Craig Zucker

Craig Jason Zucker (born March 23, 1975) is an American politician who has represented District 14 in the Maryland Senate since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2011 to 2016.

Early life and education
Zucker was born in Englewood, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Teaneck. He earned his Bachelor of Science from St. Thomas Aquinas College in 1997, and his masters degree in government from Johns Hopkins University in 2004.

Political career
Zucker first got involved in politics as a college intern for U.S. Senators Bill Bradley and Carl Levin, and later worked as a scheduler for Senator Barbara Boxer. He worked as a legislative director to Maryland state delegate Peter Franchot from 1999 to 2000, afterwards working as a deputy district director for U.S. Representative Albert Wynn until 2004. Zucker served as the vice-chair of the Mid-County Recreation Advisory Board in Montgomery County, Maryland from 2004 to 2006, and as the deputy chief of staff to Comptroller Peter Franchot until 2010.

In 2002, Zucker unsuccessfully ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 14, placing fourth with 12.3 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary election.

Maryland General Assembly
Zucker was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 12, 2011, and was a member of the Appropriations Committee during his entire tenure. From 2015 to 2016, he served as the House chair of the Joint Audit Committee.

In December 2015, following the resignation of state senator Karen S. Montgomery, Zucker applied to serve the remainder of her term in the Maryland Senate. His candidacy was backed by Senate president Thomas V. Miller Jr. In January 2016, the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee voted to nominate Zucker to fill the seat, and Governor Larry Hogan appointed him to the seat at the end of the week. Zucker was sworn in on February 4, 2016.

Zucker was a member of the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee until 2018, afterwards serving in the Budget and Taxation Committee. In December 2019, following the election of Bill Ferguson as President of the Maryland Senate, Zucker was named as the chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus. In August 2021, Ferguson appointed Zucker as the chair of the Capital Budget Subcommittee following the resignation of Douglas J. J. Peters.

Since 2016, Zucker serves as the Senate member on the Maryland Commission on Disabilities.

Personal life
Zucker is married to his wife, Jenny. Together, they have two children and live in Brookeville, Maryland. He is Jewish.

End the Wait Act
In 2022, Zucker sponsored the End the Wait Act, which reduces the wait for waiver services.

Education
In 2018, Zucker introduced a bill that would require the state to teach sexual consent. The bill passed and became law.

During the 2019 legislative session, Zucker introduced legislation that would add seats for a parent and teachers to the Maryland State Board of Education, and the Ready to Read Act, which requires school systems to provide additional support to kindergarten and first grade students with reading challenges. Both bills passed and became law.

In 2022, Zucker introduced a bill that would prohibit public schools from secluding other students except under certain conditions.

Electoral reform
In 2016, Zucker voted to overrode Governor Larry Hogan's veto on a bill that would restore voting rights to released felons.

During the 2017 legislative session, Zucker introduced a bill that would require Maryland to use an independent redistricting commission to draw its congressional and legislative districts if New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania all passed legislation to do the same. The bill passed, but was vetoed by Governor Hogan.

In 2018, Zucker introduced a bill that would require social media websites to record data on political advertisements and users targeted by them, which passed and became law without Governor Hogan's signature.

Gambling
During the 2020 legislative session, Zucker introduced a bill to authorize the state to issue sports betting licenses to fund the state's sports wagering industry and public schools. The bill passed and became law. After voters approved a statewide referendum to legalize sports betting in the 2020 general election, Zucker led a workgroup to develop a bill regulating the state's sports wagering industry, which passed and was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan.

Housing
During the 2022 legislative session, Zucker introduced a bill that would require the Comptroller of Maryland to redirect $14 million from abandoned property funds to a fund providing the right to counsel in eviction cases. The bill passed and became law.

Israel
In November 2023, Zucker and eight other state senators signed a joint letter that threatened to defund immigrants rights group CASA de Maryland because it had called for an immediate ceasefire in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war and condemned the "utilization of US tax dollars to promote the ongoing violence."

National politics
In December 2019, Zucker participated in and spoke at a rally in Olney, Maryland, to support of the first impeachment of Donald Trump.

Social issues
In March 2011, Zucker said he supported the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland.

In 2013, Zucker voted for a bill to repeal the death penalty in Maryland.

During the 2018 legislative session and amid the MeToo movement, Zucker introduced legislation that would ban employers from imposing non-disclosure agreements on workers reporting sexual harassment and require employers with more than 50 workers to disclose information about their records in maintaining harassment-free workplaces. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Larry Hogan.

During the 2021 legislative session and following the suicide of Jamie Raskin's son, Tommy, Cullison introduced a bill named for Tommy that would allow people to opt into periodic calls from 2-1-1 crisis counselors. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Hogan.

Taxes
During the 2012 legislative session, Zucker introduced legislation that would provide income tax breaks on up to $2 million of forgiven mortgage debt. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Martin O'Malley.

In 2013, Zucker voted for a bill to index the state's fuel taxes to inflation to pay for transportation projects.

Transportation
During the 2020 legislative session, Zucker introduced a bill that would require the state to provide at least $500 million toward Maryland Transit Administration projects annually for five years. The bill died in committee.

In 2021, Zucker introduced legislation that would prohibit the Maryland Transit Administration from purchasing buses that are not zero-emission.