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This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
Maryland Democrats will have a new leading voice in the House of Delegates when the General Assembly convenes next week.
House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) announced the appointment Thursday of Del. Marc Korman (D-Montgomery) as House majority leader, the third most-powerful position in the chamber.
Korman, who was first elected to the chamber in 2014, will replace former Del. Eric Luedtke (D), who resigned to become chief legislative officer for Gov.-elect Wes Moore.
“Marc is the right choice for House Majority Leader,” Jones said in a statement. “He is smart, persuasive and has a track record of bringing delegates together to get tough bills passed.”
Jones announced a number of other appointments Thursday.
Del. Jazz Lewis (D-Prince George’s) will become house majority whip, replacing Del. Talmadge Branch (D-Baltimore City), who is retiring. Lewis was previously chair of the House Democratic caucus.
“Jazz has done a remarkable job bringing our members together as Caucus Chair,” Jones said. “He’s a respected leader in the chamber and a natural fit to make sure our members are on the same page as it relates to the challenges and opportunities over the next four years.”
Del. Emily Shetty (D-Montgomery) will replace Lewis as caucus chair.
“Emily is someone who quickly gained the trust of her Democratic Caucus colleagues,” Jones said in her statement. “She’s clearly ready to take the reins of the caucus operation and build on our successes.”
Del. Nick Charles (Prince George’s) will be vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus and Del. Melissa Wells (Baltimore City) will be assistant majority leader. Dels. Darryl Barnes (Prince George’s), Regina Boyce (Baltimore City) and Vaughn Stewart (Montgomery) will be chief deputy majority whips.
Jones also announced several changes to committee leadership. New chairs and vice chairs of House subcommittees, all Democrats, are:
APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE
- Stephanie Smith (Baltimore City) – chair, Education & Economic Development Subcommittee
- Cathi Forbes (Baltimore County) – chair, Pensions Subcommittee
- Shaneka Henson (Anne Arundel) – vice chair, Pensions Subcommittee
- Jazz Lewis (Prince George’s) – chair, Personnel Subcommittee and Vice Chair, Capital Budget Subcommittee
- Emily Shetty (Montgomery) – vice chair, Health & Social Services Subcommittee
- Julian Ivey (Prince George’s) – vice chair, Public Safety & Administration Subcommittee
- Courtney Watson (Howard) – vice chair, Transportation & Environment Subcommittee
ENVIRONMENT & TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
- Sara Love (Montgomery) – chair, Motor Vehicle & Transportation Subcommittee
- Vaughn Stewart (Montgomery) – chair, Land Use & Ethics Subcommittee
- Regina Boyce (Baltimore City) – chair, Natural Resources, Agriculture & Open Space Subcommittee
ECONOMIC MATTERS COMMITTEE
- Lily Qi (Montgomery) – chair, Business Regulation Subcommittee
- David Fraser Hidalgo (Montgomery) – chair, Property & Casualty Insurance Subcommittee
- Brian Crosby (St. Mary’s) – chair, Public Utilities Subcommittee
- Sheree Sample-Hughes (Lower Shore) – chair, Worker’s Compensation Subcommittee
- Andrea Harrison (Prince George’s) – vice chair, Alcoholic Beverages Subcommittee
HEALTH & GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE
- Ken Kerr (Frederick) – chair, Government Operations and Health Facilities
- Sandy Rosenberg (Baltimore City) – chair, Health Occupations & Long-Term Care
- Ariana Kelly, (Montgomery) – chair, Public Health & Minority Health Disparities
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
- Nicole Williams (Prince George’s) – chair, Public Safety
WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE
- Jessica Feldmark (Howard) – chair, Local Revenues
- Darryl Barnes (Prince George’s) – chair, Revenues
Jones also named new House leaders for several joint legislative committees:
- Tony Bridges (Baltimore City), House chair of the Spending Affordability Committee
- Jared Solomon (Montgomery), House chair of the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee
- Jen Terrasa (Howard), House chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Youth and Families
- Anne Kaiser (Montgomery), House chair of the Joint Committee on Cyber Security, Information Technology & Biotechnology
- Dalya Attar (Baltimore City), House chair of the Joint Committee on Fair Practices & State Pensions
- Darryl Barnes (Prince George’s), House chair of the Joint Committee on Federal Relations
- Veronica Turner (Prince George’s), House chair of the Joint Protocol Committee
- Courtney Watson (Howard), House chair of the Joint Committee on the Management of Public Funds
- Lorig Charkoudian (Montgomery), House chair of the Joint Committee on Unemployment Insurance Oversight
- Sheree Sample Hughes (Lower Shore), House chair of the Joint Committee on Worker’s Compensation Benefit & Insurance Oversight
- Robbyn Lewis (Baltimore City), House chair of the Joint Committee on Program Open Space & Agricultural Land Preservation.
The full list of committee membership appointments so far for the 2023 session can be viewed here.