Martha Scanlan Klima

Martha Scanlan Klima (December 3, 1938 – October 9, 2025) was an American politician who was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates. She was first elected in 1982 to represent District 9, which covered a portion of Baltimore County, Maryland, USA. She unsuccessfully ran for the State Senate in 2002. She was defeated by Jim Brochin.

Klima served in the Maryland House of Delegates for 20 years. First elected in 1982 and sworn in in 1983, she served on many committees, including: the Constitutional and Administrative Law Committee from 1983 until 1986, the Appropriations Committee from 1987 until 2003, the oversight committee on personnel from 1993 until 2003, the Joint Budget and Audit Committee from 1991 until 1994, the Special Joint Committee on Pensions from 1993 until 2003 and the Special Joint Committee on Group Homes from 1995 until 1997.

She was the Deputy Minority Whip from 1995 until 2002. She was also a member of the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review from 1995 until 2003, the Joint Committee on Welfare Reform from 1996 until 2003 and the Spending Affordability Committee from 1998 until 2003. She was the Vice-President of the Women Legislators of Maryland in 1988. She was a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Finally, she was the chair of the Telecommunications and Information Technology Task Force for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).