1. Sheree L Sample-Hughes was born on September 13,1977 and is an American politician who since 2015 has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing legislative district 37A in Dorchester and Wicomico Counties on the Eastern Shore, centered around Salisbury.
Sheree Sample-Hughes grew up in Salisbury, Maryland, and attended Parkside High School.
Sheree Sample-Hughes went on to earn a bachelor's degree in public relations from Delaware State University in 1999, and a master's degree in public administration from Wilmington University in 2014.
Sheree Sample-Hughes first got involved in public service as an affordable housing coordinator for Pocomoke City, where she worked until 2000 when she became a special events coordinator for the Governor's Office on Service and Volunteerism.
In 2006, Sheree Sample-Hughes was elected to the Wicomico County Council in District 1, which encompasses northern parts of Wicomico County and the city of Salisbury.
Sheree Sample-Hughes was the first African-American woman to serve on the county council.
Sheree Sample-Hughes was appointed as a member of the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards, which she served as the vice chair of from 2010 to 2014.
In 2014, Sample-Hughes was encouraged by incumbent state delegate Rudolph C Cane to run for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 37A, succeeding him as his health declined.
Sheree Sample-Hughes ran unopposed in the primary and general elections after Cane withdrew his candidacy.
Sheree Sample-Hughes was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 14,2015.
Sheree Sample-Hughes served as a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee until 2022, when she was moved to the Economic Matters Committee.
Since 2019, Sheree Sample-Hughes has been the only Democrat and the only person of color to represent the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the Maryland General Assembly.
From 2018 to 2019, Sheree Sample-Hughes served as the president of the Maryland Women's Legislative Caucus, becoming the first African-American to chair the caucus.
Sheree Sample-Hughes was elected to this position by the Maryland House of Delegates in January 2020.
Sheree Sample-Hughes had offered Sample-Hughes a senior leadership position, which she declined.
Sheree Sample-Hughes was a delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention, pledged to Kamala Harris.
Sheree Sample-Hughes has described herself as a "traditional Democrat", and has pointed to a divide between herself and progressive members of the legislature.
Sheree Sample-Hughes has cited Barbara Mikulski as her political role model.
Sheree Sample-Hughes supports increasing funding for school construction projects and increasing personnel pay.
Sheree Sample-Hughes has expressed concerns about Eastern Shore counties' ability to implement the Blueprint for Maryland's Future reforms, which she supports.
In 2015, Sheree Sample-Hughes expressed apprehension with proposal to adopt an elected school board in Wicomico County, saying that she worried that the school board would not accurately represent the county's diversity.
Sheree Sample-Hughes supported an unsuccessful amendment to the bill that would have allowed Eastern Shore school systems to continue using a private company for contracting its virtual education services.
Sheree Sample-Hughes introduced legislation to increase financial literacy classes in schools.
Sheree Sample-Hughes was the only Democrat to vote against the bill.
In 2019, Sheree Sample-Hughes voted against a bill banning oyster harvesting in five Chesapeake Bay sanctuaries.
Sheree Sample-Hughes later questioned the legislation, claiming it would create "unnecessary challenges" when it comes to allowing people to legally carry guns.
In October 2020, Sheree Sample-Hughes expressed concern with proposed budget cuts by Governor Larry Hogan that would've required the Maryland State Police to close one of its helicopter bases, which she feared would affect public health and safety on the Eastern Shore.
In 2019, Sheree Sample-Hughes said she supported legislation to establish the Maryland Truth and Reconciliation Commission to document racially motivated lynchings in the state's history.
Sheree Sample-Hughes later attended a rally in June 2021 to call for the removal of the Talbot Boys statue in Easton, which was the last Confederate monument on public land in Maryland.
Sheree Sample-Hughes voted against the bill again when it was reintroduced in 2023, and later said she opposed the bill because of her religious and personal beliefs.
Sheree Sample-Hughes is married to her husband, Desmond, and has two sons.
Sheree Sample-Hughes attends services at the Wesley Temple United Methodist Church in Salisbury, Maryland.