Kumar P. Barve

Infobox_State Representative
name = Kumar P. Barve


width = 160px
height = 160px
caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1958|09|08
birth_place = Schenectady, New York
residence = Montgomery County, Maryland
death_date =
death_place =
term_start = 1991
term_end = present
state_delegate = Maryland
district = 17^th
predecessor =
successor =
party = Democrat
religion = Hindu
occupation =Financial officer
majority =
relations =
spouse = Maureen Quinn
children =
footnotes =

Kumar P. Barve (Marathi:कुमार बर्वे) is an American politician. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing district 17 in Montgomery County.cite web|url=http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/msa12183.html|title=Kumar P. Barve, Maryland State Delegate|date=2008-03-06|accessdate=2008-03-21|work=Maryland House of Delegates]

Biography

Kumar Barve graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A. in Accounting. First elected in 1990, and re-elected four times — in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006, Barve is the Majority Leader in the House of Delegates and is the longest-serving elected official of Indian origin.Fact|date=March 2008 Despite having called for stricter drunk driving legislation, Barve was arrested for drunk driving in Gaithersburg in December 2007 [http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=598&sid=1302109] .

Legislative career

In the Maryland legislature, Barve is the Majority Leader and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. He previously chaired the Science & Technology Sub-Committee of the House Committee on Economic Matters.Barve introduced and helped enact the Patient Access Act—the first bill in the nation to regulate HMOs. It has since been copied by 34 states. The Act permits patients to see doctors outside of their HMO network, prohibited "gag" rules on health-care providers that jeopardized patient care, and prohibited financial incentives that curtailed and compromised care.Barve was, also, one of the architects of the Maryland law that banned insurance companies from using pre-existing conditions to deny coverage. Additionally, Barve authored Maryland's version of the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA). The Act both affirms the intellectual-property rights of software developers and provides unprecedented consumer protections to purchasers of computer equipment.In 1999, Barve's bill to define the powers of corporations in making certain gifts passed both houses and was signed by the governor. cite web|url=http://house.state.md.us/1999rs/billfile/hb0154.htm|title=BILL INFO-1999 Regular Session-HB 154|work=Maryland House of Delegates|date=2005-05-13|accessdate=2008-03-12] Barve created the Technology Development Corporation of Maryland, which has become the central focal point for fostering high-technology development in Maryland. He has endorsed Barack Obama for President.cite news|url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/annapolis/2008/02/a_wave_of_late_endorsements.html|title=A Wave of Late Endorsements|date=2008-02-12|accessdate=2008-03-21|work=Washington Post|first=John|last=Wagner]

Legislative notes

* voted for the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2007 (HB359) ^{[http://mlis.state.md.us/2007rs/billfile/HB0359.htm]}
* voted for the Healthy Air Act in 2006 (SB154) ^{[http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/votes/house/0942.htm]}
* voted against slots in 2005 (HB1361) ^{[http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/votes/house/0152.htm]}
* voted for electric deregulation in 1999 (HB703) ^{[http://mlis.state.md.us/1999rs/votes/house/0870.htm]}
* voted for income tax reduction in 1998 (SB750) ^{[http://mlis.state.md.us/1998rs/votes/house/1229.htm]}
* voted in favor of the Tax Reform Act of 2007 (HB2) ^{[http://www.mdchamber.org/docs/ss_hb2.pdf]}
* voted in favor of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in 2007 (HB6) ^{[http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/votes/house/0690.htm]}

Achievements and awards

Barve, currently the Majority Leader, was the Chairman of the Montgomery County delegation, the largest jurisdiction in the State of Maryland. He has received the Legislator of the Year Award from the Montgomery County Medical Society an unprecedented four times. The Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun have endorsed Barve in past racescite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/09/AR2006090900787.html|title=Choices in Montgomery|date=2006-09-10|accessdate=2008-03-21|work=Washington Post] . He won his last election by roughly 62%Clarifyme|date=March 2008.

References