Brian Frosh

Background

Born on October 8, 1946, Attorney General Brian Frosh grew up in Montgomery County attending Bradley Elementary, North Bethesda Junior High School, and Walter Johnson High School. He received a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University and a law degree from the Columbia University School of Law. After joining the Maryland Bar in 1972, he worked in private practice, which he continues to maintain in downtown Bethesda. He and his wife have two daughters. As both a delegate and senator, Brian Frosh has represented Maryland's District 16, which includes parts of Chevy Chase, Bethesda, and Potomac.

Attorney General's Race of 2014

On October 9, 2012, Senator Frosh announced that he had formed an exploratory committee for election to Attorney General. On July 30, 2013, he officially announced his decision to run.

Frosh was able to accumulate a range of endorsements at the outset. In December 2013, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced his support of Frosh, citing Frosh’s leading role in passing Maryland’s Firearm Safety Act as a reason for his endorsement. "Reducing gun violence in America is a moral and social imperative," Bloomberg told The Washington Post. "No one has done more in Maryland than Brian Frosh to lead the fight against illegal guns and to protect citizens from incidents of gun violence."

Frosh has also been endorsed by organizations including the Fraternal Order of Police, Maryland Sierra Club, Maryland League of Conservation Voters, Equality Maryland, MD-DC AFL-CIO, Casa in Action and the Professional Firefighters of Maryland.

On May 8, The Washington Post endorsed Frosh, calling him "one of the most admired, intelligent, civil and hardworking lawmakers in Annapolis," and that he has been, "one of the Senate’s most effective strategists in tackling gun violence."

Former Maryland Attorneys General Steve Sachs and Joe Curran have also announced their support of Frosh, along with Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker, State’s Attorney of Prince George’s County Angela Alsobrooks and U.S. Congressman Chris Van Hollen.

On May 6, 2013, The Baltimore Sun reported that one of Frosh's opponents, Jon S. Cardin, missed nearly 75 percent of his votes in the Ways and Means Committee during the legislative session of 2014. When asked by The Sun for a response, Frosh said, "I can’t think of any explanation for it that would be excused or acceptable. If you’re a legislator, that’s what you’re elected to do: Vote. If you’re not voting, you’re not doing your job."

The issue became hotly contested in the first debate between all three Democratic candidates for Attorney General—Frosh, Cardin, and Del. Aisha Braveboy of Prince George’s County. After Cardin cited his family obligations as the cause for his missed votes, Frosh challenged his explanation. "Can you imagine a firefighter saying, 'you know, I know those 75 houses burned down, but I wanted to spend more time with my family,'" he said.

A second debate for the Democratic primary for Attorney General was scheduled for June 9.

Public Service Awards

In the legislature

Senator Frosh was re-elected by a wide margin in the previous two elections, winning more than 75 percent of the vote in 2006, and 70 percent of the vote in 2010.

As senator, Brian Frosh served as chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee and vice-chair of the Rules Committee. He was a member of the Executive Nominations Committee, Legislative Policy Committee, Special Committee on State Employee Rights and Protections, and Joint Oversight Committee on the Department of Juvenile Services. Frosh had also been a member of a number of other committees since he began serving in the Senate in January 1995. Over 16 years in the Senate, he gained a reputation for championing progressive causes while maintaining good relations with moderate Democrats.

Prior to serving in the Senate, Frosh represented Montgomery County in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1987 to 1995. In this role, he was a member of the Environmental Matters Committee, Tort and Insurance Reform Oversight Committee, and Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics.

A Montgomery County native, Senator Frosh brought state funding into the district to build the Capital Crescent Trail, build sound barriers, and fund programs like those at the National Center for Children and Families, the Ivymount School, Imagination Stage, Adventure Theatre and Glen Echo Park.

Environment

As a key environmentalist in the General Assembly for nearly 20 years, Senator Frosh supported policies protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, preserving open space, and cleaning up air pollution in Maryland. Frosh was chairman of the Senate's Environmental Subcommittee from 1995 to 2003. He continued to serve on the Joint Committee on Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas and on the multi-state Chesapeake Bay Commission, which he chaired in 2001. Senator Frosh authored measures banning oil drilling in the Chesapeake, establishing statewide recycling programs, promoting cleanup of contaminated industrial sites, and a constitutional amendment requiring that the legislature approve the sale of any state land.

In recognition of his environmental work, Senator Frosh was named "Public Official of the Year" by the Audubon Naturalist Society and "Conservationist of the Year" by the Sierra Club, and has been awarded the prestigious "John V. Kabler Memorial Award" by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters.

Protecting the Public

As a senator, Frosh sought to enact legislation that provides adequate protection and support to minors, foster care children, youth involved in the juvenile justice system and adults threatened by domestic violence disputes. In 2009, for instance, Senator Frosh proposed changing the laws on protective orders to better protect domestic abuse victims against gun violence, and in 2011, sought to provide temporary lodging for domestic violence victims.

Senator Frosh also sponsored legislation modernizing the child support guidelines that courts use to set child support payments, which hadn’t been revised since 1989. For his effort, Frosh received the “Champion of Children” award from the Maryland Department of Human Resources and the Family and Juvenile Law Section of the Maryland Bar Association.

In 2010, Senator Frosh fought to enact legislation that would give the court the ability to put serious juvenile sex offenders on a registry.

Public Education

As senator, Frosh worked to improve education, one of his key priorities, and to reduce tuition costs at Maryland's public colleges and universities. He drafted the law that provides a waiver of tuition and fees to state universities for children in foster care. Additionally, former Senator Frosh worked to restore adequate funding for higher education and to make tuition affordable for students and their families.

Energy

As senator, Frosh believed that conserving energy and investing in alternative energy sources are vital to maintaining control of the energy crisis looming over our nation. Former Senator Frosh worked on a number of bills promoting energy efficiency, holding down energy costs and reducing the environmental impacts of energy production and use.

Former Senator Frosh was a vocal advocate for establishing service standards and imposing penalties if electric utilities like Pepco failed to provide reliable service. In 2010, Frosh called on the Public Service Commission to investigate Pepco, and in 2011 introduced legislation calling for regulations and stiff penalties. Although Senator Frosh’s original legislation passed the Senate, ultimately, the House would only enact penalties that were more lenient than Frosh’s proposal.

Privacy and Consumer Law

As chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, former Senator Frosh had responsibility for legislation in the Senate dealing with privacy and consumer laws. He sponsored bills protecting the privacy of citizens’ personal information in Motor Vehicle Administration files and authorizing Maryland’s Attorney General to prosecute violators of Federal anti-telemarketing regulations. The Judicial Proceedings Committee approved legislation establishing a task force to recommend identity theft remedies, beefing up the original bill at former Senator Frosh’s recommendation to pay specific attention to protecting social security numbers. Former Senator Frosh has also sponsored bills banning minimum price fixing and creating new tools to crack down on people who defraud the State’s Medicare program.

Legal career

Brian Frosh joined the Maryland Bar in 1971 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1972. He was a partner at the law offices of Karp, Frosh, Lapidus, Wigodsky, & Norwood, P.A working in business litigation, commercial litigation, and real estate law. Since state law bans Attorney generals and judges to continue private practice he is no longer a partner.

Task Force, Boards and Commissions

2012- Frosh was appointed by Maryland legislative leaders to chair a task force to study the impact of a Maryland Court of Appeals ruling regarding the liability of owners of pit bulls and landlords that rent to them.

Awards

Ethics

In 2004 The Washington Post reported that an ethics complaint had been filed by Audrey P. Corsonag, M.D., against Frosh for helping to kill a bill that would have limited medical malpractice payouts. The complaint alleged that Frosh had a conflict of interest because of his partnership in a law firm of which certain members handled medical malpractice cases, though Frosh does not handle those kinds of cases. In response, according to the Post, "Frosh said his partnership arrangement with the firm does not let him share in earnings from cases in which he was not personally involved. And to his recollection, he said, he has handled only one Maryland malpractice case in recent years." Frosh also stated that prior to his vote on the bill he had consulted with the General Assembly's ethics adviser, William G. Somerville, who stated that Frosh had no conflict of interest, was "on solid ground," and under the law, could vote on the bill. "We've got lawyers, doctors and insurance agents in the legislature," Frosh said, "and, to some extent, all of us have an indirect financial interest in this legislation." The Post further noted, "Many lawmakers wind up voting on bills that could have a direct effect on their professions. Typically, legislators are asked to recuse themselves from debate only if a measure would enrich them personally, rather than simply benefit their profession." In light of the facts, Frosh was not required to recuse himself and nothing came of the complaint.