About Gail H. Bates

Gail H. Bates has lived in Howard County since 1977 with her husband David and sons Robert and Dwight. During that time, she has served in leadership capacities on many boards, including Western Howard Soccer (Treasurer), Howard County Red Cross, Christian Jail Ministry, Montgomery General Hospital, Howard County Farm Bureau, Howard County Republican Women (President and Treasurer) and Howard County Republican Central Committee (Treasurer).

Gail’s proudest accomplishment was helping to found the Howard County Christmas in April program (now called Rebuilding Together), acting as Treasurer and serving on its board for ten years. Christmas in April identifies homes of low-income, elderly or disabled individuals and uses scores of volunteers to make needed improvements to their houses. Utilizing volunteers and contributions from individuals & businesses, Christmas in April improves the quality of life for needy individuals, keeping them in homes they can enjoy. In its second year, Howard County Christmas in April rehabilitated 26 homes, catching the attention of the national organization. They held their annual convention in Howard County, Maryland in recognition of this achievement.

Gail has served in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2002. Currently, Delegate Bates sits on the Appropriations Committee where she is the Republican ranking member, developing the Republican caucus strategy on the state budget. She is a member of the Public Safety & Administration Subcommittee, the Oversight Committee on Personnel and the Oversight Committee on Pensions. In addition, she is a member of the Joint Committee on Pensions and the Joint Committee on Children, Youth and Families. She was honored by the Maryland Association of CPAs with the MACPA 2004 Chair Award.

Most recently, Gail is working with her legislative friends to develop a political slate, known as “Ladies in Leadership,” to raise funds to help female candidates run for the state legislature. Members of the slate will work to recruit, train and mentor female candidates, providing seed money to help them get their campaigns started.

In 2009, Gail was inducted into the Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame for her many activities in Howard County. The ceremony recognized women in the County who have made significant contributions to Howard County and its residents.

Gail has had a long and extensive career in local and state politics, including a position as Assistant to Howard County Executive Charles I. Ecker and Chief of Staff for Delegate Donald E. Murphy.

Born in Washington, DC, Gail is also a practicing Certified Public Accountant. She has also taught Math and Home Economics in the state of Maryland and worked previously as Manager of the Records and Tax Department for Maryland Farm Bureau.