Welcome
As your state senator I have built relationships around the state and practiced the type of principled and collaborative leadership I believe will benefit the residents of District 20. I have delivered for our community and I have been responsive to the needs of our district. I appreciate you visiting my website, and thank you for your interest in making our community a more inclusive and equitable place for all.
I appreciate you visiting my website, and thank you for your interest in making our community a more inclusive and equitable place for all.
Vision
Equity in Education
Keeping college affordable – I have fought alongside my Democratic colleagues to make college more affordable by freezing tuition and limiting tuition increases at Maryland’s public universities. As a result, tuition at Maryland’s public colleges went from being 7th most expensive in the nation to 26th least expensive. I have also been working with my colleagues to develop a plan to make community college more affordable and, in some cases, free.
Defending the Right to Vote
Access to the ballot box – Every voice in our society should be heard, and expanding access to the franchise should a priority for any thriving democracy. While in the legislature I helped lead the fight to re-enfranchise the more than 40,000 Marylanders with felony records on parole and probation regain their voting rights.
The Environment
Environmental justice – Baltimore has the highest emissions-related mortality rate in the nation with 130 out of every 100,000 residents likely to die prematurely in a given year due to long-term exposure to air pollution, which disproportionately affects communities of color. Clean renewable energy, such as wind and solar, does not have these harmful emissions.
Equal Justice for all
Focusing on rehabilitation and deterrence – I worked tirelessly to pass the Justice Reinvestment Act of 2016, which changed the criminal justice system in Maryland by repealing minimum mandatory sentences for certain nonviolent drug crimes and focusing on treatment rather than incarceration for nonviolent offenders.
Common Sense Gun Legislation
No guns on college campuses – College campuses should be places in which the open and free exchange of ideas is encouraged. Our students deserve a learning environment free from the fear that a firearm may be present in a classroom, the campus quad, or the dorm room. As your state senator, I have led the fight to keep guns off of our college campuses.
Expanding Economic Opportunities
Affordable housing – Today thousands of Marylanders are denied housing because they have a housing voucher. 79% of voucher holders in Maryland are people of color and 43% are single mothers. I’ve been working on legislation to prohibit this practice and to give every Marylander an opportunity to live in safe, clean housing.
Protecting our immigrant communities
I’m working hard in Annapolis to ensure our immigrant communities are protected from invasive policing practices and are afforded equal access to educational, social, and economic opportunity.
Biography
William C. Smith Jr. was born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland. His parents were young adults during the height of the civil rights movement. It was their struggle and sacrifice that opened doors of opportunity for Will. His parents taught him the importance of a good education and showed him the benefit of living in a caring, engaged community. With the support of his family, Will became a first-generation college student when he attended and graduated from the College of William and Mary. He would go on to earn a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a law degree from William and Mary.
After college, Will enrolled in AmeriCorps where he worked as a community engagement leader for IMPACT Silver Spring and worked at the ACLU as a Legislative Assistant. During law school Will worked at a law firm handling employment discrimination cases and sought a commission as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, a position in which Will continues to serve in today. (Read Will’s full military biography here.)
In 2010, Will received a White House appointment to serve as a Director at the Department of Homeland Security under President Barack Obama.
In 2014, Will was elected to represent District 20 in the Maryland House of Delegates. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, Will served on the criminal justice and family law subcommittee. Along with these roles, Will was a member of several key workgroups including Justice Reinvestment, Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights and Death with Dignity.
In 2016, Will was appointed to represent District 20 in the Maryland State Senate, making him the first African-American Senator from Montgomery County. In the Senate, Will has worked to forge relationships with his colleagues from across the state and political spectrum which has allowed him to become an effective legislator in Annapolis.
In 2019, Will became the 50th Chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee. He is the first African American to hold that post. As Chairman, Will has championed robust criminal justice reform measures and has led efforts to provide economic and educational opportunities for all Marylanders.
Today, Will continues to practice law. His practice focuses on national security and employment discrimination. (Read Will’s full law biography here.) Will lives in Silver Spring with his wife, Camille, daughter, Jacqueline, and dog, Monty.
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Latest news
Success: 445th Session of the Maryland General Assembly
April 14, 2023 “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try. – President John F. Kennedy Dear Friend, The Maryland General Assembly recently concluded the 445th Legislative Session and I am extremely proud of what we accomplished to move every Marylander forward. Unlike in years past, this session was particularly successful because the Legislature had Read more about Success: 445th Session of the Maryland General Assembly[…]
I will always fight to protect reproductive health care
March 20, 2023 “The emphasis must be not on the right to abortion but on the right to privacy and reproductive control.” – Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dear Friend, Though the Supreme Court, through its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Whole Women’s Health, removed the egis of constitutional protection for the right to choose, we Read more about I will always fight to protect reproductive health care[…]
Humbled and honored
November 10, 2022 “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela Dear Friend, Thank you for the privilege of representing you in the Maryland Senate for Read more about Humbled and honored[…]
My sincerest thanks!
July 20, 2022 “A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it.“ – Frederick Douglass Dear Friend, Thank you for the honor and privilege of representing you in the Maryland Senate for another term. We’ve been through Read more about My sincerest thanks![…]
Protecting Reproductive Rights in Maryland
June 24, 2022 “No woman can call herself free who does not control her own body.” – Margaret Sanger Today, in a long-anticipated decision, the Supreme Court did something it has never done before – it chose to take away a fundamental constitutional right. The Dobbs v. Jackson decision overturned a half-century of precedent and Read more about Protecting Reproductive Rights in Maryland[…]
Guns in Maryland
May 31, 2022 “Gun violence in this country is an epidemic, and it’s an international embarrassment… The idea that we have so many people dying every single day from gun violence in America is a blemish on our character as a nation.” – President Joseph R. Biden (April 8, 2021) Like many of you, I Read more about Guns in Maryland[…]
Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee: A Record of Historic Progress
Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee: Historic Progress 2020-2022 The work of the Maryland General Assembly’s Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee touches the life of every Maryland resident and I believe has the potential to shape their prospects more intimately than any other element of state government. It is a solemn responsibility, and my commitment as chair Read more about Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee: A Record of Historic Progress[…]
2022 End of Session Report
April 15, 2022 “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” – Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American female astronaut Dear Friend, The Maryland General Assembly recently concluded the 444th Legislative Session and I am extremely proud of what we accomplished to move every Marylander forward. Despite challenges associated with the continued COVID-19 crisis, we Read more about 2022 End of Session Report[…]
2021 End of Session Report
April 23, 2021 “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” – Maya Angelou Dear Friend, This was, in many respects, a historic legislative session. In the midst of a global pandemic and the latest iteration of a generational conversation over racial Read more about 2021 End of Session Report[…]
Reforming Parole in Maryland
My first act as Chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee was to arrange for a briefing from the Justice Policy Institute as they had recently published a shocking report which revealed devastating disparities in our criminal justice system. The report found that whereas African Americans make up 32% of Maryland’s population more than 70% of Read more about Reforming Parole in Maryland[…]
Ensuring Accountability, Transparency, and Trust in Policing
“The changes in this package increase accountability and transparency, and in turn can keep someone else from having to lose their life in a police encounter” – LaToya Holley, sister of Anton Black, a Black Maryland teenager who was killed in 2018 after being chased and subdued by police. “Duty to intervene, duty to report, accountability in Read more about Ensuring Accountability, Transparency, and Trust in Policing[…]
2020 Police Reform Letter
June 4, 2020 Dear Friend, When I became Chairman of the Judicial Proceedings Committee I promised to use my time in this position to advocate for the marginalized and to do what I could to create a more equitable criminal justice system. While I am proud of what we accomplished during the truncated 2020 legislative Read more about 2020 Police Reform Letter[…]