Joseph F. Vallario Jr. (born March 4, 1937) is an American politician who represented district 23B in the Maryland House of Delegates and was the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Vallario was first elected in 1974 and was the longest serving chairman in the Maryland General Assembly.

Background

Vallario attended Washington, DC, parochial schools, the

Benjamin Franklin University ''Note of duplicate name: Benjamin Franklin University, located in Annandale, Virginia, was open from 1995 to 1999 but had its name revoked by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Benjamin Franklin University was founded in Washing ...

(since merged into George Washington University), B.C.S. (commercial science) and M.C.S. (commercial science), 1959; Eastern College, and the Mt. Vernon School of Law, LL.B., J.D., 1963 (Now the University of Baltimore School of Law). Admitted to Maryland Bar in 1964, he is an attorney and a member of the American and Maryland State Bar Associations. Vallario is a past president of the Prince George's County Criminal Trial Lawyers Association and a member of the

Order of Sons of Italy in America The Order Sons of Italy in America ( it, Ordine Figli d’Italia in America, OSIA) is the largest and the oldest Italian American fraternal organization in the United States. A similar organization exists in Canada. It has more than 600,000 me ...

. He was featured in the Netflix documentary, "

The Keepers ''The Keepers'' is a seven-episode American documentary web series that explores the unsolved murder of nun Catherine Cesnik in 1969. Cesnik taught English and drama at Baltimore's all-girls Archbishop Keough High School, and her former students ...

," for his role in being opposed to a bill seeking to increase the statute of limitations of sexual abuse victims.

Legislative career

Delegate Vallario had been the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee since 1993 and a member of the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, also since 1993. He served on the Legislative Policy Committee, the Article 27 (crimes & punishments) Revision Committee and is a past member of the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, the Drunk and Drugged Driving Task Force (1988–90), the Joint Task Force on Maryland's Procurement Law (1993–94), and the Joint Committee on the Selection of the State Treasurer (1996 & 2002). He was the Co-Chair of the Task Force to Examine Crime Victims' Rights Laws in Maryland (1996–2003), a member of the Special Committee on Gaming (2001), a member of the

Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy, (MSCCSP), is an agency within the state government of Maryland, that sets guidelines which are used by Maryland circuit court judges in sentencing persons convicted of crimes in the state. ...

and the past chair, Prince George's County Delegation. National Conference of State Legislatures (law & criminal justice committee). Vallario has been an active supporter of victims rights as well as a proponent for strengthening Maryland's laws against child predators. He has opposed legalizing same-sex marriage, but in March 2011 he voted as chairman for a bill to do just that in the Judiciary Committee. He was criticized for that vote, with Del. Michael D. Smigiel, Sr. saying, "The chairman did what he was told. That's why he's chairman." Vallario was attacked in a lengthy Washington Post article published August 3, 2013, for his conflict of interest in having legally represented many drunken drivers and then using his Chairman position to pardon them.

Legislative notes

2013

*refused to allow a vote on a bill decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, claiming "Bad message to the kids." The bill would have subjected people caught with 10 grams or less to a civil fine of $100.

2008

*co-sponsor of HB6, requiring custodial interrogations in capital cases be recorded.(became law Chapter 360)

2006

* voted for Healthy Air Act in 2006 (SB154)

2005

* voted against slot machines in 2005 (HB1361) * voted for "No-Knock" Warrants (HB557), (became law Chapter 560)

1998

*voted for income tax reduction in 1998 (SB750)

Awards and honors

*2010 Most Influential Maryland Legislators (Top 20)

Election results

2006 General election results, District 27A

::Voters to choose two: : Vallario lost in the primary election held on June 26, 2018.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallario, Joseph F. Jr. 1937 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Maryland lawyers American politicians of Italian descent University of Baltimore School of Law alumni Politicians from Washington, D.C. People from Upper Marlboro, Maryland 21st-century American politicians University of Baltimore alumni Benjamin Franklin University alumni 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Catholics from Maryland