Helen L. Koss

Helen L. Koss (June 3, 1922 – September 28, 2008) was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 18 and 19, representing Silver Spring, Maryland for sixteen years.

Early life and education Koss was born Helen Levine in New York City on June 3, 1922. She grew up in Ellenville, New York, graduating from Bennington College in 1942 and moving to Washington, D.C., to work in the school lunch program at the United States Department of Agriculture.

Political career Koss served as the president of the Maryland League of Women Voters from 1963 to 1967, and she was a delegate to the Maryland Constitutional Convention in 1967 and 1978. During her tenure, she worked to pass the Maryland Equal Rights Amendment and legislation to aid displaced homemakers. She proposed the Displaced Homemakers Bill which aimed to train women in skills relevant to work outside the home; the bill was passed and a center was created for women to learn and practice these skills. Koss worked to reform and eliminate gender discrimination in the credit, housing, and insurance sectors. In 1993, Governor Parris Glendening appointed Koss to the state election board, where she served until 2003.

Personal life She and her husband, Howard, moved to Montgomery County, Maryland in 1951, where they raised two daughters.

Death Koss died of lung cancer on September 28, 2008, at Holy Cross Hospital.