Glen Burnie-Area Legislators Ready for 2011 General Assembly

When the state’s senators and delegates are sworn in Jan. 12 at noon, legislators from Districts 31 and 32 said they plan to hit the ground running.

And working on the budget is a top priority for many of the Glen Burnie-area’s legislators.

“The budget is the No. 1 issue for everyone. We have to look at it very carefully,” said Delegate Ted Sophocleus (D-Linthicum). “It’s a matter of priority. You have to take a look at where we can make cuts and make them. And it’s hard.”

Delegate Nic Kipke (R-Pasadena) said he plans to file legislation that requires voters to present an identification card.

“Without an identification card being required to vote it is very easy for fraud to take place. I believe this is an essential aspect to sure up the integrity of our elections,” he said.

Sen. Ed DeGrange (D-Glen Burnie) said that while he’s not looking to put forth many bills this session, he plans to re-introduce the Building Opportunities for All Students and Teachers (BOAST) in Maryland Tax Credit.

The bill would provide an income tax credit to businesses for a portion of donations made to nonprofit organizations that provide scholarships to schools and to nonprofit organizations that support funding for graduate study or professional development opportunities for school personnel.

Another piece of legislation DeGrange said he hopes to re-introduce is a bill that would require law enforcement to determine if an immigrant is in the country illegally before being placed in state custody. If the person is determined to be an illegal immigrant, DeGrange said the bill would require police to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“It’s not a state issue, so it shouldn’t tie up state funds,” DeGrange said.

Sophocleus said this legislative session lawmakers will look at traffic problems on Route 175 and Route 713. He said he plans to continue to work on issues for people with disabilities—and those who care for them.

“Caregivers are not paid that well. We had the opportunity to increase their pay and we didn’t do as much as we could,” he said. “But they deserve to be properly paid.”

Making sure that police officers continue to be able to perform on-duty police functions at establishments that are authorized to sell alcohol is something Kipke said he’s going to fight for.

“Their dedicated presence greatly helps the establishment maintain a safe environment for all of their customers and provides a cost savings to the county because the business pays for the cost to maintain the police presence instead of being a burden to taxpayers,” he said.

Kipke noted that Anne Arundel County Ethics Commission is working to prevent police officers from working at establishments that serve alcohol, arguing that working at the bar, restaurant or night club cause them to be more lenient on the business.

“I strongly disagree with the ethics commission and believe taxpayers would lose a fantastic public safety and economic benefit by banning this policy that has been in place in Anne Arundel County for decades. I believe the benefit far outweighs any risk,” he said.