| 2011 Committee Appointments | |
Appropriations Committee
-Member-
Public Safety & Administration Subcommittee
-Chair-
Oversight Committee on Personnel
-Member-
Oversight Committee on Pensions
-Member-
Capital Budget Subcommittee
-Member-
Joint Audit Committee
-Member-
Joint Committee on Fair Practices
-Member-
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| Latest State News |  |
Maryland Ranks 2nd for Science & Technology
Last week, the Milliken Institute ranked MD 2nd in the country for research & development capacity - and turning R&D assets into companies and high paying jobs.
Maryland ranked behind MA and was the only state in the region in the top 5.
The FY12 budget should bolster this ranking with continued funding of the biotech tax credit, stem cell research and the Governor's InvestMaryland proposal, if adopted by the General Assembly. |
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Galen Clagett's 
Delegate Newsletter
Volume 4, Issue 1
February 2011 |
Greetings!
The 428th Session of the Maryland General Assembly got underway on January 12. I have to say again how very grateful I am to the voters of Maryland's District 3A for sending me back to Annapolis to continue to fight for Frederick for another four years.
As part of that fight, I will continue to bring you the latest developments as they unfold in Committees, at meetings, and on the floor of the State House. I ask that you please provide your own feedback to me on your thoughts, questions, and ideas for District 3A and how to improve the lives of its residents.
This year we have many challenges before us. Two major focus points are stimulating job growth and employment opportunites for the people of Maryland, and balancing the state's 2012 budget.
I have returned to my position on the Appropriations Committee and will continue to Chair the Subcommittee on Public Safety and Administration.
In the next newsletter issue, I will have a list of the bills I will be sponsoring this year, and I will continue to keep you apprised of their status over the next four months. I thank you for your continued interest in my activities as I serve in my third term as your delegate to Annapolis. It remains a great honor for me to represent our community. I hope you will contact me with your thoughts via email or by calling (301) 663-4596. Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to represent and serve our Frederick neighborhoods.
Best of regards,
  
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Featured Bills for 2011
We will be using this space to provide in depth information on key bills Delegate Clagett will be sponsoring this year. One such bill that's already begun life this year as House Bill 162 (HB 162) is his Child Neglect Bill.
On January 26, Governor O'Malley announced his full support for this important legislation and said he had added it to his "list of priorities" for 2011.
The focus of this bill is to protect children from abuse resulting from negligence in addition to the protections already provided to them for intentional neglect. Maryland is the only state in the country that does not protect its children in this manner.
Delegate Clagett has tried twice before to pass this legislation, once in 2008 and, again, in 2010. He believes the support from Governor O'Malley will be very helpful in getting the bill through this year.
For more information, please see Meg Tully's article about this bill in the January 26 Frederick News Post. We will keep you posted as HB 162 makes its way through the Judiciary Committee, check this space for updates. |
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Eye On Annapolis - Pension Reform
 As a part of his FY12 budget proposal, Governor O'Malley has recommended a number of structural reforms to the State's pension system, which supports State employees, local teachers and librarians, community college employees, judicial employees, State police and correctional officers. In 2010, the General Assembly created the Public Employees' and Retirees' Benefit Sustainability Commission to review and make recommendations on the long term health of the State's pension and benefits system. The Governor's proposal is based in part on the recommendations of this Commission.
Overall, the proposed changes to the retiree health plan will reduce the State's unfunded retiree health liability, currently almost half of the pension system's unfunded liability, by $7 billion. Maryland's retiree health liability ranks 13th highest in the country, and is only 1% funded. Beginning in FY13, the State will reinvest savings from these reforms back into the retirement system to reduce the unfunded liability by more than $1 billion over the next 6 years and achieve 80% funding of the system by FY23. For more details on the Governor's full proposal, click here.
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