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ABOUT ME

Hi, I'm Dana!

Dana Jones was born and raised in Cumberland, Maryland and attended Towson University where she graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. Before joining the Maryland Legislature, Dana spent 23 years working with elected officials including serving as a Legislative Assistant to then-Congressman Benjamin Cardin (MD-3) on Capitol Hill, as a Senior Researcher at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Senior staff at EMILY's List and partner in her own national consulting firm. 

 

In 2020, just days after a statewide stay-at-home order was issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dana was chosen by the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee and appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to represent District 30A in the Maryland General Assembly. Immediately following her appointment, Dana began the hands-on work needed to help her constituents get through the global COVID-19 pandemic. This included handing out much-needed supplies at distributions throughout the district, helping constituents get their Unemployment Insurance and SNAP benefits, and working with local officials to get broadband access to students who need it. In the fall of 2021, when an EF-2 tornado and historic flooding hit her district, she worked relentlessly alongside her colleagues to ensure that her most vulnerable residents were not left behind and had access to much-needed relief from the State. Constituent services continue to be a main priority for her and her staff. 

 

Dana currently serves on the Appropriations Committee, where she is the Vice Chair of the Health and Social Services Subcommittee, and a member of the Oversight Committee on Pensions. Additionally, she was selected by Speaker Adrienne Jones to serve on the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review during the 2023 Session. The Committee reviews proposed State agency regulations, as well as alleged failures of State officers, to ensure compliance with Maryland statute or constitutional law. In her first year in office, she passed all four of the bills that she introduced through the House, two of which were signed into law by Governor Hogan, and has helped over 1000 constituents get their unemployment benefits - navigating a notoriously broken unemployment system during the pandemic. 

 

In her first legislative session, Dana working with her fellow Delegation members, in coordination with the Governor’s Office, helped to secure over $10 million in funding for her district. This infusion of  much needed state funding helped capital projects for numerous projects, a variety of community organizations and the "Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT)" program for the City of Annapolis. This $760,500 program supports services that the City provides to State buildings, including police, fire, first responder, and snow removal. Following her first session in office, She was appointed as Chair of the Anne Arundel County Delegation’s Education subcommittee. 

 

This past Session, Dana and her colleagues, brought home nearly $70 million for over two dozen projects throughout the district. She co-sponsored 33 pieces of legislation that included $300 million in tax cuts and passed six bills that will support small businesses, make voting more accessible, & help protect our students' data and privacy. She helped pass landmark legislation that will provide $2 billion dollars of tax relief for retirees. Additionally, she was elected by her colleagues to serve on the executive committee of the Maryland Women’s Caucus.

 

She and her family are active with numerous local community organizations here in Annapolis & Anne Arundel county and most weekends can be found volunteering or at a youth sports event for their son with their puppy, Annie Chesapeake.

 

Membership: 

  • Appropriations Committee

  • Vice Chair: Health and Social Services Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee

  • Oversight Committee on Pensions Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee

  • Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive, and Legislative Review 

  • Member, Maryland's Student Data Privacy Council

  • Women Legislators of Maryland - Executive Board Member

  • Transportation Caucus

  • Veterans Caucus

 

Awards While in Office & Local Awards: 

 

  • Fannie Lou Hamer Award Winner, 2022

  • Michelle Obama Award, Anne Arundel County and The Caucus of African American Leaders, 2021

  • New Leaders Honoree, Leadership Anne Arundel, 2020

  • Jennifer Summers Barrett Volunteer of the Year Award, Junior League of Annapolis, 2019.

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