{"id":80842,"date":"2024-10-31T10:00:12","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/earlham.edu\/?p=80842"},"modified":"2024-10-31T10:15:59","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T14:15:59","slug":"earlham-politicos-luke-clippinger-is-boosting-solar-energy-and-championing-gun-reform-union-and-queer-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earlham.edu\/news-events\/earlham-politicos-luke-clippinger-is-boosting-solar-energy-and-championing-gun-reform-union-and-queer-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Earlham Politicos: Luke Clippinger is boosting solar energy and championing gun reform, union and queer rights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\t\n\n
\n
\n

Editor’s note: this is part four of an ongoing series, “Earlham Politicos,” that investigates how alums, current students, and faculty\/staff are engaging politically this election season.<\/em> For part one, click here<\/a>.<\/em> For part two, click here<\/a>.<\/em> For part three, click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Luke<\/span>
Luke Clippinger<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Baltimore, Luke Clippinger\u2019s parents purchased a vacant home for $1 as part of the city\u2019s homesteading program. He graduated from Baltimore Public City Schools, then moved on to become an Earlhamite, graduating in 1994. Clippinger currently serves on Maryland\u2019s House of Delegates representing the state\u2019s 46th<\/sup> district in Baltimore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy family was big into politics,\u201d says Clippinger.  \u201cMy mom took me to seal envelopes for Mary Pat Clarke’s City Council campaign when I was five, and that’s where I got an interest in politics and policy. I helped volunteer for campaigns and got interested in that at a young age.\u201d His first campaign was Clarke\u2019s city council campaign.  He\u2019s been knocking on doors and meeting with constituents ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s almost a no-brainer, then, that he now serves Maryland as he does, but prior to that he served as the manager of the WECI radio station at Earlham, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, then moving on to the University of Louisville where he earned a Juris Doctor degree in 2005. Clippinger was admitted to practice law as a member of the Maryland Bar in 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his time at Earlham, Clippinger volunteered for the Democratic Party in Richmond, helped with various elections in Wayne County and unsuccessfully ran for township assessor.  Post-graduation he interned for Indiana State Senators Lindel Hume and Joe O\u2019Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there, Clippinger was on a political whirlwind and went on to manage the re-election campaign of U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton in 1996; work as a community development specialist for the Indiana Department of Commerce; manage the campaign of congressional candidate Baron Hill, later becoming Hill\u2019s district director until 2005; manage the campaign of Tom Perez\u2019s bid for attorney general of Maryland; work as a spokesperson for Stephanie Rawlings-Blake\u2019s city council president campaign; work as an assistant state\u2019s attorney in Anne Arundel County (2007-present), and serve as a member of the platform committee at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. In 2010, Clippinger ran for the Maryland House of Delegates and won the Democratic primary election that September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Clippinger, several issues come to mind for this election: gun safety and violence interruption (he\u2019s worked to ban ghost guns but is looking for additional avenues of reform), LGBTQ and reproductive rights (Clippinger is also openly gay and was one of the first openly gay members of the House of Delegates), and, unique to his area, reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed March 26, 2024. Many union workers lost their jobs if not their lives that day, he says, leaving many families in the lurch, so it is crucial for him to make sure that that bridge is reconstructed as soon as possible. Clippinger has also been a leader in developing Maryland\u2019s Community Solar Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the issues I\u2019ve been very proud of and been able to see nearly from beginning to end is community solar.  I can\u2019t take full credit for it, but I was the House sponsor of Community Solar in 2015.  Maryland became one of the first states to create a pilot program for community solar and we made the program permanent in 2023.  We’ve installed over 400 megawatts of solar capacity in Maryland and growing every day.” The community solar program allows renters to purchase solar energy from another location to power their home, and generally allows for cheaper electricity bills over time and encourages the growth of renewable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clippinger is now the Chair of the Maryland House Judiciary Committee.  The Judiciary Committee addresses issues related to criminal, civil, family and juvenile law in Maryland. During the time that he has been chair the Judiciary Committee has passed legislation to reform and strengthen police accountability laws, ban ghost guns, and support victims of domestic and family violence.\u201cThe Judiciary Committee will be working on even more challenging issues in the upcoming legislative session in January.  We’ll look at our expungement laws and also work on issues related to Maryland’s parole system.  We’ll also look at issues related to how we nominate and elect judges to the bench.  The work of the committee is fascinating and ever-challenging, and I’m lucky to have gained the skills at Earlham to lead this committee.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by Jay Kibble, writer\/editor for Earlham’s Marketing Office<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\n\n

Media contact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Brian Zimmerman<\/strong>
Assistant vice president of strategic communications
<\/em>
Email: zimmebr@earlham.edu
Phone: 765.983.1256<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n