Talmadge Branch is an American politician who represents the 45th legislative district in 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...

. Branch has been in office since 1995 and is currently the House majority whip. Delegate Branch is a former chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland

Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly...

 and founder of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland's foundation.

Background

Branch was born in Northampton County, North Carolina

Northampton County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 22,086 people, 8,691 households, and 5,953 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile . There were 10,455 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...

 on January 30, 1956. He attended Northern High School

Reginald F. Lewis High School

Reginald F. Lewis High School is a public high school located in the northeastern section of Baltimore, Maryland. The school is situated in the former Northern High School and shares the structure with the W. E. B. Du Bois High School.-History:...

 in Baltimore and then Essex Community College where he got his A.A. in 1978. By 1980 Branch had earned his B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in liberal studies from Salisbury State College.

In the legislature

Branch has been a member of House of Delegates since January 11, 1995. He served on the House Appropriations Committee and was its vice-chairman from 2003 to 2007. He also serves on the Ways and Means committee. He is a member of the Legislative Policy Committee, the Special Joint Committee on Pensions, the Task Force to Study the State's Retiree Health Insurance Liabilities, the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, the Spending Affordability Committee, the Joint Commission on the Maryland Port Administration and he is the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Welfare Reform.

General election results, 2006

• 2006 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – 45th District

Voters to choose three:

Name	Votes	Percent	Outcome
Cheryl Glenn Cheryl Glenn Cheryl D. Glenn, is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing Maryland's 45rd legislative district which is situated in northeast Baltimore.- Background :... , Democratic	16,911	32.6%	Won
Hattie N. Harrison Hattie N. Harrison Hattie N. Harrison is an American politician who has served in the Maryland General Assembly since 1973. Harrison is the chairperson of the Maryland House of Delegates Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, and is the first African-American woman to chair a legislative committee in Maryland.She... , Democratic	16,804	31.0%	Won
Talmadge Branch, Democratic	16,014	30.9%	Won
Ronald M. Owens-Bey, Populist	2,727	5.3%	Lost
Other write-ins	111	.2%	Lost

Legislative notes

• voted for the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2007 (HB359)http://mlis.state.md.us/2007rs/billfile/HB0359.htm
• voted for the Healthy Air Act in 2006 (SB154)http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/votes/house/0942.htm
• primary sponsor-Baltimore City - Illegal Dumping - Surveillance Systems 2006 (HB111-became law: Chapter#312)
• voted for slots in 2005 (HB1361)http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/votes/house/0152.htm
• primary sponsor- Child Support Enforcement Privatization Pilot Program 2003(HB564 became law: Chapter312)
• voted against electric deregulation
  Maryland Electric Deregulation
  Maryland Electric Deregulation is the result of a bill passed in 1999 by the Maryland General Assembly. This bill changed the entire face of the Maryland utility industry.The past several years have seen a flurry of changes in the energy industry in Maryland...
  
  in 1999 (HB703)http://mlis.state.md.us/1999rs/votes/house/0870.htm
• voted for income tax reduction in 1998 (SB750)http://mlis.state.md.us/1998rs/votes/house/1229.htm
• voted for the Tax Reform Act of 2007 (HB2)http://www.mdchamber.org/docs/ss_hb2.pdf
• voted in favor of Slots (HB4) in the 2007 Special session