J. B. Jennings

Jonathan Bartlett Jennings (born March 27, 1974) is an American politician and farmer who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate representing the seventh district since 2011.

Jonathan Bartlett Jennings was born in Baltimore on March 27, 1974.

Jennings worked as a full-time Black Angus cattle farmer from 1992 to 2008, becoming a part-time beef and horse farmer after joining the Maryland Air National Guard.

He grew up in Phoenix, Maryland, and graduated from Dulaney High School, and later attended Essex Community College, where he earned an associate degree in 1995, and the University of Baltimore, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration in 1997.

Jennings first became involved in politics as a staff assistant to U.S. Representative Bob Ehrlich from 1997 to 1998.

In 2000, Jennings won in the White Marlin Open after reeling in a 158-pound shark, for which he was awarded $6,500.

Jennings ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in 2002, on a platform that included issues involving school crowding and over-development.

A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the district in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2003 to 2011, and served as the minority leader of the Senate from 2014 to 2020.

He was sworn in on January 8, 2003.

He served as a member of the Environmental Matters Committee and as a deputy minority whip from 2003 to 2006, afterwards serving in the Ways and Means Committee from 2007 to 2009 and the Judiciary Committee from 2009 to 2011.

Jennings supports the expansion of gambling in Maryland, but voted against a bill in 2007 to create a statewide referendum on establishing casinos at five locations in the state, which he called "the hardest vote" he ever had to take.

Jennings opposes gun control laws, instead preferring reforms to mental health services.

In 2008, Jennings lost 51 lb to enlist in the Maryland Air National Guard.

In October 2009, after state senator Andy Harris announced that he would run for Congress in Maryland's 1st congressional district in 2010, Jennings entered the race to succeed him.

In the Republican primary election, he faced former Maryland Insurance Commissioner Alfred W. Redmer Jr., whom he defeated with 61 percent of the vote.

During the 2009 legislative session, Jennings introduced legislation to allow farmers to sell raw milk to consumers who buy a "cow share".

As an Airman 1st Class, he was activated for military service at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia during his first term as a state senator in 2011, causing him to miss the entire session.

Jennings also co-owns the Mill of Hereford, an animal feed store, owns his own consulting company, and serves as a volunteer firefighter for the Jacksonville Volunteer Fire Company.

Jennings was sworn into the Maryland Senate on January 12, 2011.

He served as a member of the Health and Environmental Affairs Committee from 2011 to 2015, afterwards serving in the Finance Committee until 2023, when he was assigned to the Budget and Taxation Committee.

During the 2013 legislative session, Jennings was one of five Republicans to vote for a bill to provide $1 billion toward renovations to Baltimore public schools.

During the 2013 legislative session, after a student was suspended for two days for making a gun-shaped pastry, Jennings introduced a bill to ban schools from suspending children who make gun gestures.

He also opposed the Firearm Safety Act, a bill that placed restrictions on firearm purchases and magazine capacity in semi-automatic rifles, and attended a rally outside the Maryland State House to protest the legislation.

In November 2014, after Senate minority leader David R. Brinkley was defeated in the Republican primary election, Senate Republicans voted to elect Jennings as the next minority leader.

In this capacity, he pushed for legislation introduced by Governor Larry Hogan, which were generally business-friendly and against tax increases.

Jennings was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention, pledged to businessman Donald Trump.

In an interview with The Baltimore Sun following Maryland's presidential primaries, he said that he was "neutral" in the presidential election and held concerns about Trump and his communication style, but said he would support him as the party's nominee.

Jennings is married to his wife, Michelle Slusher.

Together, they have two children and live in Joppa, Maryland.

In March 2017, Jennings launched a filibuster against a bill to prohibit the state from using vouchers to improve struggling schools, during which he attempted to read off every page of the Every Student Succeeds Act.

The filibuster was ended by Senate Democrats after an hour.

During the 2019 legislative session, Jennings opposed a bill that would restore control over school calendars to local boards of education, overturning an earlier executive order by Governor Larry Hogan that mandated a post-Labor Day start for school districts.

In September 2019, Jennings expressed concern with the Blueprint for Maryland's Future Funding Formula Workgroup–which was tasked with developing funding formulas for local school systems–was creating its formulas behind closed doors, saying that it would make people "lose trust in government".

Jennings served in this position until October 2020, when he opted against running for reelection.

During the annual Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City, Jennings hosts an annual "gathering in the sand" at the Ropewalk restaurant.

The bipartisan gathering has become one of the most popular events during the annual conference.

During the 2020 legislative session, Jennings voted against overriding Governor Larry Hogan's veto of a bill that prevented businesses from asking job applicants about their criminal history before the first in-person interview.

He also introduced a bill that would allow the governor to declare a state of emergency in Baltimore amid its high crime rates.

During the 2020 legislative session, he initially said that he would be willing to negotiate the education reforms proposed in the Blueprint for Maryland's Future and vowed to oppose any potential tax increases to pay for the reforms, but later said that legislators should delay passing the bill into the next year amid uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic.

During debate on the bill, he introduced an amendment to minimize student-to-teacher ratios in public schools, which was adopted by the Senate.