Sept. 6—Editor’s notice: The Frederick Information-Publish is profiling candidates in Frederick County’s state legislative races and for Maryland’s sixth Congressional District within the Nov. 8 normal elections. For profiles of candidates for county places of work and different election protection, go to fredericknewspost.com/information/continuing_coverage/election_coverage.
Del. Ken Kerr is working for his second time period within the Maryland Home of Delegates to proceed pushing to make medical insurance extra accessible, educating extra reasonably priced and authorities companies extra comprehensible.
Kerr, beforehand a member of the Frederick County Board of Training, was elected to serve District 3B in 2018. He received his major race this 12 months with 5,628 votes, greater than any of his six Democratic challengers.
He’s competing for one of many three open seats within the legislative District 3 towards Democrats Kris Truthful and Karen Simpson, and Republicans Kathy Diener and Justin Wages.
Throughout Kerr’s first time period within the State Home, he served on the Well being and Authorities Operations Committee. Among the many payments he sponsored over the previous 4 years, he talked about one which created a pilot program for medical insurance subsidies as laws he’s proud to have supported.
Marylanders ages 19 to 34 make up the most important portion of people that wouldn’t have medical insurance within the state, Kerr mentioned. The invoice he sponsored offers medical insurance subsidies to folks of this age group who’re employed and make as much as $51,000.
In doing so, this system helps get extra younger folks on medical insurance and contains them within the threat pool, which brings down everybody’s insurance coverage premiums, Kerr mentioned.
In this system’s first 12 months, 9,000 folks participated, Kerr mentioned. That is this system’s second 12 months.
“One of many issues I sit up for doing within the coming session is to take away what’s referred to as the ‘sundown provision’ and make the legislation everlasting,” he mentioned. “It is confirmed itself to be efficient.”
If reelected, Kerr additionally plans to place ahead a invoice that might create a trainer apprenticeship program in Maryland. He proposed laws in 2020 that might have required the governor to fund such a program in Frederick County, however the invoice didn’t transfer ahead.
A trainer apprenticeship program would give folks learning to change into educators the possibility to garner paid expertise in a classroom earlier than they graduate. Kerr hopes such a program would scale back turnover amongst lecturers and make buying a level extra reasonably priced.
He hopes to work with Sen. Jim Rosapepe, a Democrat who represents Prince George’s County, to fund an apprentice program with accessible cash from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Kerr would even be fascinated by creating an identical program for folks learning to enter the well being care discipline.
“I do not suppose that somebody who desires to enter public service, whether or not it might be well being care or educating,” he mentioned, “ought to get into debt to get the coaching that they want with a view to do the job.”
Two payments that he’s most pleased with sponsoring are ones that developed from issues constituents dropped at him. Each took years of labor earlier than they handed and have become legal guidelines.
One, Brynleigh’s Act, requires educators to finish coaching on the right way to acknowledge seizures and reply to them.
The opposite modified the circumstances below which property held by a banking or monetary group could also be thought of deserted.
If reelected, Kerr mentioned, he appears ahead to persevering with to work with folks in Frederick to undertake laws that might assist them and their households.
“We’re solely in Annapolis for 90 days,” he mentioned. “The remainder of the 12 months, we’re simply serving to constituents — fixing their issues for them, getting them the help they want, serving to them navigate the state forms. And that is in all probability essentially the most rewarding a part of the job.”
Comply with Angela Roberts on Twitter: @24_angier
