![[photo, Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., Governor]](/msa/mdmanual/08conoff/images/1198-1-202b.jpg)
ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR., Governor (Republican)
Chair, Board of Public Works, 2003-. Chair, Governor's Executive Council, 2003-. Member, State Commission on the Capital City, 2003-; Maryland Environmental Trust, 2003-; Rural Maryland Council, 2003-; Maryland Veterans Home Commission, 2003-; Governor's Workforce Investment Board, 2003-. Member, Appalachian Regional Commission, 2003-; Education Commission of the States, 2003- (Maryland Education Council); Interstate Mining Commission, 2003-; Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, 2003-; Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, 2003-; Southern States Energy Board, 2003-; Susquehanna River Basin Commission, 2003-. Member, Southern Regional Education Board, 2003-. Member, Chesapeake Executive Council, 2003-.
Member, National Infrastructure Advisory Council, 2003-.
Member of U.S. House of Representatives, January 1995 to January 7, 2003. Deputy Majority Whip, 1997-2003. Member, Energy and Commerce Committee, 2001-03 (environment & hazardous materials subcommittee; health subcommittee; telecommunications & the internet subcommittee); Congressional Steel Caucus, 1995-2003. Co-Chair, Congressional Biotechnology Caucus, 1999-2003. Member, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, 1995-96; Banking and Financial Services Committee, 1995-1996, 1997-98 (financial institutions & commercial credit subcommittee; housing & community opportunity subcommittee); Budget Committee, 1997-98; Speaker's Special Advisory Committee on Corrections, 1997-99; National Security Work Group, 1997-99; Commerce Committee, 1999-2001.
Member, House of Delegates, representing District 10 (Baltimore County) 1987-95. Member, Judiciary Committee, 1987-95; Tort and Insurance Reform Oversight Committee, 1991-93; Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, 1991-95.
Member, Governor's Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1987-94; Maryland Juvenile Justice Advisory Council, 1990-93; Task Force on the Charles H. Hickey, Jr. School, 1991; Governor's Advisory Board for Justice Administration, 1994.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, November 25, 1957. Attended Gilman School, Baltimore; Princeton University, B.A., 1979; Wake Forest University School of Law, J.D., 1982. Admitted to Maryland Bar, 1983. Attorney, Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriner, 1982-94. Member, American, Maryland State, Baltimore City and District of Columbia Bar Associations. Board of Directors, Exchange Club Center of Maryland. Member, Exchange Club of Towson, 1986-94; Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Izaak Walton League; Lodge no. 469, Towson Elks. Executive Committee, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, 1976-79; Princeton University Alumni Association of Maryland, 1987-90. Board member, Regional Manufacturing Institute. Guardian of Small Business, National Federation of Independent Business, 1987-90, 1995-96. Vice-Chair, National Republican Committee (finance), 1999-. Legislator of the Year, Maryland State's Attorneys Association, 1989; National Conference for the Prevention of Child Abuse, 1994; Maryland State Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police, 1994. Outstanding Young Marylander, Maryland Jaycees, 1995. Tax Fighter Award, National Tax Limitation Committee, 1996. Golden Bulldog Award, Watchdogs of the Treasury, 1996. Spirit of Enterprise Award, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 1995, 1996, 1997. Distinguished Service Award, German Society of Maryland, 1997. Exceptional Legislator Award, 104th Congress, American Health Care Association, 1997. Legislator of the Year, National Association of Mortgage Brokers, 1997. Federal Official of the Year, National Industries for the Blind, 1998. Distinguished Service Award, Columbia Light House for the Blind, 1999. Distinguished Marylander Award, Maryland Chapter, National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, 2003. Man of the Year Award, Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland, 2004. Governor of the Year, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 2005. Freedom to Compete Award, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2005. Married; two children.
During his successful campaign for governor, Bob Ehrlich promised to end the culture of corruption in Annapolis and prioritize fiscal responsibility, education, reduction of gridlock, and public safety. With successful bipartisan leadership, Governor Ehrlich worked to unite the legislature and appointed a qualified, diverse team to address the budget crisis and other challenges facing Maryland.
Since assuming office, Governor Ehrlich has fought for the Five Pillars of his Administration: Fiscal Responsibility, Education, Health and the Environment, Public Safety, and Commerce. These Five Pillars are the priorities of every Maryland family: financial security, schools that work, quality healthcare, safer neighborhoods, and ever-expanding economic opportunity.
Governor Ehrlich has balanced the state budget every year since assuming office, reduced the deficit he inherited by $1.2 billion, and rejected $1.1 billion in tax increases. He has fully funded the Bridge to Excellence Act, known as “Thornton,” by providing record increases in education funding for students in low-income neighborhoods.
Governor Ehrlich is determined to provide affordable healthcare in Maryland, especially to those with limited access to health insurance. He established a cabinet-level agency to empower individuals with disabilities and provided record funding increases for Medicaid, which serves 636,000 needy Marylanders. Governor Ehrlich has made the preservation of the Chesapeake Bay his top environmental priority. He signed into law his Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund, the most important environmental initiative in a generation, which will reduce nutrient pollution into the Bay by 7 million pounds annually.
After inheriting one of the highest violent crime rates in America and threats from national terrorism, Governor Ehrlich has faced public safety issues head on. He established the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, making Maryland one the first states in the nation with a cabinet-level agency dedicated to securing the homeland. He also launched "Project RESTART," to reduce repeat offenses and end the "revolving door" cycle leading back to prison.
Governor Ehrlich is unapologetically pro-business. Since he assumed office, Maryland’s workforce has grown by nearly 60,000 jobs and the State’s unemployment rate is of the lowest in the nation. He has strengthened the State’s commitment to hi-tech jobs, reformed Maryland’s minority business laws to empower minority entrepreneurs, and won passage of his historic transportation plan to improve and expand roads and transit systems across Maryland.
Governor Ehrlich welcomes all Marylanders, from every background, station, and political party, to join in his commitment to make Maryland a cleaner, safer, and a more prosperous place to live.
Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., the only son of Nancy and Robert Sr., was born on November 25, 1957 in Arbutus, Maryland. He received degrees from Princeton University (1979) and Wake Forest University Law School (1982), and served as a member of the House of Delegates (1987-95) and the United States House of Representatives (1995-2003). He and his wife, Kendel, have two sons, Drew Robert, age 5, and Joshua Taylor, born in March 2004.
© Copyright July 15, 2005 Maryland State Archives