The Issues

  • General Government
    • State Personnel System Update - For the past 5 legislative sessions Delegate Clagett has sponsored legislation that provided for reducing the number of “at-will” special appointments in the State personnel system.  As a result of this work,  he was appointed by Speaker Michael Busch to serve on a special committee that investigated state personnel abuses during the previous administration.   This special committee sponsored the State Employee’s Rights and Protections Act of 2007. 

       

      In the 2009 session, he sponsored HB 735 with Speaker Pro Tem Adrienne Jones and Personnel Committee Chair Bill Bronrott that repeals the automatic at-will status of a number of groups of employees throughout State government.  HB 735 implemented many of the recommendations of a Department of Legislative Services’ report that was required to be prepared under the State Employee’s Rights and Protections Act of 2007. 

      The bill repeals the Joint Committee on Fair Practices and establishes in its place the Joint Committee on Fair Practices and State Personnel Oversight.  The new joint committee has oversight of employment policies and personnel systems in the Executive Branch of State government, matters of equal employment opportunity policies and practices in State government, and certain procurement practices.  Delegate Clagett is a member of this committee.  

      The bill requires department secretaries and agency heads to evaluate all skilled and professional positions considered special appointments to determine whether these positions should continue to be considered special appointments.   A report on this evaluation is due January 1, 2012.

      The bill also requires the Department of Budget and Management to submit a report every four years to the Governor and Presiding Officers of the General Assembly on the total number of individuals employed with the State with regard to political affiliation, belief, or opinion.

    • Lawmakers Reduce Funding Requests for Local Projects
    • Giddyup - Deadbeat Parents
    • Extending Child Sexual Abuse Deadline
    • Comptroller Backs Child Support Proposal
    • Three Bills in Two Days
    • Fix It!
    • Received certificate of appreciation from the Maryland Municipal League
    • Recipient of Maryland Municipal League 2008 Legislator Awards
    • Sponsored Legislation that provides for more oversight of public utilities by Public Service Commission
    • Sponsored HB 813 that limits the types of positions that may be classified as special appointments in the State Personnel Management System thereby significantly reducing the number of political appointees in the State of Maryland
    • Lobbied for and received $1,000,000 capital funding for improvements to Grove Stadium
    • Sponsored HB 522 repealing limitations and exceptions for members of the State Retirement and Pension System receiving credit for military service credit
    • Sponsored HB 411 which adds abandoned property delivered to the State Comptroller under Title 17 of the Commercial Law Article to provisions of law requiring the State Comptroller to withhold the amount of specified child support arrearages from payments due to obligors and to forward the amount withheld to the Child Support Enforcement Administration.
    • Received Legislator of the Year Award from Maryland Classified Employees Association in 2008.
  • Public Safety

    • Medevac Update - Another focus of Delegate Clagett's legislative service is the Medevac System.   This system was put in place by the Maryland General Assembly to transport trauma patients via helicopter to a trauma center with a goal of providing emergency treatment within the first hour of injury, also known as the “golden hour.”   Maryland’s Medevac system remains unique in the nation, in that a single emergency medical services system incorporates all components necessary to respond to emergency care needs.  (DLS, Report of the House Emergency Medical Services System Workgroup, March, 2009) 

       

      Del. Clagett was contacted by some Maryland State Police (MSP) helicopter pilots after he was elected to his first term in office.  These pilots were concerned about the maintenance of the helicopters, the turnover of personnel within the Medevac system, and the age of the existing fleet of helicopters.   Del. Clagett had several meetings with the General Assembly leadership and administration staff in an effort to resolve these issues.  As a result, a legislative audit was conducted and report was made to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee of which he is a member on August 14, 2008. 

       

      The Audit raised issues regarding maintenance of the aircraft and MSP moved swiftly to address those issues.   Unfortunately, in September, 2008 there was a tragic accident involving a MSP helicopter resulting in loss of life.   In response to the Audit, the accident, and the State’s plan to replace the aging fleet, a workgroup was formed in January, 2009 during the legislative session.   A report entitled “Report of the House Emergency Medical Services System Workgroup”  was issued in March 2009 to the Public Safety and Administration Subcommittee.  Del. Clagett is Chairman of this committee. 

       

      The Maryland General Assembly is committed to providing this world recognized emergency medical service to our citizens.   As a member of the Capital Budget Subcommittee, Del. Clagett supported the issuance of $52.5 million of general obligation bond funds that are intended to fund the purchase of three helicopters during fiscal 2010. 

    • Governor O’Malley signed HB 1495 following the 2009 legislative session. This is legislation Delegate Clagett sponsored at the request of the Maryland State Police (MSP).  MSP needs to offer retirees reemployment for highly skilled positions because of the low number of qualified applicants seeking employment for these positions.  HB 1495 exempts certain Maryland State Police (MSP) who have retired and have been rehired by the MSP from a reduction in their retirement allowance, provides a disability benefit to a reemployed retiree who is incapacitated while reemployed, and a death benefit to the families of a reemployed MSP officer who is killed while reemployed.
    • Clagett Proposal Trims Budget by $100M
    • Maryland Senate Passes Ban on Texting While Driving
    • Widow Requests Tougher Law for Reckless Driving
    • Fixing Medevac
    • Bill Targets Reckless Driving in Work Zones
    • Clagett Takes Over Public Safety and Admin Budget
    • Legislating Elder Care
    • Sponsored HB 410 which prohibits a parent or other person with permanent or temporary care or custody or responsibility for the supervision of a minor from recklessly acting or failing to act in a manner that creates a substantial risk to the minor of death, of permanent or protracted serious disfigurement, or of permanent or protracted serious loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member or organ; establishing the crime of child endangerment; providing penalties for a violation of the Act.
    • Testified and voted for Frederick County America Red Cross Bond Bills totaling $600,000 of matching State funds
    • Sponsored Legislation that prohibits newly licensed drivers from having passengers other than family members in their vehicle
    • Sponsored HB 556 to increase the membership of the State Emergency Medical Services Board by increasing the number of members who are from the public at large and by adding one member who is a helicopter pilot employed by the Department of State Police within the Aviation Division
  • Transportation
    • Serving on Joint Legislative Commission on Interstate Transportation
    • Moved Forward Two Local Transportation Projects:
      • East Street Extension
      • MD26/Rt 15 Northbound Ramp
  • Environment
    • Clothesline Controversy
    • Let Your Laundry Fly Free
    • Represents House of Delegates on Advisory Committee on the Management and Protection of the State's Water Resources
    • Is only Frederick County Delegate to receive 95% lifetime rating from Maryland League of Conversation Voters
    • Assisted Frederick and Catoctin Soil Conservation Districts in securing matching state funding of $300,000 for an agriculture and education complex
    • Sponsored HB 521 to require specified specialty fertilizer to be marked with specified words "No Phosphorous Fertilizer" in a specified manner; prohibiting a person from using, selling, manufacturing, or distributing for use or sale in the State a specified specialty fertilizer on or after April 1, 2009
    • Sponsored HB 1192 to increase from 5 to 10 years the time period after which a specified development rights and responsibilities agreement will be void under specified circumstances; and providing that a specified local jurisdiction may not enforce specified laws, rules, regulations, or policies governing the use, density, or intensity of specified real property that is subject to development rights and responsibilities agreements unless specified circumstances exist.
  • Education
    • Is only Frederick County Delegate to receive "A" from Maryland State Teachers Association for Voting Record on Public Education
    • Sponsored HB 172 - Enacted Legislation that provides for Military and their dependents to pay in-state tuition at public institutions of higher education
    • Sponsored Legislation to increase funding for public school construction
    • Received Legislator of the Year Award from Maryland Classified Employees Association in 2008.