Henry B. "Hank" Heller is an American politician from the state of Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

. A Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, he is currently one of three members of the Maryland House of Delegates

Maryland House of Delegates

The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...

 representing District 19 in central Montgomery County

Montgomery County, Maryland

Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...

.

Background

Heller attended Walter Johnson High School

Walter Johnson High School

Walter Johnson High School is located at 6400 Rock Spring Drive in Bethesda, an unincorporated region of Montgomery County, Maryland.WJHS serves areas in Bethesda and Rockville, as well as the towns of Garrett Park and Kensington.-History:...

 in Montgomery County and received a B.A. from Frostburg State University

Frostburg State University

Frostburg State University is a four-year university located on a campus in Frostburg, Maryland, in Western Maryland, and is part of the University System of Maryland. FSU is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.-History:...

 and both an M.A. and Ed.D. from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He worked for the Montgomery County Public Schools

Montgomery County Public Schools

Montgomery County Public Schools ' is a school district that serves Montgomery County, Maryland, USA. It is the largest school district in Maryland. As of the 2009–2010 school year, the district had 11,500 FTE teachers serving 141,777 students at 200 schools.Students in the district score among the...

 in a number of capacities, and is a past president of the Montgomery County Education Association.

In the legislature

Originally elected to the House of Delegates in 1987, Heller is one of Montgomery County's longest-serving delegates. He currently sits on the House Appropriations Committee and the Joint Committee on Federal Relations.

Legislative notes

He voted against slots in 2005 (HB1361)http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/votes/house/0152.htm

• voted in favor of increasing the sales tax by 20% - Tax Reform Act of 2007(HB2)http://www.mdchamber.org/docs/ss_hb2.pdf
• voted in favor of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in 2007 (HB6)http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/votes/house/0690.htm
• voted to ban first-cousin marriage in Maryland in 2000 http://mlis.state.md.us/2000rs/billfile/hb0459.htm