Benjamin Brooks (politician)

Maryland General Assembly

Brooks ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 10 in 2014, during which he won the Democratic primary alongside Jay Jalisi and incumbent Adrienne A. Jones.^[6] He was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14, 2015, where he served on the Economic Matters Committee during his entire tenure and as the chair of its public utilities subcommittee from 2019 to 2023. Brooks also served as deputy majority whip from 2017 to 2023.^[2] In 2019, Brooks sought to run for Treasurer of Maryland, challenging incumbent Nancy Kopp, but missed the deadline for filing to run.^[7][8] Despite this, Brooks received 24 votes in the treasurer election.^[9]

In 2022, Brooks ran for the Maryland Senate in District 10, seeking to succeed retiring state Senator Delores G. Kelley.^[10] During the Democratic primary, he was endorsed by Kelley^[11] and ran on a slate with Adrienne Jones, N. Scott Phillips, and Jennifer White. He also faced colleague Jay Jalisi,^[12] whom he defeated with 37.6 percent of the vote.^[11] Brooks was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 11, 2023, and has since served on the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee.^[2]

Brooks is a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Maryland Veterans Caucus. He was a delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Hillary Clinton.^[2][13]

Energy

During the 2020 legislative session, Brooks introduced a bill to create timelines for Maryland's remaining power plants to transition away from coal and establish a transition fund to mitigate economic impacts for employees.^[14] The bill was withdrawn after he and Senate sponsor Chris West announced a deal with AES Corporation that would cause the Warrior Run Generating Station to stop burning coal in 2030.^[15]

Environment

During the 2023 legislative session, Brooks introduced legislation to establish the Maryland Native Plants Program to encourage garden centers to plant native vegetation. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Wes Moore.^[16]

Housing

During the 2026 legislative session, Brooks introduced the Building Affordably in My Backyard Act, which creates an express approval process for residential development projects in jurisdictions that have formally identified a shortage of affordable housing.^[17]

Immigration

In November 2015, Brooks signed onto a letter calling on Governor Larry Hogan to allow refugees of the Syrian civil war into Maryland after Hogan said that he would ask the Obama administration to stop sending such refugees to the state.^[18]

Policing

In November 2020, Brooks expressed support for stricter regulations on police. He attended a simulated police training exercise hosted by the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police, which he said gave him emphasize with the split-second decisions officers have to make, but did not change his mind on policing reforms.^[19]

Redistricting

In October 2021, Brooks joined a lawsuit against the Baltimore County Council's redistricting plan,^[20] which resulted in a new map with a second minority opportunity district.^[21]

In February 2026, Brooks said he opposed pursuing mid-decade redistricting in Maryland to redraw Maryland's congressional districts to improve the Democratic Party's chances of winning the 1st congressional district, the only congressional district held by Republicans in the state, saying that it would not be representative to take away that one seat for the Republican Party.^[22]