Nic Kipke

Nicholaus Ryan Kipke (born January 26, 1979) is an American politician.

After attending school and college, Kipke worked as a restaurant manager for FriendCo Restaurants until 2000, when he became a manufacturer representative for REPS & Associates, Inc.

Since 2007, he has served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing District 31.

Kipke was sworn into the Maryland House of Delegates on January 10, 2007.

He represented District 31 from 2007 to 2015 and since 2023, and District 31B from 2015 to 2023.

In December 2008, following a unexpected drop in state revenues, Governor Martin O'Malley ordered a furlough for state employees.

Kipke voluntarily participated in the state employee furlough later that month.

The constitutionality of doing this was unclear, as the Constitution of Maryland prohibits the state government from furloughing state legislators.

He previously served as the Minority Leader of the Maryland House of Delegates from 2013 to 2021.

Kipke was born in Baltimore to father Ken Kipke.

and mother.

He graduated from Chesapeake High School and later attended Anne Arundel Community College.

In May 2013, Kipke was elected Minority Leader, unseating Tony O'Donnell.

He stepped down as minority leader in April 2021, saying that he would focus on upcoming elections in Anne Arundel County.

Kipke chaired the exploratory committee for county councilor Jessica Haire's county executive campaign, later endorsing her candidacy in June 2021.

On April 10, 2023, less than 10 minutes before the legislature adjourned sine die, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones sought to move onto the next bill after Minority Leader Jason C. Buckel had explained his vote on House Bill 1071.

After a series of other Republican lawmakers began making appeals to also explain their votes, which were rejected by Jones, Kipke began shouting "I challenge the rule of the speaker" and called on someone else to take over proceedings for the rest of the legislative session, followed later with "Madame Speaker, you need to have a seat".

Jones had limited the process of delegates explaining their vote given the short amount of time they had left in the legislative session.

Kipke was soon joined by a handful of other Republican state delegates, who began quoting the chamber's rule book and speaking over Jones, who responded, "Speaker's discretion. And that is what my discretion is".

This continued until the legislature adjourned sine die at midnight, preventing several bills from receiving a final vote before the deadline.

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland demanded "a [public] apology for the disrespect" shown to Jones following this shouting match.

Kipke told The Baltimore Banner the next day that he had "nothing to apologize for", but later said that he called Jones to apologize for his tone.

In 2014, Kipke said he supported a bill that would cut off the National Security Agency from using the state's water and electricity infrastructure.

He withdrew his support from the bill after U.S. Representative Dutch Ruppersberger criticized the bill.

In January 2016, Kipke said he supported Governor Larry Hogan's Project C.O.R.E. program, a $700 million plan to demolish and redevelop vacant homes in poorer areas of Baltimore.

In February 2017, Kipke said he opposed a Baltimore City Public Schools request for $65 million to shrink a $130 million budget deficit and avoid laying off more than 1,000 workers, calling it a "problem with management" and saying he would not support the request unless the school system developed a plan to fix its budgetary issues.

In March 2017, Kipke voted against a bill that would limit suspensions and expulsions for elementary school students, speaking out against provisions that he said would "eliminate required parental involvement".

Kipke later said in December 2018 that he had signed onto the bill while rushing to a meeting and only discovered later what the bill proposed.

In March 2018, Kipke defended Governor Larry Hogan's decision to tie school safety funding to casino revenues, telling its critics to "check the partisanship at the door".

During the 2019 legislative session, Kipke introduced a bill that would strengthen sentences for murder convictions and repeat violent offenders to 10-year periods.

In 2019, he introduced a bill that would allow school systems to establish a "special police officer program" to patrol school buildings.

In April 2020, Kipke wrote a letter to Governor Larry Hogan calling on him to lift the state's ban on outdoor activities, which were put into place to slow the spread of COVID-19.

He also co-signed a letter to the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to request more information about the 2,000 inmates released from custody at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In August 2020, Kipke defended Hogan's decision to restrict counties from issuing restrictions on in-person instruction, saying "Every public school administration in the state has been given the opportunity to make a decision on reopening, the same opportunity should be afforded to private and religious schools".

He later supported Hogan's calls in January 2021 to reopen schools by March 1, calling it the House of Delegates Republican Caucus's "number one priority".

Kipke also wrote to Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera to request an update on the reopening of the state's courts.

During the 2021 legislative session, he said he supported the Hogan administration's RELIEF Act, a $1 billion coronavirus relief package that included stimulus checks and tax cuts for lower-income Marylanders and businesses.

In 2020, he introduced a bill that would require local governments to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement requests to detain individuals for an additional 48 hours.

In April 2021, Kipke was one of two House Republicans to vote in favor of the Maryland Police Accountability Act of 2021, a police transparency and accountability reform package.

During the 2023 legislative session and following a 12-year-old bringing a loaded gun to school in January 2023, Kipke introduced a bill that would allow 10 and 12 year olds to be charged with gun crimes.