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Kumar Barve
Kumar Prabhakar Barve (Marathi: कुमार प्रभाकर बर्वे; born September 8, 1958) is an American Democratic Party politician. He is a member of the Maryland Public Service Commission, to which he was appointed by Governor Wes Moore in May 2023. He was previously a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing district 17 in Montgomery County, from 1991 to 2023. He was the first Indian-American to be elected to a state legislature in the United States. From 2002 to 2015, Barve served as Majority Leader of the House of Delegates.
His legislative work focused largely on protecting the environment, improving health care, and the promotion of the high-tech industry in Maryland. In 2015, he was appointed to chair the House Environment and Transportation Committee, which oversees transportation, the environment, agriculture, ethics, and housing and real property law. He sponsored both the 1995 Health Access Act that place limits on HMOs for the first time and legislation that created the Technology Development Corporation of Maryland.[citation needed]
He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2016 in Maryland's 8th congressional district, losing the Democratic Primary to the eventual winner, State Senator Jamie Raskin.
Barve was born on September 8, 1958, in Schenectady, New York, to a Marathi father Prabhaker B. "Balu" and a Marathi-American mother Neera P. (née Gokhale) Barve. His maternal grandparents moved from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India to Schenectady as his grandfather, Shankar Laxman Gokhale was a professor. Shankar Gokhale was born in Wai, Maharashtra.
The Barve family later moved to Maryland, where he attended Paint Branch High School in Silver Spring. In 1980, Barve graduated from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business with a B.S. degree in Accounting.
Barve was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1990, finishing third in the contest for district 17's three seats behind incumbents Jennie M. Forehand and Mike Gordon but ahead of four other challengers. As a result of his victory, Barve became the first Indian-American to serve in a state legislature. He took office in January, 1991, and was appointed to the House Economic Matters Committee, which considers legislation related to business and labor policy and regulation.
After his first re-election in 1994, Barve rose in leadership with his appointment as chair of a subcommittee, first the Real Property subcommittee in 1995 and 1996, and later the Science and Technology Subcommittee from 1997 to 2003. Also in 1995, he was elected to chair the Montgomery County Delegation to Annapolis. Barve was re-elected in 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010.
Following the election of a new Speaker, Michael E. Busch, in 2003, Barve was appointed to serve as majority leader, the leader of the Democratic majority and second in command to the Speaker. He served for two years on the Environmental Matters Committee before moving again to the Ways and Means Committee, where he oversaw tax policy as Chair of the Revenues Subcommittee from 2007 to 2010. In additional, he serves on a number of major joint committees, including the Legislative Policy Committee, Spending Affordability Committee, as chair of the Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee, and as house chair of the Joint Committee on Transparency and Open Government.
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Kumar Barve
Kumar Prabhakar Barve (Marathi: कुमार प्रभाकर बर्वे; born September 8, 1958) is an American Democratic Party politician. He is a member of the Maryland Public Service Commission, to which he was appointed by Governor Wes Moore in May 2023. He was previously a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing district 17 in Montgomery County, from 1991 to 2023. He was the first Indian-American to be elected to a state legislature in the United States. From 2002 to 2015, Barve served as Majority Leader of the House of Delegates.
His legislative work focused largely on protecting the environment, improving health care, and the promotion of the high-tech industry in Maryland. In 2015, he was appointed to chair the House Environment and Transportation Committee, which oversees transportation, the environment, agriculture, ethics, and housing and real property law. He sponsored both the 1995 Health Access Act that place limits on HMOs for the first time and legislation that created the Technology Development Corporation of Maryland.[citation needed]
He unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2016 in Maryland's 8th congressional district, losing the Democratic Primary to the eventual winner, State Senator Jamie Raskin.
Barve was born on September 8, 1958, in Schenectady, New York, to a Marathi father Prabhaker B. "Balu" and a Marathi-American mother Neera P. (née Gokhale) Barve. His maternal grandparents moved from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India to Schenectady as his grandfather, Shankar Laxman Gokhale was a professor. Shankar Gokhale was born in Wai, Maharashtra.
The Barve family later moved to Maryland, where he attended Paint Branch High School in Silver Spring. In 1980, Barve graduated from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business with a B.S. degree in Accounting.
Barve was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1990, finishing third in the contest for district 17's three seats behind incumbents Jennie M. Forehand and Mike Gordon but ahead of four other challengers. As a result of his victory, Barve became the first Indian-American to serve in a state legislature. He took office in January, 1991, and was appointed to the House Economic Matters Committee, which considers legislation related to business and labor policy and regulation.
After his first re-election in 1994, Barve rose in leadership with his appointment as chair of a subcommittee, first the Real Property subcommittee in 1995 and 1996, and later the Science and Technology Subcommittee from 1997 to 2003. Also in 1995, he was elected to chair the Montgomery County Delegation to Annapolis. Barve was re-elected in 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010.
Following the election of a new Speaker, Michael E. Busch, in 2003, Barve was appointed to serve as majority leader, the leader of the Democratic majority and second in command to the Speaker. He served for two years on the Environmental Matters Committee before moving again to the Ways and Means Committee, where he oversaw tax policy as Chair of the Revenues Subcommittee from 2007 to 2010. In additional, he serves on a number of major joint committees, including the Legislative Policy Committee, Spending Affordability Committee, as chair of the Joint Information Technology and Biotechnology Committee, and as house chair of the Joint Committee on Transparency and Open Government.
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