Joseph F. Vallario Jr.
Joseph F. Vallario Jr. is an American politician who represented district 23B in the Maryland House of Delegates and was the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Vallario was first elected in 1974 and was the longest serving chairman in the Maryland General Assembly.
Background
Vallario attended Washington, DC, parochial schools, the Benjamin Franklin University, B.C.S. and M.C.S., 1959; Eastern College, and the Mt. Vernon School of Law, LL.B., J.D., 1963. Admitted to Maryland Bar in 1964, he is an attorney and a member of the American and Maryland State Bar Associations. Vallario is a past president of the Prince George's County Criminal Trial Lawyers Association and a member of the Order of Sons of Italy in America.He was featured in the Netflix documentary, "The Keepers," for his role in being opposed to a bill seeking to increase the statute of limitations of sexual abuse victims.
Legislative career
Delegate Vallario had been the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee since 1993 and a member of the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee, also since 1993. He served on the Legislative Policy Committee, the Article 27 Revision Committee and is a past member of the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, the Drunk and Drugged Driving Task Force, the Joint Task Force on Maryland's Procurement Law, and the Joint Committee on the Selection of the State Treasurer. He was the Co-Chair of the Task Force to Examine Crime Victims' Rights Laws in Maryland, a member of the Special Committee on Gaming, a member of the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy and the past chair, Prince George's County Delegation. National Conference of State Legislatures. Vallario has been an active supporter of victims rights as well as a proponent for strengthening Maryland's laws against child predators. He has opposed legalizing same-sex marriage, but in March 2011 he voted as chairman for a bill to do just that in the Judiciary Committee. He was criticized for that vote, with Del. Michael D. Smigiel, Sr. saying, "The chairman did what he was told. That's why he's chairman." Vallario was attacked in a lengthy Washington Post article published August 3, 2013, for his conflict of interest in having legally represented many drunken drivers and then using his Chairman position to pardon them.Legislative notes
2013
- refused to allow a vote on a bill decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, claiming "Bad message to the kids." The bill would have subjected people caught with 10 grams or less to a civil fine of $100.
2008
- co-sponsor of HB6, requiring custodial interrogations in capital cases be recorded.
2006
- voted for Healthy Air Act in 2006
2005
- voted against slot machines in 2005
- voted for "No-Knock" Warrants,
1998
- voted for income tax reduction in 1998
Awards and honors
- 2010 Most Influential Maryland Legislators