Jennifer R. Terrasa

Jennifer R. Terrasa (born June 6, 1969) is an American politician who has served as a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing the 13th district since 2019. She was previously a member of the Howard County Council from 2006 to 2018.

Early life and career Terrasa was born on June 6, 1969, in New York City. Her family moved to Columbia, Maryland when she was a toddler, where she graduated from Oakland Mills High School. She attended the University of Maryland at College Park in College Park, Maryland, where she earned a B.A. degree in sociology in 1992, and the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she earned a J.D. degree in law review in 1997. She was admitted to the Maryland Bar in the same year. seeking to succeed councilmember Guy Guzzone, who announced plans to run for the Maryland House of Delegates. She won the general election with 62.0 percent of the vote. Before the 2008 Maryland Democratic presidential primary, Terrasa canvassed alongside county council member Calvin Ball III in Oakland Mills for Obama.

Terrasa faced a tough re-election campaign in 2010, facing off against Republican moderate Dennis R. Schrader in the general election. She defeated Schrader in the general election, receiving 67.1 percent of the vote. She won the Democratic primary with 27.7 percent of the vote, coming in third out of a field of four Democrats. She won the general election with 27.1 percent of the vote, defeating Republican Chris Yates.

Terrasa was reelected in 2022. She is running unopposed.

Political positions Elections Terrasa, alongside Howard County Council chairman Jon Weinstein, introduced legislation in February 2016 that would create a public financing system for candidates who swear off large donations. The legislation was reintroduced in 2017.

Environment In March 2021, Terrasa, alongside Delegates Lorig Charkoudian, Dana Stein, and Vaughn Stewart, joined the Leaders for Climate Accountability, a national work of public officials who support holding corporate polluters accountable for their contributions to the climate crisis. She introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would allow the Attorney General of Maryland to sue companies that have contributed to the climate crisis through fraud or deception. The bill was reintroduced in the 2022 legislative session.

Healthcare Terrasa supports universal health care and Medicare for All.

Housing In October 2015, Terrasa introduced legislation that would require 15 percent of all new housing units developed in downtown Columbia to be affordable to families earning between 40 and 80 percent of the county's median income.

In October 2018, Terrasa introduced a bill that would require new single-family houses and apartments to have infrastructure to support charging stations for electric vehicles.

Immigration Following the election of President-elect Donald Trump, Terrasa introduced legislation that would designate Howard County a sanctuary jurisdiction.

Marijuana Terrasa supports the legalization and regulation of recreational marijuana.

Redistricting Terrasa supports using an independent redistricting commission to draw Maryland's legislative and congressional district maps. The County Council voted to kill the bill in September 2018.

Electoral history + Howard County Council Councilmanic District 3 Democratic Primary Election, 2010 PartyCandidateVotes%DemocraticJennifer Terrasa3,022100.0% + Howard County Council Councilmanic District 3 Democratic Primary Election, 2014 PartyCandidateVotes%DemocraticJennifer Terrasa3,947100.0%