Cheryl Kagan

Early and professional life

Kagan was born in Washington, D.C. in 1961 and grew up in suburban Montgomery County, Maryland, attending Winston Churchill High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Vassar College in 1983 and later attended the School of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland, College Park. Following her studies, she went on to work in the political field, both in government and in the non-profit sector. Among the organizations she worked for are the National Women's Political Caucus, Independent Action, Handgun Control, Inc., and, after leaving the Maryland House of Delegates in 2003, the Carl M. Freeman Foundation. During her time in the Maryland House of Delegates, she worked part-time as a substitute teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools. Kagan has also worked in a volunteer capacity on a number of political campaigns, for Democratic Party organizations, and for a variety of community organizations.

House of Delegates

In 1994, Kagan was elected to a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 17, which includes Rockville, Garrett Park and Gaithersburg in central Montgomery County. During her first term, she served on the Commerce and Government Matters Committee, switching to the Appropriations Committee following her re-election in 1998. Among the issues she worked on while in the legislature were homeowners' rights, campaign finance reform, women's issues, consumer protection, and education. She sponsored legislation requiring insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization and guaranteeing emergency medical care for rape victims.

2010 Senate campaign

In June, 2009, Kagan kicked off a campaign for Maryland Senate, running in the same legislative district in which she had previously served in the House of Delegates. She was challenging incumbent Senator Jennie M. Forehand in a race that Kagan ultimately lost by a small margin. The race received significant attention in local media and political blogs, not least for the extensive use of negative campaigning from both sides. One of the factors in the race was the wide age gap between the two candidates: Forehand was 74 as of February 2010, while Kagan was 48. Forehand has sought to portray her long service in the legislature as an asset, and was supported by Maryland's powerful Senate President, Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. Despite his support, Forehand was "outraised" (in campaign contributions) approximately three to one by Kagan during 2008 and 2009, something which was noted in local political blogs as being unusual for an incumbent.

2014 Senate campaign

In 2014, with the support of retiring Sen. Forehand, Kagan handily defeated incumbent Delegate Luiz Simmons (her successor in the House) in the June 24 primary, then went on to defeat Republican Steve Zellers in the November general election. She was consequently sworn in as Senator for the 17th district for the January 2015 legislative session.

2015 Legislative Session

In 2015, Senator Kagan was assigned to the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs (EHEA) and Joint Audit Committees.

Kagan was the primary sponsor of six pieces of legislation (all six of which passed the Senate and five of which won final passage by the General Assembly). She secured funding for key Rockville and Gaithersburg projects; passed legislation to enhance organ donations; and mandated “fertility parity” in insurance coverage for married lesbian couples.

The Maryland Municipal League named her a “Superstar” for her work on securing highway revenue funds and other issues.

2016 Legislative Session

Senator Cheryl Kagan was the primary sponsor of 11 pieces of legislation during the 2016 legislative session. Her successes include passing “Language Access” to ensure that all State agency websites are multi-lingual; clarifying the voter registration process with her “Informed Voter” bill; and closing a loophole infertility treatment coverage for married couples. She sponsored legislation to address issues including driving under the influence of drugs and updating our 9-1-1 emergency systems. While not passed during the 2016 session, Senator Kagan continues to work on these bills, and is optimistic of their success in the near future.

Senator Kagan was appointed to serve as the Senator on The Maryland Public-Private Partnership (P3) Marketing Corporation Board, which works to attract businesses, establish a branding strategy for the State, increase jobs, and expand the State’s economy. She was also appointed to the Commission on the Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Kagan is a trustee at Hospice Caring, Inc., and a member of the One Maryland Blue Ribbon Commission on Procurement; the Joint Subcommittee on Program Open Space & Agricultural Land Preservation; and Women Legislators of Maryland. Additionally, in 2016 she was named a “Superstar” by the Maryland Municipal League for the second year in a row. For her work on environmental issues, Senator Kagan has a perfect, lifetime score of 100 from the Maryland League of Conservation Voters.

2017 Legislative Session

During the 2017 legislative session, Kagan was the primary sponsor of 21 pieces of legislation. Most significantly, she passed a bill to create the Nonprofit, Interest-Free, Micro Bridge Loan (NIMBL) fund to help nonprofits overcome short-term cash-flow issues as they wait on incoming government grants. She continued her work on Next Generation 9-1-1, securing passage of an omnibus bill in the Senate before it failed to receive a vote in the House of Delegates in the final hours of session. Additional successes included: giving cities a proven tool to combat fraud by contractors; simplifying the process to return to a former name after divorce; requiring that the State Board of Elections make audio recordings of their meetings available online; and standardizing the use of the term ‘nonprofit’ in the Maryland Code.

Kagan was appointed to serve as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Management of Public Funds, which oversees the financial health of state and local public accounts. She was also appointed to the Joint Committee on Project Open Space.

The Maryland Municipal League named Kagan a “Municipal Superstar” for the third year in a row in 2017. She was included on The Daily Record’s “Top 100 Women in Maryland” list, also for the third time, earning her a place in their “Circle of Excellence.” The League of Conservation Voters named her a "Green Champion," as well.