Joanne C. Benson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joanne Claybon Benson
Benson in 2013
Member of the Maryland Senate from the 24th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 12, 2011
Preceded by	Nathaniel Exum
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 24th district
In office January 9, 1991 – January 12, 2011
Preceded by	Francis J. Santangelo Sr.
Succeeded by	Tiffany T. Alston
Personal details
Born	(1941-03-11) March 11, 1941 (age 83) Roanoke, Virginia, United States
Political party	Democratic
Residences	Hyattsville, Maryland
Education	Bowie State College (BS) The Catholic University of America (MA)
Occupation	Educator
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Joanne Claybon Benson (born March 11, 1941) is an American politician who represents District 24 in the Maryland State Senate. She formerly represented District 24 in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Early life and education

Benson was born on March 11, 1941, in Roanoke, Virginia. She attended South Hagerstown High School and then graduated from Bowie State College with a Bachelor of Science in education in 1961. She later attended The Catholic University of America where she earned her Master of Arts in curriculum instruction in 1972.

In the legislature

Benson was a member of House of Delegates from 1991 to 2011. She served on the House Health and Government Operations Committee and its health occupations subcommittee, long-term care subcommittee, and its minority health disparities subcommittee. She is also a member and former chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. She still presides at the Caucus meetings, providing an inspirational prayer as the Caucus' chaplain.

In 2010 she defeated incumbent state senator Nathaniel Exum and was sworn into office in January 2011. In 2020 she was selected to be the Senate's Deputy Majority leader and has been chairman of the Senate Rules committee since 2019.

In 2019, Benson worked with Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper to commute the sentence of Curtis Brooks, who had been sentenced as a juvenile to life in prison without parole.

Political positions

Gun control

During the 2019 legislative session, Benson introduced legislation to ban the manufacture or sale of privately made firearms.

Minimum wage

In 2019, Benson voted in favor of legislation to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour, but expressed disappointment with the date's effective date of 2025.

Social issues

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Benson opposed the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act, a bill introduced in 2011 to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland, saying that she did not view gay marriage as a civil rights issue. Although she was absent for the vote on the bill, she said she would have voted against it. In 2012, she voted against the Civil Marriage Protection Act.

In 2022, Benson supported legislation to provide paid family leave to all Maryland workers, saying that paid family leave "should not be viewed as a privilege, but as something that is humane and just".

Taxes

In 2013, Benson voted in favor of legislation to raise fuel taxes in Maryland.

Transportation

During the 2021 legislative session, Benson introduced legislation to hold the Maryland Department of Transportation to promises it made for the widening of Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 and modernizing the American Legion Memorial Bridge. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 101–35 in March, but did not receive a vote in the Senate.

Electoral history