By William C. Smith, Jr.  |  April 12, 2019 The state of Maryland lost its beloved speaker this past Sunday. Speaker Michael Erin Busch served as Speaker for 16 years and was a distinguished member of the House of Delegates for 32 years. The House of Delegates became a more inclusive institution under his leadership Read more about End of Session Letter 2019[…]

By Ovetta Wiggins  |  March 18, 2019 As a sophomore at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, William C. Smith Jr. was getting dressed for classes when he heard Katie Couric say on television that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Smith spent the next few hours frantically trying to Read more about The Washington Post: From Annapolis to Kabul: Maryland state senator headed to Afghanistan[…]

By Diane Rey  |  March 13, 2019 State Sen. William “Will” C. Smith Jr. fondly recalls talking politics with his dad. But he didn’t always appreciate those conversations as a teenager. Back then, he was often more interested in borrowing $20 to take a girl to the movies, he said. But his father, a cab Read more about Maryland Reporter: Before deploying to Afghanistan, Sen. Smith races to finish ambitious agenda[…]

By Luke Broadwater  |  February 6, 2019 Maryland state Senator Will Smith, an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, will deploy to Afghanistan before the end of the General Assembly session. Smith’s office said Wednesday that the Montgomery County Democrat has received orders from the Pentagon to deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Resolute Read more about Baltimore Sun: Chairman of veterans caucus in Maryland General Assembly to deploy to Afghanistan before session’s end[…]

By Bruce DePuyt  |  February 6, 2019 A Maryland lawmaker widely considered to be a rising star spent Wednesday receiving both birthday greetings and expressions of support after announcing that he is being deployed to Afghanistan. Sen. William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery), an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve, will report for duty Read more about Maryland Matters: Sen. Smith on Looming Deployment: ‘Obviously, the Session Makes it Complicated’[…]

By Will Ruger and William C. Smith, Jr.  |  January 25, 2019 Will Ruger is the vice president for research and policy at the Charles Koch Institute and a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Will Smith, a Democrat, represents the 20th District in the Maryland Senate. Both are officers in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Read more about The Washington Post: Maryland should take these next steps on criminal-justice reform[…]

By William C. Smith, Jr.  |  April 12, 2018 Download the Letter “My ambition is not to be in the political center. My ambition is to be in the moral center.” – Congressman Jamie Raskin My predecessor in the Maryland State Senate, Congressman Jamie Raskin, often lamented that his ambition was not to be at Read more about End of Session Letter 2018[…]

By Reid Wilson  |  March 28, 2018 Maryland’s Democratic-controlled legislature on Wednesday approved a measure to automatically register eligible citizens to vote when they interact with certain state agencies. The bill now heads to Gov. Larry Hogan’s (R) desk. Hogan has not said whether he supports the measure, and a spokesman did not immediately respond Read more about The Hill: Maryland legislature passes automatic voter registration[…]

By William C. Smith, Jr.  |  November 16, 2017 Education, specifically higher education, is directly correlated to innumerable economic and social benefits: higher salaries, a more versatile and qualified workforce, healthier lifestyles and greater economic mobility to name a few. Access to higher education, however, has become more fleeting, especially for the poor. In 1971, Read more about The Baltimore Sun: Endowments: a path toward tuition-free college in Maryland[…]

By William C. Smith Jr.  |  October 6, 2017 In Maryland, the majority of severely rent-burdened people are single mothers and overwhelmingly people of color. According to data from the American Community Survey analyzed by Enterprise Community Partners, almost 32 percent of the state’s renters are severely housing-cost-burdened, meaning they pay more than 50 percent Read more about The Washington Post: Discriminatory housing practices are alive and well in Maryland[…]

By William C. Smith, Jr.  |  September 15, 2017 Today we celebrate all of the women and men who labored throughout the decades to provide our generation with the many opportunities we have today. As your state Senator I have endeavored to that very same thing – to provide more Marylanders with more opportunity. And Read more about End of Summer Update[…]

By William C. Smith, Jr.  |  June 23, 2017 Download the Letter Dear Friend: It is such an honor to represent you in the Maryland State Senate. I grew up in Silver Spring and take great pride in serving the community that has given so much to me over the years. My first legislative session Read more about End of Session Letter 2017[…]