Cory McCray
Cory V. McCray (born October 31, 1982) is an American politician who serves as a member of the Maryland Senate for Maryland's 45th district, located in northeast Baltimore City. Previously, McCray served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates and acting Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party.[3]
Cory McCray
In the legislature[edit]
After being sworn in on January 14, 2015, McCray was appointed to the House Environment and Transportation Committee. He is also a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Baltimore City Delegation.[4]
In March 2017, Nicole Hanson, executive director of Out for Justice, filed an ethics complaint was filed against McCray, saying that she felt "physically and psychologically" threatened by McCray after he lost his temper during a conversation about the roots of poverty, causing him to throw a chair against a wall and begin using expletives. McCray denied throwing a chair, but acknowledged that his language and volume were unacceptable. He did not apologize to Hanson until he ran into her at a community event several weeks later. In April, the General Assembly's ethics committee found that McCray "breached the standards of conduct expected of a member."[9][10]
In July 2017, McCray publicly expressed interest in challenging Senate President Pro Tempore Nathaniel J. McFadden in the 2018 primary election, saying that he was "about 90 percent sure he will challenge his senator."[11] He announced his candidacy for the Maryland Senate in September.[12] McCray defeated McFadden in the Democratic primary election, receiving 58.5 percent of the vote to McFadden's 41.5 percent. He faced no Republican challengers in the general election.[13]
McCray was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 9, 2019. He was appointed to the Budget and Taxation Committee, the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee, the Special Committee on Pensions, the Joint Audit Committee, and the Spending Affordability Committee, and is a member of the Maryland Legislative Transit Caucus, the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland. He was also an associate member of the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus from 2019 to 2020.[4] In November 2020, He was elected chair of the Baltimore City Senate Delegation.[14]
In October 2019, following the death of Representative Elijah Cummings, McCray said that he would give "serious consideration" to running in the 2020 special election in Maryland's 7th congressional district to fill the rest of his term.[15] He later said that he would not run for the seat.[16]
Political positions[edit]
COVID-19 pandemic[edit]
In March 2021, McCray joined five other senators in delivering a letter to Governor Larry Hogan that expressed "grave concerns" over equity of the state's vaccination program rollout.[21]
Crime[edit]
McCray was one of four senators to vote against legislation introduced in the 2020 legislative session that would provide tougher penalties for gun offenders.[22]
McCray introduced legislation in the 2022 legislative session that would require the Maryland Division of Pretrial Detention and Services to notify city police whenever someone is released on bail.[23]
Elections[edit]
McCray introduced legislation in the 2015 legislative session that would restore voting rights for ex-offenders.[25] The bill passed, but was vetoed by Governor Hogan; the Maryland General Assembly voted to override the veto on February 9, 2016.[26]
McCray introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would require the Baltimore police to redraw district boundaries after each census. The bill passed and went into effect on October 1, 2019.[27][28]
In September 2020, McCray sent a letter to Baltimore City elections director Armstead Jones to ask for more dropoff ballot boxes to be placed in his district, saying that his district had fewer boxes compared to others and calling the placement of boxes within Baltimore "unconscionable".[29][30]
Environment[edit]
In September 2019, McCray voted against a climate debate resolution at the Democratic National Committee, arguing that his constituents needed him to advocate for greater movement on issues like justice reform, police brutality, and economic opportunity.[31]
McCray introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would reform the Maryland Environmental Service to restrict future payouts, restructure the board and add new requirements, such as ethics training.[32]
Minimum wage[edit]
McCray introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2023.[33] The bill passed with a full-on effective date of 2025, but was vetoed by Governor Larry Hogan on March 27, 2019.[34] The Maryland General Assembly voted to override Hogan's veto on the bill the next day.[35]
Policing[edit]
McCray voted in favor of legislation introduced in the 2019 legislative session that would create an armed police force at the private Johns Hopkins University.[36] He also introduced legislation that would require Baltimore police leaders to live in the city.[37]
McCray introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would make the Baltimore Police Department a city agency instead of a state agency. The bill did not receive a vote over reservations from other city senators.[38] He introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would create a commission to study local control of the city police and allow voters to determine if the city government should regain control of the police department via a charter amendment during the 2022 or 2024 general election.[39] The bill passed and became law.[40][41][42]
Transportation[edit]
In 2021, McCray joined local officials in advocating for more funding to meet the Maryland Transit Administration's maintenance and other needs.[44] He introduced legislation in the 2021 legislative session that would increase funding to the Maryland Transit Administration to make the state's bus system, MARC train, Metro and Light Rail more safe and reliable.[45][46] The bill passed the Maryland General Assembly but was vetoed by Governor Hogan on May 28, 2021.[47] The legislature voted to override Hogan's veto during the 2021 special legislative session.[48]
McCray introduced legislation during the 2022 legislative session that would waive late fees and give Maryland residents the ability to set up payment plans for delayed E-ZPass charges.[49]