Background
Ben grew up in Prince George"s County and graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in 1993 and then attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he got his Bachelor of Arts in economics & political science in 1998.
Ben grew up in Prince George"s County and graduated from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in 1993 and then attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he got his Bachelor of Arts in economics & political science in 1998.
Barnes later graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law with a Juris Doctor in 2003 and was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 2004.
First elected in 2006, Barnes was reelected in 2010 and 2014. Ben served as a political and legislative advisor to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, Junior. He is currently an attorney with the firm Hall, Butler, Macleay, Barnes & Maloney, based in Bowie, Doctor of Medicine.
Lieutenant Governor"s response to vote against HB 700
Here is a paragraph from that letter:
"Delaware
A simple review of his legislative record clearly shows his commitment to rooting out such violence.
Brown is also the O"Malley-Brown administration"s point person on domestic violence policy issues. Vote against HB 700
During the recently completed 2010 legislative session, Barnes was among more than a dozen representatives who voted down HB700.
The bill would have made it easier for domestic violence victims to get protective orders. Women"s groups throughout Maryland protested the decision.
Maryland HB 700 sought to alter the standard of proof for issuing a final protective order from clear and convincing evidence to a preponderance of the evidence.
If the bill had passed, a judge could have found, from the preponderance of the evidence, that the alleged abuse occurred. The judge could then have granted a final protective order for relief from abuse to any eligible person. With this, Maryland continues to be the only state in the United States to require this standard for issuance of protective orders.
Immigration
Barnes, along with his fellow District 21 Delegates, voted for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in 2007 (HB6)
During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barnes was elected and served as a pledged delegate for Hillary Clinton to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.
In response to certain criticisms of Ben Barnes, Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown wrote a letter to the Laurel Leader (a local newspaper in Laurel, Maryland) defending Barnes" record on domestic violence legislation.
Delegate Barnes was a member of the House Judiciary Committee and its civil law subcommittee, and currently serves in the House Economic Matters Committee. He is also a member of the Special task force on Alcohol and Substance Abuse and Deputy Majority Whip. Too many Marylanders personally know what domestic violence looks like and Governor O"Malley and I will continue to work with members of the General Assembly, like Delegate Barnes, stakeholders, advocates and public safety professionals to end domestic violence in our communities.".