Richard Impallaria

• Member, Economic Matters Committee, 2003–2023
  • Property and casualty insurance subcommittee, 2003–2015
  • Public utilities subcommittee, 2003–2010, 2015–2023
  • Unemployment insurance subcommittee, 2003–2006, 2017–2023
  • Alcoholic beverages subcommittee, 2007–2017
  • Workers' compensation subcommittee, 2011–2023
  • Consumer protection and commercial law subcommittee, 2012–2015
• Joint Committee on Unemployment Insurance Oversight, 2015–2023
• Deputy Minority Whip, 2015–2016

[1]

In June 2018, state delegate Kathy Szeliga accused Impallaria of sending out campaign mailers attacking Szeliga by calling her a closet Democrat. Impallaria initially declined responsibility for this, but after Szeliga emailed him to say she would inform their GOP colleagues about the fliers targeting her, he forwarded the email to every member of the House Republican caucus in which he referred to himself as the "evil genius" responsible for the attacks on Szeliga.[8]

In January 2019, the Office of the State Prosecutor charged Impallaria's chief of staff, Tyler Walch, for violating state election law for making robocalls to Szeliga's constituents without disclosing who paid for and who authorized the message. The calls misleadingly claimed that Szeliga was a supporter of the transgender community and had voted in favor of a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of gender identity.[9][10][11] The National Center for Transgender Equality, the non-profit social equity organization mentioned on the robocalls, said that no one with the organization was contacted by Impallaria or his campaign in connection with the call. Impallaria denied any knowledge about the call, saying that he never approved or paid for it.[12] In April 2019, his chief of staff was convicted and sentenced to 100 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine for violating the authority line requirements of Maryland election law.[13][14]

In May 2019, the Maryland Republican Party asked Impallaria to resign from the Maryland House of Delegates, saying he was "unworthy of the title Delegate" following a controversy over a campaign robocall, a history of traffic violations, and a lawsuit against party officials. Impallaria refused to resign, saying that it was up to his constituents to decide whether he stays in the Maryland General Assembly.[15]

In January 2012, Impallaria declared his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in Maryland's 2nd congressional district, challenging incumbent U.S. Representative Dutch Ruppersberger.[16][17] Impallaria, a resident of the town of Joppa, lived nine-tenths a mile outside of the 2nd district.[18] During the primary election, he was endorsed by delegate Pat McDonough and ran on a platform of opposing same-sex marriage and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.[19] Impallaria was defeated in the Republican primary by state senator Nancy Jacobs, receiving 23.8 percent of the vote and coming in second place.[20]

In January 2020, Impallaria again ran for the United States House of Representatives in Maryland's 2nd congressional district, challenging incumbent U.S. Representative Dutch Ruppersberger.[21] He was defeated by state senator Johnny Ray Salling in the Republican primary election, placing fourth with 16.2 percent of the vote.[22]

In March 2013, Impallaria voted against a bill that would repeal capital punishment in Maryland.[34] In October 2015, Impallaria, whose cousin died of an opioid overdose, said he would support sentencing drug dealers to death.[35]

In March 2011, Impallaria said he opposed Governor Martin O'Malley's $1.5 billion proposal to spur offshore wind development in the state, calling the plan "a boondoggle that every single resident in the state is going to be shaken down to finance".[36] The proposed plan would have raised the electric bill of every state resident over the next 20 years to pay for offshore wind farms in the state.[37][38]

In 2004, Impallaria confronted four lobbyists for immigrants' issues during a hearing on a bill to study the fiscal impact of illegal immigration, who he says referred to him as "racists" during testimony on the measure. Following the testimony, Impallaria followed the lobbyists into the hallway to ask the advocates if they were illegal immigrants, which they refused to answer.[39]

In 2007, Impallaria said he opposed a bill introduced by state delegate Victor R. Ramirez that would allow illegal immigrants to attend public colleges and universities while paying in-state tuition.[40][41]

During his time in the Maryland House of Delegates, Impallaria repeatedly introduced bills that would allow American Legions and Veterans of Foreign Wars to operate electronic gambling machines in their clubs. During the 2011 special legislative session, he introduced an amendment allowing veterans organizations to operate gambling machines in their clubs, which passed.[42]

In 2005, Impallaria voted to pass a bill that would legalize slot machines at four locations in the state, which passed by a vote of 71-66.[43]

In April 2013, Impallaria voted against the Firearm Safety Act of 2013, a bill that placed restrictions on firearm purchases and magazine capacity in semi-automatic rifles.[44]

In March 2014, Impallaria voted against a bill to raise the state minimum wage to $10.10 an hour by 2017.[45]

In January 2020, Impallaria said he supported Donald Trump's 2020 re-election bid.[21]

In 2022, Impallaria voted against a bill that would provide 12 weeks of partially paid leave to recover from childbirth or serious illnesses, or to care for a loved one.[46]

In 2022, Impallaria said he supported a right to repair bill that would have allowed farmers to repair their own farm equipment.[47] The bill was rejected by the House Economic Matters Committee on March 7, 2022.[48]

In 2010, Impallaria said he opposed allowing Harford County Public Schools students to access LGBT-related political, advocacy, and community support websites,[49] using the term "homo promo" in a mass e-mail.[50]

In 2011, Impallaria said he opposed a bill that would allow transgender people to use restrooms that match their gender identities. He also said he did not believe that employers should be required to accept a worker's decision to change their gender expression, and expressed concerns that anti-LGBT discrimination laws would lead to situations where "halfway through the school year, you have a schoolteacher that used to be Mr. Bob that's now Miss Sally".[51]

In 2012, Impallaria voted against the Civil Marriage Protection Act, which legalized same-sex marriage in Maryland.[52][53]

In 2019, Impallaria voted not to censure state delegate Mary Ann Lisanti after she used a racial slur to refer to a legislative district in Prince George's County,[54] saying it would be inappropriate of him to judge Lisanti when he didn't have firsthand knowledge of what happened. He was the sole vote against the censure.[15]

In March 2022, Impallaria introduced an amendment to an abortion rights bill that would require all aborted fetuses to be given religious burials and prohibit the sale of aborted fetal remains or tissue. The amendment failed on a vote of 38-88.[55]

In 2011, Impallaria said he opposed a $1,500 fine proposed by Governor Martin O'Malley for bad driving, calling it a "money grab" that the governor was "trying to slip in".[56]

In March 2013, Impallaria voted against a bill to raise the state gas tax and index future increases to inflation to replenish the state's transportation fund, which passed by a 76-63 vote.[57]

On April 13, 2015, the Maryland House of Delegates voted to repeal the unpopular mandate colloquially known as the "rain tax", by a vote of 138-1. He was the sole vote against the repeal.[58]

In March 2016, Impallaria was one of two state delegates to vote against a bill that cuts the cost of a death certificate or a birth certificate from $24 to $10.[59]