Update—March 24th to April 6th

On Sunday March 24th I went to the UDance program at the Bob Carpenter Center as part of the B-positive program. On Monday I made a presentation to the League of Women Voters of New Castle County on the End of Life Options legislation. Later that day I stopped by a property in Covered Bridge Farms which has a serious stormwater drainage problem. That evening I participated in a panel discussion of the upcoming operating referendum to be decided by residents of Christina School District. On Tuesday the 26th in Dover I had a meeting on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) bill, HB80, a second meeting with environmental advocates, and I led the presentation of joint legislative proclamation (HCR 19) announcing Rare Disease Day in Delaware. On Wednesday I attended a stakeholder meeting in New Castle on the Share the Care Act (SB27). At session I presented HCR17, a resolution calling for restaurants to adopt ‘plastic straw on request only’ policies. Also on Wednesday I had a meeting with regarding manufactured housing repair programs funded by the state, and a meeting with the Delaware Realtor Association. On Thursday I attended the annual Lobby Day for the League of Women Voters of Delaware at the Duncan Center, attended the bill signing SB22, the National Popular Vote bill, attended the bill signing of HJR 2 recognizing the First Lady of the Delaware State University, and had a meeting to discuss SB25, the bill to raise the age to 21 to purchase tobacco products. On Saturday I enjoyed the annual Newark Wine and Dine festival.

We were not in legislative session this past week, to give the bond bill committee time to review those requests. On Tuesday I joined several colleagues at a presentation at Arsht Hall about the Delaware Prosperity Partnership. On Wednesday the 3rd I hosted my monthly coffee at the Greene Turtle, and afterwards toured the Newark Bloom Energy facility. On Thursday I joined my colleague John Viola to visit the Tarbiyah school. We read books for the younger children, and addressed an assembly of older students, learning about their recent science projects, and fielding a wide range of civics and current event questions. On Friday I joined a call on SCR 6, a resolution calling on DHSS to prepare a waiver application to the federal government, aiming to drive down costs of health insurance in Delaware. Later I hosted a meeting in Wilmington on current efforts to reduce suicide attempts, at which we learned what the state is already doing, and what opportunities there are to do even more. On Saturday morning I attended the 3rd annual Newark Interfaith Peace Walk, organized by Delaware’s Sikh community as part of their Month of Sikh Awareness and Appreciation.

Emails—there have been many emails over the past two weeks. Some related to the upcoming mayoral and city council election this Tuesday (such as how to learn more, and how to obtain an absentee ballot).

I have had emails regarding next year’s state budget and bond bill spending bill.

I have had emails about upcoming legislation, including the Heather Block/Ron Silverio End of Life Options Act, pharmaceutical price transparency, and school board member term length reduction from the current five years.

I have had emails about my current legislation, including various resolutions, the EITC bills, HB109 (led by Rep Kowalko and me, to revise the Newark City Charter law related to voting rights for property owners), and SB12 (engineering rules for grid-connected electric vehicles).

I have had emails about legislation led by colleagues, including SB27 the Share the Care Act, HB111 (school bus safety cameras), expanding absentee voting (HB73), the Tobacco 21 bill (SB25), HB63 (safe storage of firearms), HB99 (pensions for correctional officers and specified peace officers), and SB37 (expungement of criminal convictions for minor marijuana-related offenses).

I have had emails regarding matters raised by constituents, including one related to the FDA, one related to the Medicaid application for a resident who has been diagnosed with cancer, one related to a student’s application for a summer STEM program, one related to a new building material and how it might be used in government-sponsored building projects, several requesting speed bumps in Chapel Hill, one related to an apparent sewer line leak along Old Paper Mill Rd, one related to a concern that a private school voucher bill would be introduced (none has at this point), one related to a UD student who is a veteran who was facing financial challenges, one with a suggestion for boosting volunteering in our public schools, about concerns with the oversight of Odyssey Charter school, about the White Clay Creek State Park’s ‘big pond,’ about write-in candidates for school board elections, about state support for the Creative Vision Factory, about a joint letter asking for action on the human rights travesty in Cameroon, about the coming closure of the Polly Drummond Road DNREC-run yard waste site, about a resident’s concerns with the city cutting off his electricity, and regarding Delmarva Power extending natural gas service into Covered Bridge Farms.I have had emails with DelDOT about the just-begun Main Street project.