Barbara A. Robinson

Barbara A. Robinson (born June 8, 1938) is an American politician who represents the 40th legislative district in the Maryland Senate. Robinson is a former chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland.

Barbara A. Robinson
Member of the Maryland Senate from the 40th District
Incumbent
Assumed office December 21, 2016
Preceded by	Catherine Pugh
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 40th District
In office January 10, 2003 – December 21, 2016
Preceded by	Salima Marriott
Succeeded by	Nick Mosby
Personal details
Born	(1938-06-08) June 8, 1938 Alexandria City, Alabama
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Jerome Robinson Sr
Children	5 children
Residence	Baltimore, Maryland
Occupation	small business owner

Background

Robinson was born in Alabama at a time when the South was not particularly kind to people of color. Homeless at the age of 16, Robinson was determined to get a high school education and graduated from Spencer High School in Columbus, Georgia; then she received financial aid to go to college in Baltimore, where She Met her husband of 46 years Jerome Robinson. Delegate Robinson attended the University of Baltimore where she earned her B.S. in business management in 1975 and Coppin State College with a M.A. in criminal justice in 1976.

Autobiographer and self-help author

In 1993, Robinson published her first book, And Still I Cry, an autobiography depicting her troubled past, filled with physical abuse, sexual molestation, domestic abuse, mental anguish. In 1998, her second book, Yes You Can, which focused on entrepreneurship was published. Her third book, Eyes of the Beholder, a novel was released in 2002. Her fourth book, Someday Is Now was released in 2004.

Three open seats

During the four-year term prior to Robinson's candidacy for the House of Delegates, two of the delegates, Howard "Pete" Rawlings and Tony Fulton, died while in office. Marshall Goodwin and Catherine Pugh were appointed to finish their terms. Rawlings and Fulton were democrats, as are Goodwin and Pugh. Prior to the 2006 democratic primary, the only incumbent delegate in the district, Salima Marriott, decided to run for the Senate seat being vacated by the district's senator. Catherine Pugh also decided to run for the same seat leaving the newly appointed Goodwin as the only incumbent in the race. The vacancies drew a large crowd of contenders; including Robinson, Frank Conaway, Jr. and Shawn Tarrant, who all finished ahead of Goodwin. The General Election in November, therefore, featured all newcomers for the three open seats.

General election results, 2006

• 2006 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – 40th District[1]

Voters to choose three:

Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
Frank M. Conaway, Jr. Dem.	16,432	32.4%	Won
Barbara A. Robinson, Dem.	16,032	31.6%	Won
Shawn Z. Tarrant, Dem.	13,921	27.5%	Won
Jan E. Danforth, Green	4,135	8.2%	Lost
Other Write-Ins	177	0.3%

Legislative notes

• Co-sponsored HB 860 (Baltimore City Public Schools Construction and Revitalization Act of 2013). Signed by the Governor on May 16, 2013, the new law approved 1.1 billion dollars to construct new schools in Baltimore City.[2]
• voted for the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2007 (HB359)[3]
• voted in favor of prohibiting ground rents(SB106)
• voted in favor of increasing the sales tax by 20% - Tax Reform Act of 2007(HB2)
• voted in favor of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in 2007 (HB6)
• sponsored House Bill 30 in 2007, allowing the state to confiscate unused portions of gift certificates after 4 years.House Bill 30

References

1. "House of Delegates Results". Maryland State Board of Elections. Retrieved on Mar. 3, 2007
2. "House Bill 860". Maryland Legislative Services. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
3. "House Bill 359". Maryland Department of Legislative Services. Archived from the original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-01.