On Monday the 9th I enjoyed a tour of the Gateway Lab School, and I was very impressed with how this school serves so many students with special needs so well. The school had stumbled in the past, but major changes have been made, and it appears to be on a very good path. I was in Dover on Tuesday the 10th through Thursday the 12th. On Tuesday I first attended a press conference announcing a private scholarship program to DREAMers which provides free college at Delaware State University for children of undocumented immigrants, and had a meeting on Delaware’s medical marijuana program. I met with an association of engineers after session. On Thursday the 12th before session I participated in a panel at the annual Delaware Organization of Nursing Leaders summit, and also attended the Small Business Caucus. On Friday the 13th I met with a member of the Christina School Board for lunch, and attended a meeting at Newark City Hall I called for stakeholders on the ‘administrative warrant’ issue for safety inspections. On Saturday the 14th I attended a meeting at St Johns UAME Church of the Newark chapter of the NAACP.
On Monday the 16th I met with another legislator at AFSCME headquarters, to discuss the health insurance plan change proposed by the Governor. I was in Dover again Tuesday the 17th through Thursday the 19th. On Wednesday the 18th I began the day at Downes Elementary School’s 50th anniversary tree planting, attended a mid-day Nemours Day event at LegHall, and that evening I participated in DelTech’s graduation ceremony at the Bob. On Thursday the 19th I attended a portion of the Animal Rescue Summit before session. On Friday the 20th I led a ‘train’ from Downes Elementary School to the Bike to Work Day rally on the UD campus. Later that day I taped two segments for the Comcast Newsmakers program. On Saturday I attended the 70th anniversary of Bings Bakery, and also a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Woman of the Year Campaign.
Emails
Many emails related to recent legislation—my bills on school board terms (HB 374), medical marijuana for the terminally ill (HB 400), disclosure when an employee leaves the County merit program (HB 370), physician aid-in-dying (HB 150), prior authorization (HB 381), expansion of the Ada Leigh Soles scholarship (HB 348, which passed the House), midwifery (HB 315, also in the Senate), and campaign finance reform (HB 385). There were also emails about legislation from colleagues—project labor agreements (HB 283), plastic bag fee (HB 202), moving the primary to April (HB 375), deer hunting on five Sundays on public land (HB 289), Wilmington Education Improvement (HJR 12), disclosure of wages (HB 314), the cosmetology board (HB 346, I presented an amendment to strengthen the bill), state dance (HB 383, I requested a one-year sunset, which was incorporated into the bill), and a brewpup expansion bill (SB 219).
There were emails on Newark roads, road signs, bus routes, repaving projects. There have been extensive emails, meetings, and calls on the Tri Valley Trail, and in particular with advocating that the trail be no greater then eight feet in width.
I worked with DelTech on a concern raised by a constituent with their son’s difficulties with a particular math class, and with a young adult who was fired from a childcare job due to a misdemeanor conviction when he was a youth, involving a fight with a sibling. We have had emails about the Wilmington Port expansion, open space program (and potential for the Newark Country Club to sell conservation easements), DelDOT’s displacement of homeless persons. I am requesting a meeting between the city, city police, and the cycling community, to ensure that bike ordinance enforcement is reasonable.
We have begun fielding constituent questions regarding the recent decision to change the custodian for the state employee and retiree deferred compensation plans.
There were many emails regarding the administrative warrant issue, whether city and county staff should be issued warrants to enter rented and owned property for safety inspections.