Paul D. Corderman (born September 1, 1977) is an American politician from
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
and a member of the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
. He is a member of the
Maryland Senate
The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...
from District 2, which covers parts of
Washington County, assuming office on September 1, 2020. He was a member of the
Maryland House of Delegates
The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...
from District 2B from December 2017 to August 2020.
Early life
Corderman was born on September 1, 1977, in
Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland,
United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...
to
John P. Corderman, a member of the
Maryland Senate
The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...
and circuit court judge. He graduated from
North Hagerstown High School
North Hagerstown High School is located at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. The school's colors are red and white, with black as the accent color. The school is part of the Washington County Public Schools system. N ...
in 1995,
and later attended the
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...
, where he earned a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in criminal justice in 2000.
Political career
Corderman first got involved in politics following the death of his father in July 2012.
In 2016, Corderman ran for the Hagerstown City Council on a platform of increasing grants and tax incentives and cutting regulations.
He was sworn in on November 29, 2016. Corderman resigned from the city council to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates on December 19, 2017.
He was succeeded by Charles Austin Heffernan Jr.
Maryland General Assembly
In November 2017, following Governor
Larry Hogan
Lawrence Joseph Hogan Jr. (born May 25, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 62nd governor of Maryland since 2015. A moderate member of the Republican Party, he was secretary of appointments under Maryland governor Bo ...
's appointment of state delegate
Brett Wilson to the Washington County Circuit Court, Corderman applied to serve the remainder of Wilson's term in the Maryland House of Delegates. In December 2017, the Washington County Republican Central Committee voted to nominate Corderman to fill the seat, and Hogan appointed Corderman to the Maryland House of Delegates later that month. He was sworn in on December 20, 2017. Corderman was elected to a full four-year term in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
.
In August 2020, following the resignation of state senator
Andrew A. Serafini
Andrew A. Serafini (born March 9, 1962) is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Republican Party. He was a member of the Maryland Senate from District 2, which covers parts of Washington County, from February 2015 to August 2 ...
, Corderman said he would apply to serve the remainder of Serafini's term in the Maryland Senate. The Washington County Republican Central Committee nominated Corderman to fill the vacancy on August 26, and Hogan appointed him to the Maryland Senate the following day.
He was sworn in on September 1, 2020.
Since 2023, Corderman has served as the ranking chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.
Corderman ran for a full full-year term in the Maryland Senate in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
. During the primaries, he filed a lawsuit against Democratic challenger Shawn Demetrious Perry, alleging that Perry was ineligible to run because he did not live within the district. In June 2022, Circuit Court Judge Dana Moylan Wright denied Corderman's challenge to Perry's candidacy. Corderman defeated Perry in the general election on November 8, 2022, receiving 63.8 percent of the vote to Perry's 36.1 percent.
Personal life
Corderman is married to his wife, Kerri. Together, they have a daughter.
Political positions
Crime and policing
During the 2020 legislative session, Corderman introduced the "Suzanne Jones Act", named for a woman stabbed to death in Hagerstown in October 2017, that would require state
correctional facilities
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...
to release prisoners back into the communities where they lived before incarceration. The bill failed to pass out of committee. In April 2020, he signed onto a letter questioning the early release of prisoners amid the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
In September 2020, Corderman signed onto a letter calling for the cancellation of hearings on police reform, expressing concerns that the hearings would demoralize police officers.
Education
Corderman supports the Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) program, which provides scholarships to students attending
private school
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
s, and criticized funding cuts to the program in the state's 2019 budget.
Health care
During the 2020 legislative session, Corderman introduced legislation to increase
Medicaid
Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...
reimbursements for
emergency medical services
Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...
.
In August 2022, Corderman criticized a proposal by Mayor Emily Keller to locate a 24-hour crisis center in downtown Hagerstown, saying that it was contributing to the "disintegration and degradation of our downtown community". He also said he opposed bills decriminalizing certain drug-related violations in Maryland.
Housing
In January 2017, Corderman said he opposed plans to redevelop Noland Village in Hagerstown, saying it would worsen the city's various socioeconomic issues, including the
opioid epidemic
The opioid epidemic, also referred to as the opioid crisis, is the rapid increase in the overuse, misuse/abuse, and overdose deaths attributed either in part or in whole to the class of drugs opiates/opioids since the 1990s. It includes the sign ...
. He later voted against a
PILOT agreement with Bethel Gardens, a low-income housing complex in downtown Hagerstown.
Taxes
During the 2022 legislative session, Corderman introduced legislation that would provide
income tax breaks to health care workers following the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, Corderman introduced a bill that would prohibit Washington County from charging an
entertainment tax
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have dev ...
.
Transportation
Corderman supports the expansion of
Interstate 81
Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island ...
and has called for increased state funding toward the project.
During the 2020 legislative session, Corderman introduced a bill requiring a study on expanding
MARC Train
MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) is a commuter rail system in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) and operated under contract by Alstom and Amtrak on track owned by ...
commuter rail lines to
Hancock Hancock may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Hancock, Iowa
* Hancock, Maine
* Hancock, Maryland
* Hancock, Massachusetts
* Hancock, Michigan
* Hancock, Minnesota
* Hancock, Missouri
* Hancock, New Hampshire
** Hancock (CDP), New Hampshire
* ...
and
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
, which passed and became law. He was also the only Republican state delegate to vote in favor of a bill increasing state transit maintenance spending by $500 million.
Electoral history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corderman, Paul D.
1977 births
Living people
21st-century American legislators
Maryland city council members
Politicians from Hagerstown, Maryland
Republican Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates
Republican Party Maryland state senators
University of Maryland, College Park alumni
21st-century Maryland politicians