Dear Neighbor,
I write to you today, as the 426th session of the Maryland General Assembly comes to an end. During this session I focused my time supporting meaningful long-term solutions to the economic challenges we face. First and foremost, I rejected any and all attempts to raise taxes and I voted against hundreds of bills that would directly or indirectly increase the cost of living on families and small businesses in our community. This economy has many families on shaky ground and many small businesses are on life support.
One of the major financial hardships people are struggling with is affording health insurance, especially as the cost continues to rise. As a member of the Health and Government Operations Committee, I am also acutely aware that many middle class Marylanders are dropping their health insurance policies because they simply cannot afford it. Many of these Marylanders work for small family owned businesses, which provides for 75% of employment in the state. This year I successfully co-sponsored legislation (HB674) that fundamentally improves the regulations which have kept the costs of small business health insurance artificially higher than all other states in our country. The direct result of this bill will reduce the price of health insurance for small employers and their employees.
I am also extremely proud to have co-sponsored legislation that will make results-oriented drug addiction rehabilitation available for 27,000 Marylanders. This treatment addresses an individual’s drug dependency and any psychological issues that they may have in addition to their physical dependency, called co-occurring disorders. Maryland, like most places nationwide, is struggling to find solutions to drug addiction and sadly there are over 70,000 “street” drug addicted individuals in our region. Several hundred million Maryland tax dollars pays for emergency room services and other treatments for addicts. Unfortunately, emergency room based treatments are largely unsuccessful and in light of other prevailing best practices HB739 will provide a more successful, cost-effective drug rehabilitation to 27,000 Marylanders who are not currently eligible for treatment.
There is another important public health bill that I am very proud to have successfully sponsored. HB503 will create a Maryland Commission on Autism, which will be a “blue ribbon” group of stake holders to evaluate the services we provide for kids and adults with autism, as well as create a statewide plan to improve these services. The best science suggests that 1 in 150 children born in Maryland are born with an autism spectrum disorder, but there is no consensus on what causes it or how to treat it.
There were two other bills that I sponsored which passed. HB1363 will require all public schools to buy “green” cleaning supplies. This makes Maryland the third state in the nation to require that all public schools use healthier cleaning products that contain environmentally friendly ingredients. The other bill repeals a law that has been on the books since 1916. This law allowed the state to charge a licensing fee for “old-fashioned” soda fountains. These fees became obsolete when soda fountain operations evolved into restaurants. But last month, the Comptroller of Maryland sent out a mandate that the fee be reincarnated and charged on “every soda delivery device.” This would have cost restaurants, convenience stores, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and any other establishments tens-of-millions of dollars each year. HB1573 repealed this antiquated law and stopped thousands of small businesses from being nickel and dimed.
Also locally, we have been working to find solutions to the pollution in our creeks and rivers, with a focus on high levels of dangerous bacteria. In February I requested that the Anne Arundel County Delegation hold hearings to review the sewage spills that have contributed to the pollution in our local waterways. Since then we have learned a lot and are making progress but the work has just begun. The bacteria problems are being evaluated by the Maryland Department of the Environment with lab work being conducted by Salisbury University. This study will conclusively determine the source of the bacteria pollution which will help us understand how to fix the problem.
This completes my third regular session as a State Delegate representing our community. I am extremely honored to represent you and am ever mindful that this seat in the House of Delegates belongs to the citizens of our community. I am more committed than ever to vigilantly seeking tangible non-partisan solutions to the issues we face. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or suggestions, as it is very important to me that your voice is heard in Annapolis.
Please feel free to contact me by emailing or by calling 410-841-3421.
Sincerely,
Nic Kipke