Mary Beth Carozza

Mary Beth Carozza (born February 13, 1961) is an American politician who is a Republican member of the Maryland State Senate, representing District 38.

Carozza was born on February 13, 1961, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Her family moved to the Eastern Shore when she was in the fifth grade and spent her summers working in her parents' business, Beefy's. She attended Stephen Decatur High School in Berlin, Maryland and received a B.A. in political philosophy and an M.A. in American government from the Catholic University of America in 1983.

For most of her career prior to her election to the legislature, she worked as a staffer for Congressional Republicans, including Senators William Cohen and Susan Collins, and U.S. Representatives Mike DeWine, Dave Hobson and Steve Stivers.

She also worked as the Deputy Chief of Staff under Governor Robert Ehrlich, where she got to know Larry Hogan, Ehrlich's appointments secretary.

In 2013, Carozza filed to run for state delegate in the newly created 38C district.

She was the only Republican to declare her candidacy for the seat.

She defeated Democrat Judy Davis in the general election with 74 percent of the vote.

She previous represented District 38C in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2019.

Carozza was sworn in as a member of House of Delegates on January 12, 2015, and appointed to the House Appropriations Committee.

In 2015, Carozza spearheaded an effort to encourage the United States Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the inlet of Ocean City, Maryland, arguing that the shallow water in the inlet puts the economy of Worcester County in jeopardy.

Following Carozza's request, the Army Corps of Engineers announced plans to dredge the inlet in August 2015.

Following a string of false bomb threats made against schools and other public facilities across Delmarva in early 2016, Carozza introduced legislation that would strengthen punishments for those who make fake bomb threats.

The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Hogan on May 19, 2016.

During the 2016 legislative session, she introduced legislation that would authorize the use of hydraulic dredging to catch hard-shell clams between the Verrazano Bridge and the Maryland-Virginia state line.

In November 2017, Carozza, with the backing of Governor Hogan, announced her candidacy to the Maryland Senate, seeking to challenge Democratic state senator Jim Mathias, a top Republican target, in the 2018 state senate elections.

She defeated Mathias in the general election, receiving 53 percent of the vote.

Following several serious boating incidents in Ocean City, Maryland, Carozza introduced legislation in the 2017 legislative session that would ban bow riding.

Carozza introduced legislation in the 2017 legislative session that would increase the penalties for causing life-threatening injuries while operating a vehicle negligently.

Carozza opposed legislation introduced in the 2017 legislative session that would boost the state's renewable energy standards.

Carozza introduced legislation in the 2018 legislative session that would allow Worcester County to increase its beer production from 15,500 gallons to 31,000 gallons each year.

The bill passed and was signed into law in March 2018.

Following several troubling motorized special events in Ocean City, Carozza introduced legislation during the 2018 legislative session that would allow for the creation of special event enforcement zones to enforce enhanced fines and penalties on reckless drivers.

She also questioned legislation that expands required training for school resource officers to include restorative approaches and prevents officers from enforcing discipline except to prevent or intervene in a situation where "serious bodily injury with an imminent threat of serious harm" is at stake, referring to the 2018 shooting at Great Mills High School in Southern Maryland.

Carozza was sworn in as a member of the Maryland Senate on January 9, 2019.

She currently serves as the policy and communications chair of the Maryland Senate Republican Caucus.

Carozza introduced legislation in the 2022 legislative session that would exempt farm structures used for agritourism activities from certain requirements typically applied to commercial buildings.

The bill received a favorable report from the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee.

Carozza introduced legislation in the 2019 legislative session that would decrease the permitted proximity of liquor stores to churches, schools, public libraries, and youth centers in Somerset County from 300 feet to 200 feet.

The bill passed and became law without Governor Hogan's signature on May 25, 2019.

In March 2021, Carozza voted in favor of legislation that would continue the practice of selling beer, wine, and spirits through carryout or delivery for off-site consumption.

The bill passed and became law.

Carozza introduced legislation in the 2022 legislative session that would abolish Somerset County's alcohol dispensary system, which requires that liquor be purchased through county-run stores, and create a $5,000 license fee for business owners that want to sell liquor.

In January 2022, the Maryland Humane Society Legislative Fund gave Carozza a score of 100 percent in their annual legislative scorecard.

The bill was reintroduced during the 2019 and 2021 legislative sessions.

The bill passed and became law.

She introduced legislation aimed at strengthening the penalties for violations in these special event zones during the 2019 and 2021 legislative sessions.

Carozza opposed legislation introduced during the 2019 legislative session that would allow Maryland public schools to start before Labor Day.

The Maryland General Assembly voted to override Hogan's veto on the bill in March 2019.

Carozza opposed legislation introduced during the 2021 legislative session that would give collective bargaining rights to full- and part-time employees at all of the state's community colleges.