Susan Clair Lee is a member of the Maryland General Assembly

Maryland General Assembly

The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...

. She represents District 16, which is located in 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...

, and includes parts of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, Kensington, Cabin John, Glen Echo, and Rockville. She has served on the House Judiciary Committee since she joined the House of Delegates in 2002. Delegate Lee is the first Asian American woman and first Chinese American to be elected to the Maryland legislature. She is currently a Deputy Majority Whip, the Vice Chair of the Montgomery County House Delegation, Chair of the Subcommittee on Family Law, President of the Women Legislators of Maryland, House Chairman of the Maryland Commission on Cyber Security Innovation and Excellence, House Chairman of Nanobiotechnology Task Force and Identity Theft Task Force.

Background

Delegate Lee was born in San Antonio, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. She grew up in Montgomery County and attended Winston Churchill High School

Winston Churchill High School

Winston Churchill High School may refer to a number of schools, all named after Winston Churchill, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955.-Canada:*Winston Churchill High School in Lethbridge, Alberta...

. She earned a BA

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...

 from the University of Maryland

University of Maryland

When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...

 before graduating from the University of San Francisco

University of San Francisco

The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...

 School of Law. Delegate Lee is an attorney in private practice, and previously worked as an attorney for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

In the Legislature

Delegate Lee is a member of the House Judiciary committee and has been on the forefront of identity theft, online fraud, consumer protection, cyber security, and bioscience issues. She authored the landmark Maryland Security Freeze legislation, the nation’s first ever identity theft pretexting law, a law to create the Maryland Commission on Cyber Security Innovation and Excellence, and other legislation to promote bioscience and emerging technologies. Lee has sponsored and seen passed legislation to fight identity theft, online fraud, cyber attacks, domestic violence, sexual assault, child and senior abuse; promote bioscience, nanobiotechnology, IT, green and emerging technologies; provide access to quality and affordable healthcare, fully fund education, keep college affordable, and protect the environment. Her work as a legislator has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Maryland Progressive Leader Award, the Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a non-profit organization in the United States that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy...

 Merit Award, the Out for Justice Award of Equality Maryland

Equality Maryland

Equality Maryland is a non-profit organization formerly headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, now based in Baltimore. Its activities focus on advocacy and education with regard to a number of LGBT social and political movements...

, the Community Service Award of the League of Korean Americans, Organization of Chinese Americans Leadership Award, Elizabeth Scull Outstanding Community Service Award, Charles E. Smith Life Communities Chairman's Award, Village of Friendship Heights Community Service Award, MD NOW Leadership Recognition Award, and inclusion in Maryland's Top 100 Women.

Legislative notes

• voted for the Healthy Air Act in 2006 (SB154)http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/votes/house/0942.htm
• 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
• sponsored House Bill 30 in 2007, allowing the state to confiscate unused portions of gift certificates after 4 years.House Bill 30