Busch was born in Baltimore City and was a lifelong resident of the state of Maryland. He attended St. Mary's High School in Annapolis and in 1970 received his B.S. degree in education from Temple University, where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. Busch was pursued by the National Football League as a running back, prior to a knee injury. Busch then returned to Maryland to coach athletics and teach. He was married to Cynthia Abbott Busch, with whom he had two children, Erin and Megan.
Legislative career
Busch first got involved in politics at the urging of parents of his students. After winning election in 1986 to the House of Delegates, Busch served on the Judiciary Committee, the Economic Matters Committee, which he later chaired, and as Chairman of the Anne Arundel County Delegation. At the beginning of the 2003 session of the Maryland Legislature, Busch was elected, by his colleagues in the Maryland House of Delegates, Speaker of the House. Speaker Busch was known for his interest in the areas of health, insurance, and economic development, with a focus on health care. During the 2007 legislative session, he sponsored a bill with other members of the leadership, the Children and Working Families Healthcare Act of 2007, which proposed to provide health care access to 250,000 Marylanders and all children in the state.
Legislative notes
sponsored The Tax Reform Act of 2007 , which raised income tax, sales tax from 5% to 6%, and business tax from 7% to 8.25%. The bill was part of a special session that raised taxes an estimated $1.4 Billion.
voted for the Maryland Gang Prosecution Act of 2007, subjecting gang members to up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $100,000
voted for Jessica's Law, eliminating parole for the most violent child sexual predators and creating a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in state prison, 2007
voted for Public Safety – Statewide DNA Database System – Crimes of Violence and Burglary – Post conviction, helping to give police officers and prosecutors greater resources to solve crimes and eliminating a backlog of 24,000 unanalyzed DNA samples, leading to 192 arrests, 2008
voted for Vehicle Laws – Repeated Drunk and Drugged Driving Offenses – Suspension of License, strengthening Maryland's drunk driving laws by imposing a mandatory one year license suspension for a person convicted of drunk driving more than once in five years, 2009
voted for HB 102, creating the HouseEmergency Medical Services System Workgroup, leading to Maryland's budgeting of $52 million to fund three new Medevac helicopters to replace the State's aging fleet, 2009
voted for SB 715, removing the requirement to show proof of citizenship or valid social security number, allowing undocumented individuals to obtain and renew drivers licenses in the state of Maryland
voted for SB 422, requiring public school teachers to pay union dues, effectively removing the ability of the teacher to choose to be in the union
voted nay to HB 359, resulting in the denial of all handgun permits to victims of domestic abuse
voted for SB 269, authorizing speed monitoring systems
Speaker Busch voted multiple times to support classroom teachers, public schools, police and hospitals in Anne Arundel County. Since 2002, funding to schools across the State has increased 82%, resulting in Maryland being ranked top in the nation for K-12 education.
Awards
2010 Most Influential Maryland Legislators
Death
Busch underwent a liver transplant in 2017, and reportedly fell ill with pneumonia on March 26, 2019, after a follow-up procedure. He was hospitalized at the University of Maryland Medical Center, where he died from complications of pneumonia and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis on April 7. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan ordered flags to be flown at half-staff following his death.
Election results
2018 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 30A
2014 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 30A
2010 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – 30th District
2006 Race for Maryland House of Delegates– 30th District
2002 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – 30th District
1998 Race for Maryland House of Delegates– District 30
1994 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 30
1990 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 30
