John Frederick "Johnny" Mautz IV (born September 19, 1970) is an American politician who has served as a member of the Maryland Senate from District 37 since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented District 37B in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2015 to 2023.
Mautz married his wife, Rebecca (née Shoap), in May 2005;[2] they are now separated.[1] They have two children.[4] Mautz owns the Carpenter Street Saloon in Saint Michaels, Maryland.[5]
In the legislature
Mautz in the Senate Finance Committee, 2023
Mautz was elected to the House of Delegates in 2014, succeeding delegates Adelaide Eckardt and Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio. He was sworn in on January 14, 2015, and was a member of the Economic Matters Committee.[1]
In February 2022, after much speculation,[7] Mautz filed to run for Maryland Senate, challenging incumbent state Senator Adelaide Eckardt in the primary.[8][9] He defeated Eckardt in the Republican primary on July 19,[10] and won the general election on November 8, 2022.[11] Mautz was sworn in on January 11, 2023, and is a member of the Finance Committee.[1]
Political positions
Crime
In March 2022, during debate on a bill to ban privately made firearms, Mautz introduced an amendment to create a special unit on firearm violence in Baltimore. The amendment was rejected in a 41-88 vote.[12]
During the 2023 legislative session, Mautz supported legislation to increase penalties for gun crimes, pointing to the murder of Wicomico County Sheriff's Deputy Glenn Hilliard in June 2022, which involved an illegal firearm.[13] He also added that he would support reinstating the death penalty for murdering law enforcement officers.[14] Mautz later called for Governor Wes Moore to call a special legislative session on gun violence following the 2023 Baltimore shooting.[15]
Economic issues
During the 2019 legislative session, Mautz voted against a bill to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, which he worried was "too aggressive" of an increase for Eastern Shore business owners.[16]
In 2021, during debate on a bill allowing counties to implement progressive income taxes, Mautz introduced an amendment that would require any income tax increases to be subject to a countywide referendum. The amendment was rejected by a 42-94 vote.[17]
In 2022, Mautz voted against a bill to implement a statewide paid family leave program.[18]
Environment
In May 2024, Mautz called on Governor Wes Moore to veto a bill increasing subsidies for offshore wind energy. The bill was signed into law by Governor Moore that following week.[19][20]
Hunting and fishing
In March 2017, Mautz voted against a bill to ban harvesting in oyster sanctuaries.[21] In January 2020, Mautz voted against overriding Governor Larry Hogan's veto on House Bill 720, which establishes a consensus-based process involving environmentalists, watermen and seafood sellers to create a new oyster fishery management plan for the state, citing concerns that the bill could cause economic harm to communities on the Chesapeake Bay.[22]
During the 2018 legislative session, Mautz introduced a bill to provide a tax break to individuals who donate venison to food programs. The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Hogan.[23]
In July 2023, Mautz called for federal tariffs on imported crab meat, claiming that Venezuelan crab meat was hurting local crab fisheries.[24][25]
During the 2024 legislative session, Mautz introduced a bill prohibiting the Maryland Department of Natural Resources from reducing or altering oyster sanctuaries' boundaries. The legislation would also authorize watermen to use power dredges to cultivate oyster growth in the Chesapeake Bay.[26][27] The bill passed and was signed into law by Governor Moore.
Gun policy
In April 2018, Mautz voted in favor of House Bill 888, which restricts the sale and possession of bump stocks, and House Bill 1302, which authorizes a person to petition for an extreme risk prevention order with a court or law enforcement agency when it may be determined that a person is either an extreme risk to himself or to others. Following the vote, Mautz issued a written apology to his constituents, saying that he had not read the bills and intended to vote against them.[28][29] Governor Hogan would sign HB 1302 into law, but vetoed HB 888.[30]
In 2019, Mautz said he opposed bills to further regulate long gun and assault rifles, imploring legislators to instead pass legislation focusing on the mental health of gun owners.[31]
During the 2023 legislative session, Mautz introduced an amendment to the Gun Safety Act, a gun control bill that increased requirements to obtain a handgun permit and limited where guns could be publicly carried, to protect armed civilians responding to a threat against another person from criminal charges under the bill. The amendment was rejected in a 19-27 vote.[32] He later called the bill "unconstitutional" and supported the National Rifle Association of America's lawsuit against it.[33]
Social issues
In March 2018, Mautz voted against the Reform on Tap Act of 2018, which would have repealed certain limits on micro-breweries, farm breweries, and limited beer wholesalers.[28]
In March 2021, Mautz voted against the Maryland Driver Privacy Act, which would prohibit state and local government agencies from providing records or data to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement, insisting that the bill extended extra protections to undocumented immigrants with drivers' licenses.[34]
In 2023, Mautz introduced an amendment to the Trans Health Equity Act that would ban gender-affirming care for minors. The amendment was rejected in a 14-29 vote.[35]
Electoral history
Maryland House of Delegates District 37B Republican primary election, 2014[36]
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