Maria Sachs
Encyclopedia
Maria Lorts Sachs is a Delray Beach, Florida
attorney and Democratic
member of the Florida State Senate, serving the 30th District since 2010. Previously, she served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives
from 2007 to 2010.
She was first elected to the Florida House in 2006 and was re-elected in 2008. She had campaigned on making improvements to the juvenile justice system and employment equality for women. On June 18, 2010, when no one qualified to run against her, Sachs elevated to the State Senate to fill the seat left behind when former State Sen. Ted Deutch
was elected to Congress
.
, Maria Sachs is the daughter of Anna Lonigro and the late Russell Lorts, who earned two Purple Hearts during World War II
. Her parents met when Russell, a commissioned officer, was part of the Allied
operations that liberated southern Italy
in 1945. He met his wife, Anna, while marching through Naples
to the Allied headquarters. The two of them returned, married, to Russell's dairy farm in Michigan.
Maria's childhood was spent in several states, as her father's position in the military meant frequent travel. She spent her youth in Michigan
, Indiana
and California
. She attended Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, California. When she was 18, her father brought his family to Southeast Asia. She volunteered at the Malaria Control Center in upcountry Thailand while her father served in Vietnam
. She also worked as a nurse’s assistant at the Air Force military hospital.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Maryland
, from which she graduated cum laude. She later became a lecturer of International Politics for the University of Maryland
at military bases throughout Western Europe and North Africa. She earned a Master's Degree in International Political Affairs from Boston University. Following her Master's Degree, Maria returned to the States to pursue a law degree at the University of Miami
. She is a member of both the California and Florida Bar.
’s direction, and in 1985 moved to Palm Beach County, where she set up a successful private practice.
Sachs is the founder and president of a professional women’s organization, The Women for Excellence. The WE has over 150 members and continues to meet monthly. She was also the past president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Broward Chapter, and is a member of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Women’s Organization, and the National Organization for Women
.
On September 21, 2011, Senator Maria Sachs was named as the new Senate Whip for the Florida Senate Democratic Caucus.
"I am honored to serve as the new Senate Democratic Whip . . . I will bring energy and a strong voice in fighting for Democratic principles in our state", said Senator Maria Sachs.
As a legislator, in both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate, Maria Sachs has sponsored and passed the following pieces of legislation:
In an editorial published in the Miami Herald on May 31, 2010, retired U.S. Army officer Lettie J. Bien wrote about Safeguarding Our Seniors legislation:
for over 25 years. Peter, born in a camp for Jewish refugees in Germany
, was raised in New York
and moved to South Florida
in 1973.
Maria is the mother of three children: Natasha, Marcello and Taylor.
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,020. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S...
attorney and Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Florida State Senate, serving the 30th District since 2010. Previously, she served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The House is composed of 120 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 156,677.The House convenes at...
from 2007 to 2010.
She was first elected to the Florida House in 2006 and was re-elected in 2008. She had campaigned on making improvements to the juvenile justice system and employment equality for women. On June 18, 2010, when no one qualified to run against her, Sachs elevated to the State Senate to fill the seat left behind when former State Sen. Ted Deutch
Ted Deutch
Theodore E. "Ted" Deutch is the U.S. Representative for , serving since April 15, 2010. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the Florida Senate.- Early life, education, and law career:...
was elected to Congress
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
Early life
A native of Battle Creek, MichiganBattle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, Maria Sachs is the daughter of Anna Lonigro and the late Russell Lorts, who earned two Purple Hearts during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Her parents met when Russell, a commissioned officer, was part of the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
operations that liberated southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1945. He met his wife, Anna, while marching through Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
to the Allied headquarters. The two of them returned, married, to Russell's dairy farm in Michigan.
Maria's childhood was spent in several states, as her father's position in the military meant frequent travel. She spent her youth in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. She attended Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, California. When she was 18, her father brought his family to Southeast Asia. She volunteered at the Malaria Control Center in upcountry Thailand while her father served in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. She also worked as a nurse’s assistant at the Air Force military hospital.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
, from which she graduated cum laude. She later became a lecturer of International Politics for the University of Maryland
University of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
at military bases throughout Western Europe and North Africa. She earned a Master's Degree in International Political Affairs from Boston University. Following her Master's Degree, Maria returned to the States to pursue a law degree at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
. She is a member of both the California and Florida Bar.
Career and community
She began her law career under Janet RenoJanet Reno
Janet Wood Reno is a former Attorney General of the United States . She was nominated by President Bill Clinton on February 11, 1993, and confirmed on March 11...
’s direction, and in 1985 moved to Palm Beach County, where she set up a successful private practice.
Sachs is the founder and president of a professional women’s organization, The Women for Excellence. The WE has over 150 members and continues to meet monthly. She was also the past president of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers, Broward Chapter, and is a member of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Women’s Organization, and the National Organization for Women
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women is the largest feminist organization in the United States. It was founded in 1966 and has a membership of 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S...
.
On September 21, 2011, Senator Maria Sachs was named as the new Senate Whip for the Florida Senate Democratic Caucus.
"I am honored to serve as the new Senate Democratic Whip . . . I will bring energy and a strong voice in fighting for Democratic principles in our state", said Senator Maria Sachs.
As a legislator, in both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate, Maria Sachs has sponsored and passed the following pieces of legislation:
- 2007: HB 699 - Preference in Public Employment for Veterans: Repealed provisions of law which provided that preference given to specified veterans and spouses thereof in public employment and retention in public employment shall expire after single application of such preference.
- 2007: CS/SB 1770 (HB 863) – Technology to Supplement Visitation (SPCC): Authorized the court to order electronic communication between parents and children.
- 2008: SB 1908 (HB 207) – Education: Expanded the world languages for which subject area examinations may be required by the State Board of Education to include Arabic, Chinese, PersianPersian languagePersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, French, German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. - 2008: CS/SB 1474 (HB 1297) – Dissolution of Marriage: Authorized the court to enter an interim order during a dissolution of marriage proceeding to allow for partial distribution of martial assets and liabilities if good cause is shown. The bill also specified the burden of proof necessary to overcome the gift presumption and abolished special equity.
- 2010: HR 9107 - Florida's Athletic and the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness: Honoring Florida's athletes for their athletic endeavors, commending the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness for its leadership, and recognizing Chris Evert for her contributions in promoting physical fitness.
- 2010: HB 1455 - Misrepresentation of Military Status: Prohibits a person from falsely representing him/her self as a member of, or representing the U.S. Armed Forces or the National Guard for the purpose of solicitation of charitable contributions or participation in chartable or sponsor sales promotion. Also prohibiting persons from wearing a uniform or any medal or insignia that is authorized only for use by members of the U.S. Armed Forces or the National Guard with the intent to misrepresent him/her self, and providing criminal penalties for such acts of misrepresentation.
- 2010: CS/CS/HB 723 – Postsecondary education: Authorized state universities and community colleges to waive tuition and fees for full-time public school classroom teachers for courses approved by the Department of Education that relate to special education, mathematics, or science, up to six credit hours.
- 2010: CS/CS/CS/SB 1196 (HB 561) – Community Associations: Revised laws related to community associations, including condominium, homeowners’, and cooperative associations.
- 2011: SR 2190 - Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Recognizes October 2011 as "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" in Florida.
Veterans and Nursing Homes
For the last seven years of his life, Maria's father, Russell, was a resident at the Extended Care Facility of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in West Palm Beach. She was profoundly dismayed by what she viewed as the lack of adequate treatment for veterans. Her first bill as a State Representative endows certain benefits to veterans in honor of their service. A second bill relating to Veterans Rights, SB1824/HB1455, passed in the spring of 2010. This bill makes it a crime to impersonate a veteran or member of the military.In an editorial published in the Miami Herald on May 31, 2010, retired U.S. Army officer Lettie J. Bien wrote about Safeguarding Our Seniors legislation:
Family
She has been married to Peter Sachs from BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
for over 25 years. Peter, born in a camp for Jewish refugees in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, was raised in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and moved to South Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1973.
Maria is the mother of three children: Natasha, Marcello and Taylor.