Background

• Legislative Session Overviews

  2025 Legislative Session

  2024 Legislative Session

  2023 Legislative Session

  2022 Legislative Session

  2021 Legislative Session

• Next Generation 9-1-1 Trailblazer

  Motivated to act after three people died in her district when 9-1-1 failed, including her friend and Rockville activist Carl Henn, Sen. Kagan has become a nationally recognized expert on “Next Generation 9-1-1” (NG911). In the pursuit of updating our emergency response centers with modern technology to increase reliability, she established and chaired the Maryland NG911 Commission. Guided by that collaboration with experts and stakeholders, she sponsored and passed bipartisan legislation that: adjusted the 9-1-1 fee paid to localities; addressed challenges with recruitment and retention of 9-1-1 Specialists; strengthened Maryland’s system interoperability; significantly increased penalties to prevent cyberattacks and the dangerous practice of “swatting”; fortified oversight and accountability; and classified 9-1-1 Specialists as first responders. In 2022, Sen. Kagan was appointed to represent elected officials on the NG9-1-1 Interoperability Oversight Commission. Sen. Kagan continues to consult experts and sponsor legislation to strengthen Maryland’s public safety laws, and she takes great pride in having visited all 24 Public Safety Answering Points in the State (the centers where these vital calls are taken) to hear directly from our courageous men and women under the headsets. In 2025, Sen. Kagan was named Chair of the Maryland 9-1-1 Specialists Recruitment and Retention Workgroup

  Sen. Kagan’s work reflects the critical importance of emergency services to people in need: “When 9-1-1 fails, people die.” She has been recognized twice (in 2018 and 2022) with the prestigious Next Generation 9-1-1 Institute’s National Government Leader of the Year Award, and The Maryland State Firefighters Association (MSFA) (officially renamed from FireMEN’s as a result of legislation Sen. Kagan sponsored) presented her with the Senator William H. Amoss Memorial Legislative Award for her commitment to public safety in both 2019 and 2020.

• Nonprofit Advocate

  Sen. Kagan is often described as “The Senator for the Nonprofit Sector” for her leadership and advocacy on the field’s behalf. These essential organizations employ roughly 13% of Maryland’s workforce and make up 14% of the region’s economy while enhancing our communities daily. In 2017, Sen. Kagan sponsored successful legislation that created the Nonprofit Interest-Free Micro Bridge Loan (NIMBL) fund to provide loans of up to $25,000 to organizations that have earned, but not yet received, payments on their government grants or contracts. In 2018, she established a floor for nonprofits’ indirect costs in State contracts to align with the federal governments (creating a permanent change in 2025), and in 2020, Sen. Kagan passed a bill to streamline all State grant applications for nonprofit organizations into a college-style “Common App,” saving organizations time and thereby increasing their (and State government’s) efficiency. Additional successful legislation she championed guarantees Prompt Payment Parity (enacted 2023) and increased funding for NIMBL (enacted 2023). In 2025, she successfully established a Nonprofit Navigator position– a “GPS for nonprofits”– in State government to help strengthen this vital partnership for the benefit of all Marylanders. Sen. Kagan’s next legislative priority for the sector is opening opportunities for nonprofits to participate in climate change solutions through the establishment of a revolving, interest-free loan fund to support green conversions (first introduced in 2022).

  In the national arena, in partnership with the National Council of Nonprofits and the National Conference of State Legislatures, Sen. Kagan established and chairs the National Nonprofit Legislative Caucus, convening legislators from around the country to swap best practices, policy ideas, and learnings.

  In recognition of Sen. Kagan’s effective advocacy for nonprofits, she was presented with the prestigious Phyllis Campbell Newsome Public Policy Award by the Center for Nonprofit Advancement (2017) and, along with Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk, the first-ever Legislative Champion Award by Maryland Nonprofits (2019).

• Elections Expert

  Earning her reputation for shoring up democracy as the go-to Senator on election legislation, Sen. Kagan has become a trusted voice and reformer in the effort to modernize and strengthen our democratic systems.

  She has sponsored and passed a wide range of election reforms. These include requiring the State Board of Elections (2019) and Local Boards of Elections (2025) to livestream meetings and share minutes and agendas online; improving how Maryland processes and reports mail-in ballots (2023); and creating guidelines for recounts (2022). She led efforts to redefine the appropriation of election funding (2022); remove the then-State Board of Elections Administrator (2023); and ensure that voters understand party affiliation rules during registration (2016). Her legislation has helped unemployed Marylanders serve as Election Judges without risking their benefits (2024) and authorized the State Board to support municipalities with their elections (2025). She also helped change Maryland’s Primary Election date (2025) and passed a bill cracking down on scam PACs (2025). Her 2023 election reform bill inspired the Governor’s 2024 bill to protect Election Judges statewide. Additionally, her bills on exploratory committee regulations, special elections for General Assembly vacancies and simplifying language on ballot petitions passed the Senate in 2025.

  Sen. Kagan is also a nationally recognized leader on elections. She is the Vice Chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ (NCSL’s) Redistricting & Elections Committee. In 2023, she was one of two state legislators appointed to the Board of Advisors of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan federal agency charged with improving the administration of elections (2023).

• Green Champion

  Sen. Kagan enacted the nation’s first statewide ban on expanded polystyrene (“Styrofoam”) food and beverage containers.  Her efforts for the environment and sustainability led the Maryland League of Conservation Voters to present her with the 2019 Legislator of the Year Award (along with Del.– (now Comptroller)– Brooke Lierman).  In the 2022 session, Sen. Kagan was the lead Senate sponsor on the now-enacted SB372 (working with Del. Vaughn Stewart), which bans the sale and use of toxic coal tar sealants. In 2022, Sen. Kagan was endorsed by the Sierra Club.

• Jewish Community Leader

  Sen. Kagan is a founding and active member of Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, MD. She has served on the Washington regional board of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) since 1999 and participated in both the Blaustein and Comay Fellowship programs. In 2021, AJC honored her with the prestigious Hyman “Bookie” Bookbinder Award for her advocacy, coalition-building, and community leadership. As a founding member of Maryland’s Legislative Jewish Caucus, Sen. Kagan is committed to confronting antisemitism in all forms.

• Outside of the Senate

  In her “free” time, Sen. Kagan has hosted Folk ‘N Great Music house concerts with national touring singer-songwriters since 2003. After Donald Trump’s first election, she established and produced four UnNaugural Concerts featuring five different performers and raising money for five unique progressive causes each year– focusing on issues most affected by the Trump Administration.

  A nationally ranked Scrabble player, Sen. Kagan was responsible for luring the North American Scrabble Championship to Baltimore in 2022, hosting competitors from 42 states and nine countries. Sen. Kagan also wrote a chapter on Scrabble as a metaphor for life, included in “33 Gems: Wisdom for Living Pieces of Life’s Puzzle.” A self-described “word nerd,” she frequently participates in D.C. pun contests, and she has visited the capitals of all fifty states.

  In September 2020, Sen. Kagan launched a podcast on her YouTube Channel called “Kibbitzing with Kagan,” in which she interviews individuals she finds fascinating. (Subscribe on YouTube or Apple Podcasts!)

• Awards and Accomplishments

  Sen. Kagan has been widely recognized for her achievements as a legislator. Representing two of the four largest cities in Maryland, she focuses on making our municipalities more vibrant, sustainable, and economically healthy. For her advocacy, the Maryland Municipal League named her a “Municipal Superstar” for the fifth time in 2020.  She was honored to receive the “2019 Legislator of the Year Award” by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters with Del. Brooke Lierman for making Maryland the first State to ban polystyrene (“Styrofoam”) for food products. She was recognized three times as one of Maryland’s “Top 100 Women” and inducted into The Daily Record’s “Circle of Excellence.”  In 2018, the Maryland Association of Counties recognized Sen. Kagan for her unwavering dedication to 9-1-1 policy and local government priorities. In 2020, Sen. Kagan was honored as “Peacemaker of the Year” by The Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County. In 2022, Sen. Kagan was named one of the National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL) Elected Women of Excellence honorees. And Sen. Kagan was recognized with the prestigious Next Generation 9-1-1 Institute’s “National Government Leader of the Year” award in both 2018 and 2022.

  Sen. Kagan has served on the board of the American Jewish Committee for over 25 years. In 2021, the organization honored her with the Hyman “Bookie” Bookbinder Award for her advocacy, coalition-building, and community leadership. Additionally, she was appointed to the National Association of Jewish Legislators board.