Tiffany Alston is an American politician who represents district 24 in the Maryland House of Delegates

Maryland House of Delegates

The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...

.

Background

Alston was born in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 and grew up in Prince George's County

Prince George's County, Maryland

Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....

. She attended Seat Pleasant Elementary School, and graduated from Central High School in Capitol Heights, Maryland

Capitol Heights, Maryland

Capitol Heights is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,138 at the 2000 census. Development around the Capitol Heights Metro station has medical facilities and eateries to support the community...

. Alston then attended the University of Maryland, College Park

University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...

, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts. Alston attended the David A. Clarke School of Law

David A. Clarke School of Law

The David A. Clarke School of Law is the law school of the University of the District of Columbia . It is Washington, D.C.'s only public law school.-History:...

, and earned a Juris Doctorate. Alston was later employed at the Maryland Division of Corrections as the Chief of Staff. She is currently founder and principal of Alston Law Office in Prince George’s County. Alston is member of the Maryland State Bar, President of the Maryland Black Women’s Bar Association, Chairperson of the Correctional Reform Section of the Maryland State Bar and Treasurer of the J. Franklin Bourne Bar Association. She also volunteers as a mentor for the “I Have a Dream” Foundation and is a member of Willow Grove Civic Association and the Sigma Gamma Rho

Sigma Gamma Rho

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Indiana...

 sorority.

In the legislature

Alston has been a member of House of Delegates since January 12, 2011 and serves on the Judiciary committee. She is a member of the Prince George's County Delegation

Prince George's County Delegation

if you have information that can be referenced with a citation, please, feel free to help!The Prince George's County Delegation refers to the delegates who are elected from districts in Prince George's County to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates....

 and the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland

Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly...

.

Marriage equality

During the 2011 legislative session, Alston was a co-sponsor of HB 175-Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. A similar bill was filed in the Maryland Senate (SB 116-Civil Marriage Protection Act) and was assigned to the House Judiciary committee, the committee on which Alston serves. During the committee voting session on SB 116, Alston reneged on her co-sponsorship and offered an amendment to change the bill from same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage

Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....

 to civil union

Civil union

A civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...

s. The amendment failed and Alston then voted against the bill. Despite Alston's vote, SB 116 was approved by the committee 12-10 and was forwarded to the full House of Delegates for final approval, but the bill was eventually sent back to committee, effectively killing the bill for the session.

Criminal charges

Alston was formally indicted in an Anne Arundel County

Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...

courtroom with embezzlement on September 24, 2011; her charges, laid by the state prosecutor, include one count each of felony and misdemeanor theft, misappropriation by a fiduciary and two election law offenses. She was charged by state prosecutors with having used her election campaign funds to cover her wedding expenses (namely two campaign account checks totaling $3,560 in 2010, ultimately returned to the bank for insufficient funds), for the salary of an employee at her law firm (totaling $660), and for personal use totaling $1,250. Alston denied wrongdoing in the case.