Press Release– Dec. 9, 2015
Delaware Senate Majority Caucus
For Immediate Release
Contacts: Jesse Chadderdon (302) 744-4282 or (302) 743-0945;
Patrick Jackson (302) 744-4046 or (302) 242-0036
Delaware Senate Majority Caucus
For Immediate Release
Contacts: Jesse Chadderdon (302) 744-4282 or (302) 743-0945;
Patrick Jackson (302) 744-4046 or (302) 242-0036
Panel unveils public works project plans
Delawareans would have an opportunity to land day jobs at range of public works projects while learning valuable job-related skills, if lawmakers and Gov. Jack Markell opt to follow a blueprint outlined Wednesday.
After two months of public hearings and deliberations, the state’s “Work-a-Day, Earn-a-Pay” Task Force released a report calling on the state to devote $2 million for the employment program. Task Force members would attempt to leverage state funding with private money to enhance the program’s scope.
“I hope the governor and his administration can get onboard with this program and make it priority as they draw up the budget,” said Sen. Robert Marshall, D-Wilmington West, who sponsored the legislation setting up the Task Force. “I know Gov. Markell cares deeply about creating opportunities for our citizens and this program will help us achieve that goal.”
George Krupanski, who led the Task Force and is president of the Boys & Girls Club of Delaware, said the panel has produced a strong framework for a path forward.
“We had Task Force members who were ready to work and got some very good input from the community,” he said. “I hope the governor and General Assembly will act on this report because it has some very good ideas. I know it’s a challenging year financially, but I can think of few better investments for the State than putting people to work.”
Task Force members recommended the program start in May, so that it could be fully organized, up and running by the start of the State’s fiscal year on July 1. It would target communities with high unemployment rates. To take part in the program, participants would have to be 16 or older, show a willingness to work and be drug and alcohol free.
Among the projects suggested in the report were:
“These are projects that are doable and offer real benefits not only to the people doing the physical work to accomplish them, but to the broader community and state as a whole,” Marshall said. “The projects we choose would go a long way enhance the quality of life of Delawareans, while the program’s participants will learn real, marketable skills and will gain the kind of self-confidence and feeling of accomplishment that comes from working hard and earning a paycheck.”
In addition to job training, the group recommended that participants receive training in so-called “soft skills,” such as how to handle a job interview, appropriate workplace attire and being punctual. Under the group’s recommendations, the state would partner with local non-profit groups which would administer the programs.
Cities like Albuquerque, N.M., Denver, New York City and Seattle have implemented similar programs, but Delaware would be the first state to attempt a program on a statewide basis.
The Task Force report was released during a Wednesday press conference at Helen Chambers Park in Wilmington, where joblessness has been one of the factors leading to a rise in gun violence. That violence has prompted the nearby West Center City Early Learning Center to consider relocating because of concern for the safety of its kids. That chain of events, Marshall said, underscores the urgent need for the program.
“There’s a culture of despair and hopelessness that builds on itself and leads to the kinds of problems we’ve seen here,” Marshall said. “By attacking the root causes of that, we can help build stronger, safer and more prosperous communities – not just here in Wilmington, but up and down the state.”
The report references a study from the Centers for Disease Control looking at violence in Wilmington that noted 86 percent of the people in its sample of violent criminals had been unemployed during the quarter before committing their crime.
“I think the linkage in the CDC report is there,” said Krupanski. “That doesn’t mean I think people will commit crimes because they can’t find work. But if people are desperate, because they need to support their families or themselves, and can’t find work, it creates conditions where committing a crime might become an option.”
State Rep. Mike Mulrooney, D-Pennwood, who has worked closely with Marshall on efforts to boost employment and wages around the state, said the proposal is strong.
“We’ve all heard the budget projections and we know we’re facing some big challenges next year,” Mulrooney said. “But this is a plan that, I think, can do a lot of good. The dignity of working for a fair wage and developing a full range of job skills is something that can lift a community and make it stronger. So, in spite of the challenges we’ll be facing, this is something that merits serious discussion and consideration because of its short- and long-term benefits to the state.”
Marshall said he hopes the General Assembly will act quickly on the report when it comes back to work next month.
“The ongoing violence in our cities is an issue with a lot of moving parts,” he said. “But this is an important building block in restoring a sense of hope and purpose in our communities, so I call on all of my colleagues and the governor to act on this with a sense of urgency, so we can have a program ready to roll when the spring and summer come.”
After two months of public hearings and deliberations, the state’s “Work-a-Day, Earn-a-Pay” Task Force released a report calling on the state to devote $2 million for the employment program. Task Force members would attempt to leverage state funding with private money to enhance the program’s scope.
“I hope the governor and his administration can get onboard with this program and make it priority as they draw up the budget,” said Sen. Robert Marshall, D-Wilmington West, who sponsored the legislation setting up the Task Force. “I know Gov. Markell cares deeply about creating opportunities for our citizens and this program will help us achieve that goal.”
George Krupanski, who led the Task Force and is president of the Boys & Girls Club of Delaware, said the panel has produced a strong framework for a path forward.
“We had Task Force members who were ready to work and got some very good input from the community,” he said. “I hope the governor and General Assembly will act on this report because it has some very good ideas. I know it’s a challenging year financially, but I can think of few better investments for the State than putting people to work.”
Task Force members recommended the program start in May, so that it could be fully organized, up and running by the start of the State’s fiscal year on July 1. It would target communities with high unemployment rates. To take part in the program, participants would have to be 16 or older, show a willingness to work and be drug and alcohol free.
Among the projects suggested in the report were:
- Developing vacant properties like community gardens or pocket parks;
- Building a natural gas pipeline linking New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties;
- Working with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control on a range of habitat and park maintenance projects up and down the state.
“These are projects that are doable and offer real benefits not only to the people doing the physical work to accomplish them, but to the broader community and state as a whole,” Marshall said. “The projects we choose would go a long way enhance the quality of life of Delawareans, while the program’s participants will learn real, marketable skills and will gain the kind of self-confidence and feeling of accomplishment that comes from working hard and earning a paycheck.”
In addition to job training, the group recommended that participants receive training in so-called “soft skills,” such as how to handle a job interview, appropriate workplace attire and being punctual. Under the group’s recommendations, the state would partner with local non-profit groups which would administer the programs.
Cities like Albuquerque, N.M., Denver, New York City and Seattle have implemented similar programs, but Delaware would be the first state to attempt a program on a statewide basis.
The Task Force report was released during a Wednesday press conference at Helen Chambers Park in Wilmington, where joblessness has been one of the factors leading to a rise in gun violence. That violence has prompted the nearby West Center City Early Learning Center to consider relocating because of concern for the safety of its kids. That chain of events, Marshall said, underscores the urgent need for the program.
“There’s a culture of despair and hopelessness that builds on itself and leads to the kinds of problems we’ve seen here,” Marshall said. “By attacking the root causes of that, we can help build stronger, safer and more prosperous communities – not just here in Wilmington, but up and down the state.”
The report references a study from the Centers for Disease Control looking at violence in Wilmington that noted 86 percent of the people in its sample of violent criminals had been unemployed during the quarter before committing their crime.
“I think the linkage in the CDC report is there,” said Krupanski. “That doesn’t mean I think people will commit crimes because they can’t find work. But if people are desperate, because they need to support their families or themselves, and can’t find work, it creates conditions where committing a crime might become an option.”
State Rep. Mike Mulrooney, D-Pennwood, who has worked closely with Marshall on efforts to boost employment and wages around the state, said the proposal is strong.
“We’ve all heard the budget projections and we know we’re facing some big challenges next year,” Mulrooney said. “But this is a plan that, I think, can do a lot of good. The dignity of working for a fair wage and developing a full range of job skills is something that can lift a community and make it stronger. So, in spite of the challenges we’ll be facing, this is something that merits serious discussion and consideration because of its short- and long-term benefits to the state.”
Marshall said he hopes the General Assembly will act quickly on the report when it comes back to work next month.
“The ongoing violence in our cities is an issue with a lot of moving parts,” he said. “But this is an important building block in restoring a sense of hope and purpose in our communities, so I call on all of my colleagues and the governor to act on this with a sense of urgency, so we can have a program ready to roll when the spring and summer come.”
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Press Contacts
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
[email protected]
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
[email protected]
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
[email protected]
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
[email protected]