Sheree Sample-Hughes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sheree Sample-Hughes
Speaker pro tempore of the Maryland House of Delegates
In office September 9, 2019 – January 10, 2024
Preceded by	Adrienne A. Jones
Succeeded by	Dana Stein
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 37A district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 14, 2015
Preceded by	Rudolph C. Cane
Member of the Wicomico County Council from the 1st district
In office December 5, 2006 – December 2, 2014
Preceded by	Ed Taylor
Succeeded by	Ernest Davis
Personal details
Born	(1977-09-13) September 13, 1977 (age 47)
Political party	Democratic
Children	2
Education	Delaware State University (BA) Wilmington University (MPA)

Sheree L. Sample-Hughes (born September 13, 1977) is an American politician. Since 2015, she has been a member of the Maryland House of Delegates. She represents District 37A in Dorchester and Wicomico Counties. These areas are on the Eastern Shore, near Salisbury. She is a member of the Democratic Party. From 2019 to 2024, she served as the speaker pro tempore of the Maryland House of Delegates. This means she helped lead the House when the Speaker was not there.

About Sheree Sample-Hughes

Her Early Life and Education

Sheree Sample-Hughes was born on September 13, 1977. She grew up in Salisbury, Maryland. She went to Parkside High School there. After high school, she studied at Delaware State University. She earned a bachelor's degree in public relations in 1999. Later, in 2014, she earned a master's degree in public administration from Wilmington University. She is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Her Family Life

Sheree Sample-Hughes is married to her husband, Desmond. They have two sons together. She also teaches at Wor-Wic Community College. In 2017, her son had a serious health emergency. He needed to be flown by helicopter to the University of Maryland, Baltimore for care.

Her Journey in Politics

Starting in Public Service

Sheree Sample-Hughes began her public service career helping people find affordable homes in Pocomoke City. She worked there until 2000. Then, she became a special events coordinator for the Governor's Office. This office helps with service and volunteer work. From 2002 to 2004, she was president of her local American Legion Post.

In 2006, Sample-Hughes was elected to the Wicomico County Council. She represented District 1, which includes parts of Salisbury. She made history as the first African-American woman to serve on that county council. She also served on the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards. This group sets rules for prisons. She was the vice chair from 2010 to 2014.

Serving in the Maryland House of Delegates

In 2014, Sample-Hughes was encouraged to run for the Maryland House of Delegates. This was for District 37A. The person who held the seat before, Rudolph C. Cane, asked her to run. She ran without anyone opposing her in the primary and general elections. She was sworn into the House of Delegates on January 14, 2015.

She first served on the Health and Government Operations Committee. In 2022, she moved to the Economic Matters Committee. Since 2019, she has been the only Democrat from the Eastern Shore in the Maryland General Assembly. She is also the only person of color from that area in the assembly.

From 2018 to 2019, Sample-Hughes led the Maryland Women's Legislative Caucus. She was the first African-American woman to be its chair.

Sample-Hughes being sworn in as Speaker Pro Tempore

In September 2019, the House Speaker, Adrienne A. Jones, chose Sample-Hughes to be the speaker pro tempore. This means she would help lead the House. She was officially elected to this role in January 2020. In May 2023, Speaker Jones decided to choose a different person for the role. She nominated Dana Stein instead. Jones said this was part of a plan to change leadership after elections. Sample-Hughes was offered another senior leadership role, but she did not accept it.

Sample-Hughes also takes part in national politics. In the 2020 United States presidential election, she voted as an elector for Maryland. She was also a delegate for Kamala Harris at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Her Political Ideas

Sheree Sample-Hughes describes herself as a "traditional Democrat." She looks up to Barbara Mikulski as a political role model.

Education

Sample-Hughes believes in giving more money for school buildings. She also supports increasing pay for school staff. She has talked about how difficult it might be for Eastern Shore counties to put the Blueprint for Maryland's Future into action. She supports this plan, which aims to improve schools.

In 2015, she was careful about a plan to have an elected school board in Wicomico County. She worried it might not represent all the different people in the county. She also introduced a bill to teach more about money management in schools.

Environment

In 2019, Sample-Hughes voted against a bill that would stop oyster harvesting in some areas of the Chesapeake Bay. In 2023, she voted for a bill to greatly increase the state's offshore wind energy. This would help produce more clean energy by 2031.

Gun Control

In 2018, Sample-Hughes voted for "red flag bills." These laws allow temporary removal of guns from people who might be a danger. She called them a "tool" to prevent dangerous situations. In 2023, she voted against a large gun control bill. This bill would have made it harder to get handgun permits and required safer gun storage. She felt it would create "unnecessary challenges" for people who legally carry guns.

Housing

In 2018, Sample-Hughes introduced a bill about rent increases. It would make landlords give a 60-day notice before raising rent. This bill passed and became a law.

Minimum Wage

In 2023, Sample-Hughes supported a bill to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024. However, she did not support linking future wage increases to inflation. She supported removing that part from the bill.

Paid Family and Sick Leave

In 2015, Sample-Hughes supported a bill to make private businesses give employees paid sick leave. In 2022, she supported a law that would create a state program for medical leave. Both businesses and workers would contribute to this program.

Policing

In 2020, Speaker Adrienne A. Jones asked Sample-Hughes to join a group. This group was formed to study police reform in Maryland. The group suggested changes like ending the state's Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights. They also suggested rules for how police use force. These ideas became part of a new law, which Sample-Hughes voted for in 2021.

In October 2020, she was concerned about proposed cuts to the Maryland State Police budget. She worried it would close a helicopter base on the Eastern Shore. She felt this would affect public safety. The governor later decided not to close the base.

Social Issues

In 2019, Sample-Hughes supported a bill to create the Maryland Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This group would record racially motivated lynchings in the state's history. In 2021, she introduced a bill to remove "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state's official song. This bill passed and became law. In June 2021, she attended a rally to remove the Talbot Boys statue in Easton. This was the last Confederate monument on public land in Maryland.

Images for kids

• 

  Sheree Sample-Hughes