Kathy Afzali

Kathryn L. Afzali (born May 27, 1957) was an American politician who represented district 4 in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2011 to 2019.[1]

Kathryn L. Afzali
Member of the
Maryland House of Delegates
from District 4
In office
January 12, 2011 – January 9, 2019
Preceded byJoseph R. Bartlett, Paul S. Stull
Personal details
Born (1957-05-27) May 27, 1957
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)David
Children2
ResidenceMiddletown, Maryland
Alma materMount St. Mary's University (BS)
OccupationBusiness Woman
WebsiteKathryn L. Afzali, Maryland State Delegate

Background

Afzali was born in San Francisco, California and raised in Middletown, Maryland.[2] She is a graduate of Mount St. Mary's University. She was a columnist for the Frederick News-Post from 2003 to 2006.

Career

Afzali was sworn in as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates in January 2011. She was assigned to the House Ways and Means Committee and to its Election Law and Education subcommittees. She is now the Ranking Republican on Ways and Means. She is also a member of the Women Legislators of Maryland.[3]

By the end of Afzali's first legislative session in Annapolis, she sponsored or co-sponsored forty-nine bills.[4]

Crime

Afzali has sponsored legislation to increase sanctions on drunk drivers with multiple offenses,[5] and was responsible for "Anayah's Law", which allows Child Protective Services to be relieved of its obligation to reunite children with their parent if the parent has committed "severe physical abuse" against the child.[6]

In her second year, she pushed for legislation to require a photo ID when voting in the state of Maryland.[4]

In 2013 she co-sponsored legislation to make the cyber-bullying of a child a misdemeanor.[7]

Farms

Her first successful piece of legislation was a honey standard which passed unanimously through both chambers and has been used as a model in other states.[8]

She introduced a Farm Estate Tax bill that eliminated state inheritance taxes.[4]

2012 Congressional election

Governor Martin O'Malley proposed, and Maryland General Assembly adopted, a redistricting plan that reconfigured Republican incumbent U.S. Congressman Roscoe Bartlett's 6th congressional district to one that Barack Obama won in the 2008 presidential election. Portions of Baltimore and Harford counties as well as Carroll County were taken away from the 6th District during redistricting. More of Montgomery County was put into the district, while another part of Montgomery County was removed and added to northern Frederick County in 8th District, still safe for incumbent Chris Van Hollen.[9] The previous version of the district has President Obama at 40%, while the newly redrawn district has President Obama at 56%.[10]

On January 11, 2012, believing that Bartlett would be retiring, Afzali announced her intention to run for the GOP nomination to represent Maryland's 6th congressional district.[11][12] At the last minute Bartlett decided that he would be running for reelection. He won the primary election with 44% of the vote in a crowded field but went on to lose the general election.

Personal life

Afzali is a member of the United Methodist Church.[13]

References
  1. Gibson, Dianah (April 14, 2015). "Local Lawmakers Look Back on 2015 Maryland General Assembly Session". WFMD. Maryland, United States: Aloha Station Trust. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015.
  2. "Kathy Afzali". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  3. "Kathryn L. Afzali, Maryland State Delegate". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. September 10, 2018.
  4. "BILLS SPONSORED BY-AFZALI - 2012 Regular Session". General Assembly of Maryland.
  5. "Governor to Sign HB 430 on Drunk Driving". Calvert Beacon. Solomons, Maryland. April 28, 2015.
  6. Wiggins, Ovetta (March 5, 2015). "Md. House approves 'Anayah's Law' to keep kids out of dangerous homes". Maryland Politics. The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.
  7. "Lawmakers Working Hard to Prevent Cyber Bullying". LocalDVM. Hagerstown, Maryland: Nexstar Broadcasting. February 27, 2013.
  8. "Baltimore Sun Election Center". Archived from the original on May 6, 2015.
  9. Damstedt, Andrew (November 11, 2011). "Republicans Outnumber Dems Running for GOP Rep's Maryland Seat". Fox News Network. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  10. Ford, C. Benjamin (November 18, 2011). "GOP candidates lining up to take on Bartlett -- With primary in April, TV ads already airing". Gazette.net - Maryland Community News Online. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  11. http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-03-28/news/bs-md-sixth-district-gop-20120328_1_bartlett-maryland-s-6th-district-gop-candidates
  12. "Metro Briefs - GOP's Afzali in, Mooney out for Bartlett's seat". Washington Times. January 10, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  13. "Kathryn L. Afzali, Maryland State Delegate". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2017-02-12.
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