E. J. Pipkin

Pipkin voted for a bill to establish a state registry for gay "life partners." Dead link|date=July 2008 Pipkin voted to fund a free needle program for drug addicts. Dead link|date=July 2008 In 2003, E.J. Pipkin sponsored a bill to return a tax credit to employers who provide daycare for their employees. [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2003rs/billfile/sb0491.htm BILL INFO-2003 Regular Session-SB 491 ] ] In 2004, he sponsored a permanent repeal of the estate tax in Maryland. [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2004rs/billfile/sj0010.htm BILL INFO-2004 Regular Session-SJ 10 ] ] In 2006, E.J. Pipkin sponsored a reduction in state property taxes and a reduction in income taxes. [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/billfile/sb0559.htm BILL INFO-2006 Regular Session-SB 559 ] ] [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/billfile/sb0560.htm BILL INFO-2006 Regular Session-SB 560 ] ]

Chesapeake Bay Bridge

As a resident of Stevensville, Pipkin himself has been affected by traffic congestion on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and has fought to reduce the problem. In 2005, he proposed a set of bills, which ultimately failed to pass, in that year's Maryland General Assembly session, known as the "Bay Bridge Users' Bill of Rights". The bills would have, among other things, made various modifications to the governing board of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA), [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/billfile/sb0627.htm] "Text and History for SB 627 of 2005"] banned trucks from the bridge when one of its dual spans is carrying two-way traffic, [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/billfile/sb0628.htm] "Text and History for SB 628 of 2005"] and waived tolls whenever backups extended beyond a certain point. [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/billfile/sb0626.htm] "Text and History for SB 626 of 2005"] Later that year, Pipkin was one of the 22 citizens appointed by Governor Robert Ehrlich to serve on the Bay Bridge Task Force, to explore the possibility of building a new crossing of the Chesapeake Bay.

In the 2006 Maryland General Assembly session, Pipkin once again tried to pass parts of the Bay Bridge Users' Bill of Rights, this time more successfully. Among the bills that passed that year included one that made various modifications to the governing board of the MdTA (e.g. addition of two appointed members; imposition of three term limit of service; lengthening of terms to four years, rather than three years; etc). [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/billfile/sb0052.htm] "Text and History for SB 52 of 2006"] Along with Delegate Mary Roe Walkup (R-Dist. 36), [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/billfile/hb1341.htm] "Text and History for HB 1341 of 2006"] Pipkin also proposed a bill to remove the Baltimore County-Kent County crossing from the list of crossing locations that could potentially be studied in the future). [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/billfile/sb0864.htm] "Text and History for SB 864 of 2006"] However, that bill did not pass (nor did it pass when re-introduced in 2007). [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2007rs/billfile/sb0042.htm] "Text and History for SB 42 of 2007"] Also during 2006, Pipkin worked collaboratively with MdTA to promote successful legislation (Senate Bill 168, signed into law as Chapter 24 of 2007 of the Laws of Maryland) [ [http://mlis.state.md.us/2006rs/billfile/sb0168.htm] "Text and History for SB 168 of 2006"] that doubled the amount of violations fines that could be issued for overweight tractor-trailers crossing the bridge.

Election Results

*2006 Race for Maryland State Senate – District 36cite web| url=http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2006/results/general/office_State_Senator.html| title=State Senate Results |publisher=Maryland State Board of Elections Retrieved on Oct. 13, 2007] :

References and notes

External links

* [http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/E_J__Pipkin.htm E.J. Pipkin on the issues]
* [http://www.pipkinforsenate.com/ Pipkin for Senate]
* [http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.asp?cycle=2004&id=MDS2 Open Secrets: Maryland Senate Race]