Mary Beth Carozza | |
|---|---|
 Carozza in 2024 | |
| Member of theMaryland Senate from the38th district | |
| Assumed office January 9, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Mathias |
| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates from the38C district | |
| In office January 14, 2015 – January 9, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Wayne A. Hartman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1961-02-13)February 13, 1961 (age 64) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Catholic University of America (BA,MA) |
| Profession | Consultant |
| Signature |  |
Mary Beth Carozza (born February 13, 1961) is an American politician who is aRepublican member of theMaryland Senate, representingDistrict 38. She previous representedDistrict 38C in theMaryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2019.
Carozza was born inBaltimore on February 13, 1961,[1] to Tony and Mary Pat Carozza.[2] Her family moved to theEastern Shore when she was in the fifth grade[3] and spent her summers working in her parents' business, Beefy's.[4] After graduating fromStephen Decatur High School, Carozza attended theCatholic University of America on a tennis scholarship,[5] where she received aBachelor of Arts degree in political philosophy and aMaster of Arts degree in American government.[1]
After graduating from Catholic University, Carozza worked as a staffer for congressional Republicans, includingU.S. SenatorsWilliam Cohen andSusan Collins, andU.S. RepresentativesMike DeWine,Dave Hobson andSteve Stivers.[1] She worked as deputy assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs for SecretaryDonald Rumsfeld from 2001 to 2003. Carozza was atThe Pentagon during theSeptember 11 attacks, during which she laid out body bags around theAmerican Airlines Flight 77 crash site and helped Secretary Rumsfeld prepare for a press briefing on the attacks.[5] From 2003 to 2007, she worked as a deputy chief of staff to GovernorBob Ehrlich,[1] where she got to knowLarry Hogan, Ehrlich's appointments secretary.[6]
Carozza first became involved with electoral politics afterWorcester County commissioner Louise Gulyas suggested Carozza run for her seat when she retired, which she considered untilEllen Sauerbrey encouraged her to run for the Maryland House of Delegates.[5] She filed to run for state delegate in the newly createddistrict 38C in 2013,[7] during which she ran unopposed in the Republican primary[8] and defeated Democratic nominee Judy Davis in the general election with 74 percent of the vote.[9] Carozza was sworn in on January 12, 2015, and appointed to the House Appropriations Committee.[1]
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In November 2017, Carozza, with the backing of Governor Hogan, announced her candidacy to theMaryland Senate, seeking to challengeDemocratic state senatorJim Mathias, a top Republican target, in the2018 state senate elections.[6][10] She defeated Mathias in the general election, receiving 53 percent of the vote.[11] Carozza was sworn in as a member of the Maryland Senate on January 9, 2019, and has served as a member of the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee during her entire tenure.[1] Since 2021, she has served as the policy and communications chair of the Maryland Senate Republican Caucus.[12]
During the 2023 legislative session, Carozza opposed a bill creating astatewide ballot referendum on enshrining the right to reproductive freedom into theConstitution of Maryland.[13] In 2024, she introduced an amendment to the state budget that would strip all stateMedicare funding for abortions except in the case of rape, incest, or life of the mother, which was rejected in a party-line 12–34 vote.[14]
Carozza introduced legislation in the 2022 legislative session that would exempt farm structures used foragritourism activities from certain requirements typically applied to commercial buildings.[15] The bill received a favorable report from the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee.[16]
Carozza introduced legislation in the 2018 legislative session that would allow Worcester County to increase its beer production from 15,500 gallons to 31,000 gallons each year. The bill passed and was signed into law in March 2018.[17] In 2019, she introduced a bill to decrease the permitted proximity of liquor stores to churches, schools, public libraries, and youth centers inSomerset County from 300 feet to 200 feet.[18] The bill passed and became law without Governor Hogan's signature on May 25, 2019.[19] During the 2022 legislative session, Carozza introduced legislation that would abolish Somerset County's alcohol dispensary system, which requires that liquor be purchased through county-run stores, and create a $5,000 license fee for business owners that want to sell liquor.[20]
In March 2021, Carozza voted in favor of legislation that would continue the practice of selling beer, wine, and spirits through carryout or delivery for off-site consumption. The bill passed and became law.[21]
Following a string of falsebomb threats made against schools and other public facilities acrossDelmarva in early 2016, Carozza introduced legislation that would strengthen punishments for those who make fake bomb threats.[22] The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Hogan on May 19, 2016.[23] During the 2017 legislative session and following several serious boating incidents inOcean City, Maryland, Carozza introduced a bill to banbow riding.[24][25]
During the 2017 legislative session, Carozza introduced a bill to increase the penalties for causing life-threatening injuries while operating a vehicle negligently.[26] The bill was reintroduced during the 2019 and 2021 legislative sessions.[27][28] The bill passed and became law.[29][30]
During the 2018 legislative session and following several troubling motorized special events in Ocean City, Carozza introduced legislation that would allow for the creation of special event enforcement zones to enforce enhanced fines and penalties on reckless drivers.[31] She introduced legislation aimed at strengthening the penalties for violations in these special event zones during the 2019 and 2021 legislative sessions.[32][33][34]
In June 2021, following the release of aviral video showingOcean City police officers exerting force against a group of Black teenagers on theboardwalk, Carozza made a statement defending the Ocean City police, saying that the individuals detained in the incident were arrested for multiple violations includingdisorderly conduct,failure to obey a police order, obstructing and hindering, second-degreeassault, andresisting arrest.[35][36]
During the 2019 legislative session, Carozza opposed a bill that would repeal GovernorLarry Hogan's executive order mandating that Maryland public schools start afterLabor Day.[37] The Maryland General Assembly voted to override Hogan's veto on the bill in March 2019.[38]
During the 2021 legislative session, Carozza opposed legislation that would givecollective bargaining rights to full- and part-time employees at all of the state's community colleges.[39] She also questioned legislation that expands required training forschool resource officers to include restorative approaches and prevents officers from enforcing discipline except to prevent or intervene in a situation where "serious bodily injury with an imminent threat of serious harm" is at stake, referring to the2018 shooting at Great Mills High School inSouthern Maryland.[40]
In 2015, Carozza spearheaded an effort to encourage theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the inlet ofOcean City, Maryland, arguing that the shallow water in the inlet puts the economy of Worcester County in jeopardy.[41][42] Following Carozza's request, the Army Corps of Engineers announced plans to dredge the inlet in August 2015.[43] During the 2016 legislative session, she introduced legislation that would authorize the use of hydraulic dredging to catchhard-shell clams between theVerrazano Bridge and theMaryland-Virginia state line.[44]
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During the 2017 legislative session, Carozza opposed legislation that would boost the state's renewable energy standards.[45] In 2018, she introduced a bill that would move the proposed wind farm in Ocean City further from the shore. The measure was killed by the House Economic Matters Committee.[46] In 2021, she urged theMaryland Public Service Commission to move a proposedwind farm off the coast of Ocean City farther offshore, insisting that theturbines would damage views from the shore, jeopardizingtourism, real estate values, and the local economy.[47] In November 2024, Carozza testified to theMaryland Board of Public Works against allowingUS Wind to construct a concrete pier on theSinepuxent Bay as part of its wind farm proposal.[48]
During the 2021 legislative session, Carozza introduced a bill to prohibit the deliberate release of balloons into the stratosphere.[49] The bill passed and became law on May 30, 2021.[50]
During a debate on legislation that would require businesses to providepaid sick leave to most of its employees, Carozza introduced an amendment to the bill that would increase the threshold for eligibility from 90 days to 120 days. The amendment was rejected by the Maryland House of Delegates.[51][52]
During the 2022 legislative session and following the death of local resident Chris Trimper, who suffered an extreme allergic reaction during a reception at theOcean Downs Casino in October 2019,[53] Carozza introduced a bill to allow restaurants to carry and administerEpiPens during emergency situations.[54] The bill passed unanimously and was signed by Governor Hogan on March 19, 2020.[55]
During her 2018 state senate campaign, Carozza said that she would vote against any legislation that would make Maryland asanctuary state.[6] During the 2021 legislative session, she opposed a bill that banned local jails from housing detainees forImmigration and Customs Enforcement.[56] The bill passed the Maryland General Assembly but received a veto from Governor Hogan in May 2021;[57] the General Assembly overrode the veto in December 2021.[58]
During a debate on legislation that would establish thatsmoking marijuana in a public place as a civil offense, Carozza introduced an amendment that would make it a misdemeanor to smoke marijuana in certain public places, including the beach and boardwalk inOcean City, Maryland. The House of Delegates approved the amendment and the bill passed the legislation with the amendment in place by a vote of 90-48,[59] but Governor Hogan vetoed the bill in May 2015.[60]
During a debate on legislation introduced during the 2019 legislative session that would raise the Maryland minimum wage to$15 an hour by 2028, Carozza introduced an amendment that would slow the increase of the minimum wage overall and apply a 20 percent lower regional wage in parts of the state outside ofMontgomery County,Prince George's County,Howard County,Anne Arundel County,Baltimore County, andBaltimore City. Her amendment failed by a vote of 18-29.[61]
In July 2024, following theattempted assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, Carozza organized an interfaith prayer service to promote unity.[62]
In June 2021, Carozza urged members of the Maryland Citizens Redistricting Commission to adopt single-member legislative districts and to keep the Eastern Shore whole in the redistricting process.[63] She opposed the congressional map introduced by the Maryland Legislative Redistricting Committee during the 2021 special legislative session.[64]
Carozza is acatechist andEucharistic minister at the St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church.[1]
In April 2025, Carozza pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while on the phone.[65]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mary Beth Carozza | 2,803 | 100.0 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mary Beth Carozza | 11,611 | 73.9 | |
| Democratic | Judy H. Davis | 4,100 | 26.1 | |
| Write-in | 3 | 0.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mary Beth Carozza | 8,095 | 100.0 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mary Beth Carozza | 25,731 | 52.6 | |
| Democratic | James N. Mathias Jr. (incumbent) | 23,098 | 47.3 | |
| Write-in | 44 | 0.1 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mary Beth Carozza (incumbent) | 32,277 | 66.4 | |
| Democratic | Michele Gregory | 16,273 | 33.5 | |
| Write-in | 45 | 0.1 | ||
