Red Line, backing a proposal by the Right Rail Coalition to replace the eastern leg of the Red Line with a streetcar network. In 2015, Ferguson sponsored legislation that would regulate and tax
ridesharing companies A ridesharing company (also known as a transportation network company, ride-hailing service; the vehicles are called app-taxis or e-taxis) is a company that, via websites and mobile apps, matches passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire th ...
in Maryland, but also allow such companies to operate under less regulations than traditional taxi companies. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Hogan on April 14, 2015.


Electoral history


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Bill 1983 births 21st-century American politicians Davidson College alumni Johns Hopkins School of Education alumni Living people Maryland lawyers Democratic Party Maryland state senators People from Silver Spring, Maryland Politicians from Baltimore Presidents of the Maryland State Senate Schoolteachers from Maryland Teach For America alumni University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law alumni