Harry Bhandari

Harry Bhandari is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. He is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing the 8th district since 2019.[1] In the Maryland General Assembly, he is a member of Health and Government Operations Committee, 2019- (health occupations & long-term care subcommittee, 2019-; insurance & pharmaceuticals subcommittee, 2019-). He is also the Secretary of the Maryland Legislative Asian-American and Pacific-Islander Caucus, 2019- (member, 2019-; treasurer, 2019; chair, outreach committee, 2019-).Bhandari is also the former national secretary of the Minority Caucus of the Young Democrats of America. Upon taking office, he made history by becoming the first Nepalese American state legislator in the U.S.

Delegate Bhandari was the chair of the Nepali for Hillary in 2016. In the 2020 presidential election, he volunteered as chair of Nepalese Americans for Biden (NAFB). It is a nationwide volunteer organization dedicated to mobilizing the Nepalese American community all across the nation to ensure Joe Biden’s victory. As a grassroots organization, it has formed state chapters by networking with community leaders and advocates who share resources and ideas to help elect Democrats at national and local levels. Although Nepalese Americans are considered a minority community in the United States, the organization have a very strong presence in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. Fellow Democrats from AAPI and Nepalese American community for National grass-roots Virtual Rally, United for a common cause with Elected/Party Officers– the United States Senator Chris Van Hollen, Congresswoman Linda T. Sanchez AAPI Chair/DNC member Bel Leong-Hong, Robbie Leonard, MD Democratic Party Secretary/DNC member and many spoke at its virtual grassroots rally.

He is also on the Maryland Democratic State Central Committee member.[2][3][4] In the primary, he defeated Joe Werner the Democratic nominee for the U.S. congress in 2016, and secured 103,622 votes losing the race to the congressman Andy Harris. In the 2018 general election, Delegate Bhandari defeated Republican incumbent and former Maryland Republican Party Director Joe Cluster in one of the most competitive elections in the state. His victory impressed many and considered it as "American Dream" since Cluster has worked with the state Republican Party for more than 15 years, running its field operation and as the party director he helped lead the party to historic victories in 2014, when business executive Larry Hogan became only the second Republican to win the governorship in nearly 50 years. Recently, Delegate Bhandari was covered in the national EDUCATION WEEK for his bill that became the law in the state of Maryland.

In 2020, legislative session three pieces of legislation he sponsored, as well as one he cross-filed from the Senate, made it into law. HB543 - Estates and Trusts - makes it easier for a person to claim a check from an estate after the estate has already closed. HB 1229 - Disposition of Remains - clarifies how an individual can authorize and decide the disposition of the individual's own body. HB 1564 - Duties of Peace Officers and Emergency Facilities - requires a peace officer to notify a facility if an incoming patient before arriving and alters who may request an officer stay with an attendee, while also giving priority to such cases. And finally, SB692, Health Occupations - Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants - Qualifications which he cross-filed from the Senate, makes securing licensure easier for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who received their education across state lines.[1]