THE MAN
First elected in 1990, and re-elected three times—in 1994,1998, and 2002, Delegate Kumar P. Barve, age 48, is the Majority Leader in Maryland's state legislature and is the longest-serving elected official of Indian origin. He represents a district with a population of 110,000 in Montgomery County, Maryland. He is known for his self-effacing sense of humor, and deep commitment to his community.
THE LEADER
In the Maryland legislature, Barve is the Majority Leader. His legislative accomplishments are many and historic:
He 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.
Long before the federal government got involved, Barve was one of the architects of the Maryland law that banned insurance companies from using pre-existing conditions to deny coverage.
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.
Barve created the Technology Development Corporation of Maryland, which has become the central focal point for fostering high-technology development in Maryland.
AWARDS AND HONORS
For eight years Kumar 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 races. He won his last election by 62%.
THE BUSINESSMAN
A graduate of Georgetown University, Barve is the
CFO of a
Environmental Management Services, a company that cleans up toxic waste sites. 
AN AMERICAN PROUD OF HIS HERITAGE
Barve's grandfather, Shankar L. Gokhale, was the
President of Holkar College in Indore, India. Gokhale immigrated to the United
States in 1911. Barve's mother, Neera, was born in Schenectady, New York. His
father, Prabhakar Barve, came to the U.S. in 1957 after studying architecture at the
Hammersmith School of Building in London, England. Kumar P. Barve is the first
person of Indian origin to be elected as a state legislator in United States
history.
PERSONAL
Kumar
is 48-years-old and is married to Ms. Maureen Quinn. Maureen, an
attorney, was appointed by former Governor Parris Glendening to serve as
a member of the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission. They were
named in 2003 as one of Maryland’s top twenty “Power Couples”. Kumar, Maureen and their
extremely alert and protective Yorkshire Terrier watchdog ‘Guinness’
live in Gaithersburg. Don’t even think about breaking into their home!
Delegate Kumar P. Barve
Majority Leader
Maryland House of Delegates
426 Palmspring Drive
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
(301) 417- 0158
