Susan C. Lee


Susan Clair Lee is a member of the Maryland State Senate. She was elected to the Maryland State Senate on November 4, 2014 and had previously served in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2002. She is the Senate Majority Whip, a Member of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, Safe Harbor Youth Victims of Human Trafficking Workgroup, Governor's Family Violence Council, and the Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Biotechnology, CoChair of the Maryland Cybersecurity Council Law, Policy & Legislation Subcommittee and Chair of the Maryland Legislative Asian American & Pacific Islander Caucus. Lee was the Senate Lead Sponsor of the Maryland Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. She represents District 16, which is located in Montgomery County, and includes parts of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, Kensington, Cabin John, Glen Echo, and Rockville. She is the first Asian American elected to the Maryland State Senate and was the first Asian American woman and first Chinese American to be elected to the Maryland legislature. While in the House of Delegates, she was a member of the House Judiciary Committee, a Deputy Majority Whip, Vice Chair of the Montgomery County House Delegation, Chair of the Subcommittee on Family Law, Co Chair of the Maryland Commission on Cyber Security Innovation and Excellence, the Nanobiotechnology Task Force and the Identity Theft Task Force. Lee was elected to serve two terms as President of the Women Legislators of Maryland and led efforts to pass an aggressive agenda of laws to fight domestic violence and human trafficking, economically empower women, reduce health care disparities, and obtain funding for rape crisis centers. She received the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women's Legislative Leadership Award, inducted into the Human Rights Hall of Fame of Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Women's History Archives and honored by the Maryland Chapter of the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society for her work in advancing healthcare technology and reform. Lee received an Award from the Maryland National Organization for Women for her leadership and work on legislation while President of the Women’s Caucus, particularly the law authorizing the placement of Marylander and American hero Harriet Tubman’s statue in the U.S. Capitol.

Early years

Lee was born in San Antonio, Texas. She grew up in Montgomery County and attended Winston Churchill High School. She earned a BA from the University of Maryland College Park before graduating from the University of San Francisco School of Law. Lee is an attorney in private practice, and previously worked as an attorney for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

In the Legislature

Lee has been on the forefront of identity theft, online fraud, consumer protection, cyber security, telemedicine, and bioscience issues. She authored the landmark Maryland Security Freeze legislation, the nation’s first ever identity theft pretexting law, introduced and passed Maryland's first Telemedicine law, a law to create the Maryland Commission on Cyber Security Innovation and Excellence, and other legislation to promote bioscience and emerging technologies. Lee has sponsored and seen passed legislation to fight identity theft, online fraud, cyber attacks, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, child and senior abuse; promote bioscience, nanobiotechnology, IT, green and emerging technologies; provide access to quality and affordable healthcare, fully fund education, keep college affordable, and protect the environment. Her work as a legislator and community activist has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Maryland Progressive Leader Award, the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Merit Award, the Out for Justice Award of Equality Maryland, the Community Service Award of the League of Korean Americans, Organization of Chinese Americans Leadership Award, Elizabeth Scull Outstanding Community Service Award, Charles E. Smith Life Communities Chairman's Award, Village of Friendship Heights Community Service Award, MD NOW Leadership Recognition Award, and inclusion in Maryland's Top 100 Women.

Legislative notes