Eric Ebersole

Eric Douglas Ebersole (born May 20, 1958) is an American politician who serves as a Delegate to the Maryland General Assembly representing District 44A. From 2015 to 2023, he represented the 12th District.

Early life and career Ebersole was born in Baltimore, Maryland on May 20, 1958, and grew up in Catonsville. He attended the University of Maryland, College Park, earning a B.S. degree in mathematics education in 1980 and an M.S. degree in the same field in 1986. and was elected alongside Terri Hill and Clarence Lam as an all-freshman delegation to the General Assembly. In decenial redistricting, Ebersole found himself placed in D44A, exclusively in his home county, Baltimore County. He ran in a single member district and secured the seat with over 60% of the vote.

In the legislature Ebersole was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14, 2015. Since 2022, he has served as Deputy Majority Whip.

In October 2015, Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Michael E. Busch appointed Ebersole to a commission to study the use of standardized testing in the state's public schools. The commission submitted its final recommendations, which included reducing the length and testing units for the PARCC test and giving assessments during regular class time, on July 7, 2016.

Committee assignments Member, Ways and Means Committee, 2015- (education subcommittee, 2015-; election law subcommittee, 2015–17; revenues subcommittee, 2017–18; chair, racing and gaming subcommittee, 2019, member, 2015–19, 2021-; chair, early childhood subcommittee, 2020-2022 member 2022- ; chair, education subcommittee 2022- Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, 2015- ; Adviory Board, Maryland Commission on School Safety, 2021 - ; Board, Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports (school mental health) 2024- ;Board, Interagency Coordinating Commission on Childcare and Early Education 2021-; Commissioner and Steering Committee, Education Commision of States, 2020- ; Legislative Advisory Council, Southern Regional Education Board 2020-;

Other memberships House Chair, Baltimore County Delegation, 2023–26 Member, Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus, 2019-

Political positions Education Ebersole introduced legislation in the 2015 legislative session that would create a commission to survey and assess how much time is spent on testing in each grade level and each school system. The bill passed and became law on May 12, 2015.

Ebersole introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would require the appointment of a full-time teacher and parent of a public school student to the Maryland State Board of Education. The bill passed and became law without Governor Larry Hogan's signature on May 28, 2019.

Ebersole introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would require the Maryland State Department of Education to keep track of the number of students restrained or placed in seclusion. The bill unanimously passed the House of Delegates. He later introduced legislation in the 2022 legislative session that would ban the use of seclusion in public Maryland schools. The bill passed and became law on April 9, 2022.

Immigration In July 2019, Ebersole attended and spoke at a rally outside the office of U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings to urge Cummings to protest against the immigration policy of Donald Trump. During the 2026 legislative session, he introduced a bill that would prohibit public school security personnel from aiding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in investigating students and faculty on school property. In 2026, Ebersole introduced and passed legislation to prevent School Resource Offices and School Personnel from sharing information concerning a students immigration status or the status of family or acquaintances in the absence of a judicial warrant.

Social issues During the 2021 legislative session, Ebersole introduced a bill that would require school systems to allow students to participate in peaceful demonstrations. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 97-39. Ebersole has also introduced several bills requiring various industries (trucking, hotels and motels, public transportation, ride shares) to train employees to recognize and report instances of suspected human trafficking. Also in 2026, Ebersole introduced and passed legislation to clear a path for representation by and Education Support Personnel (ESP) employee on the State School Board.

Personal life Ebersole is married and has three children. He attends religious services at the Catonsville Presbyterian Church, where he was previously a deacon, youth leader, and Light Street soup kitchen food server. Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Clarence Lam 6,307 21.3% Democratic Terri Hill 6,059 21.3% Democratic Eric Ebersole 4,427 14.9% Democratic Rebecca P. Dongarra 3,782 12.8% Democratic Nick Stewart 2,991 10.1% Democratic Renee McGuirk-Spence 1,908 6.4% Democratic Brian S. Bailey 1,576 5.3% Democratic Michael Gisriel 1,246 4.2% Democratic Adam Sachs 747 2.5% Democratic Jay Fred Cohen 580 2.0%