2018 Update—January 7th to 20th

On Monday the 8th I joined in the monthly board meeting of the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence. That evening I attended an annual dinner hosted by the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. On Tuesday I stopped by Rep Mike Ramone’s monthly coffee with constituents. On Wednesday I attended an anti-bullying assembly at Shue-Medill Middle School in the morning, and that evening had dinner with UD President Assanis and other University officials and legislators. On Thursday I participated in a stakeholder discussion on home health care for home-bound individuals. This was our first week back in Dover. I have many meetings, and led a Manufactured Housing committee hearing.

On Monday the 15th I attended a community meeting with a reading of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail at the Newark United Methodist Church. On Thursday I help my monthly Facebook Town Hall with guest Rep Ed Osienski. On Friday the 19th I taped two segments for the Comcast Newsmakers program. On Saturday I helped lead the Second Annual Women’s March in Newark, and spoke at the rally afterwards. During our second week in session, I again had several meetings, one on safer communities through improved partnership between law enforcement and our immigrant communities, one on our vo-tech schools, one on necessary signage at the intersection of Hopkins and Thompson Station Roads, three on manufactured housing. I presented a bill to the House Education Committee, which released the bill to the full House.

As usual, there were many, many emails during the past two weeks.

Much of my work has been towards the passage of HB160, the End of Life Options Act. There were also emails about legislative matters including the National Popular Vote, HB165 (direct shipment of wine), Equal Rights Amendment, HB110 (regulation, taxation, legalization of adult-use marijuana), SB47 (manufactured housing right of first offer), SB65 (prohibiting quack ‘conversion therapy’), and HB3 (family leave bill for state employees).

There have been local matters, drainage in Nonantum Mills, a utility pole in Chapel Hill, helping the Fairfield Crest swimming pool, pedestrian safety by the Newark Day Nursery, a road safety matter in Unami Trail, reporting potholes, a student-initiated request regarding cyclist safety on Old Paper Mill Rd, and a proposal to change a polling place back to Main Towers from the Newark Free Library.

There were many constituent inquiries, about animal welfare policy, voting machine replacement status, conservation access pass policy, and concern over Delaware’s policy on emergency notifications in light of Hawaii’s snafu.