Debra Davis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Debra M. Davis
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| Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 28th district |
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| Assumed office January 9, 2019 Serving with C. T. Wilson, Edith J. Patterson
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| Preceded by | Sally Y. Jameson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 11, 1959 Cheverly, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Debra M. Davis (born October 11, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer. Since 2019, she has been a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, where she helps make laws for the state of Maryland. She represents District 28 as a member of the Democratic Party.
Before serving in the state legislature, Davis was a member of the Charles County Board of Commissioners from 2010 to 2018. This board is a group of leaders who make decisions for Charles County, Maryland.
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Early Life and Education
Debra Davis was born in Cheverly, Maryland. After graduating from Frederick Douglass High School, she went to the University of Maryland, College Park. There, she earned a degree in criminology, which is the study of crime and why people commit it.
Later, she attended the University of Baltimore School of Law to become a lawyer. She passed the exams to practice law in Maryland in 1995 and in Washington, D.C. in 1996.
Political Career
Charles County Commissioner
In 2010, Davis was elected to the Charles County Board of Commissioners. During her time as a commissioner, she became known for being an independent thinker. She often voted differently from the other members on both big and small issues.
She also became the first African-American to lead the Board of Trustees for the Local Government Insurance Trust, an organization that helps local governments with insurance.
Maryland House of Delegates
In 2018, Davis decided to run for the Maryland House of Delegates. She won the election and officially began her term on January 9, 2019. The House of Delegates is part of Maryland's state government that creates and votes on new laws.
In the legislature, Davis has served on important committees. From 2019 to 2022, she was on the Judiciary Committee, which deals with laws about courts and crime. Since then, she has been on the Environment and Transportation Committee. She is also a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Women Legislators of Maryland.
What Debra Davis Believes
As a lawmaker, Debra Davis has shared her views on many important topics.
Crime and Safety
Davis has worked on laws related to policing and the justice system. She supports changes to make policing fairer for everyone. She has also suggested removing school resource officers (police officers in schools) from public schools. She noted that in Charles County, these programs affected Black and brown students more than others.
In 2020, she introduced a bill about "jailhouse informants." These are people in jail who provide information in a court case. Her bill aimed to make sure these informants did not have a personal reason to lie. She also supported ending a set of rules for police officers called the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights.
In 2021, she introduced a bill to create a single policy for how police can use force across Maryland. She also supported a law that would require counties to have a review board made up of regular citizens to look at police actions.
Education
Davis has also focused on helping students. In 2019, she raised concerns about a program in Charles County for young students with behavior problems. She believed the school system should focus on hiring more counselors instead.
In 2021, she introduced a successful bill to help more college students get assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps people buy food.
Environment
In 2017, while she was a county commissioner, Davis voted against a plan to create a special protected area for the land around Mattawoman Creek. This area is known as a watershed.
Transportation
Davis has worked on improving how people get around in southern Maryland. She supports the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit project. This is a plan to build a 19-mile train line to connect communities to the Metro system near Washington, D.C. She believes it will help the area's economy grow.
In 2021, she helped pass a law that provided $25 million to help with the design and planning of this new transit line.
