FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | January 17, 2018
Delaware State Senate Majority Caucus
Contact: Scott Goss (302) 744-4180, or
Dylan McDowell (302) 744-4282
Delaware State Senate Majority Caucus
Contact: Scott Goss (302) 744-4180, or
Dylan McDowell (302) 744-4282
Senate Democrats enter 2018 with busy agenda
DOVER - Democratic senators brought a full plate of work to Legislative Hall to open the 2018 session, including key legislation on issues of higher education, the environment, transportation, and the economy.
“The issues facing Delawareans don’t go away after June,” said Senate Majority Leader Margaret Rose Henry, D-Wilmington. “All of us are eager to get to work right away. Communities across the state are facing real challenges. They go to sleep worrying about everything from their finances to the health and safety of their loved ones. Delaware is a small state; these are our neighbors, and we all rise and fall together – so let’s get to work.”
On higher education, Senate Bill 90 – sponsored by Sen. Brian Bushweller, D-Dover – would expand the Inspire scholarship, which helps pay for tuition at Delaware State University, to cover all four years instead of just three.
“The Inspire scholarship is a great program that creates opportunity and brings a high-quality college education within reach for countless hard-working students,” said Sen. Bushweller. “It also invests in our future by keeping some of our brightest students in Delaware, helping them enter the workforce with low debt or no debt, and making it likelier that they make up the backbone of our economy over the long run. Investments like this don’t just help kids go to college – they’re key to growth in our local economy and the middle class, and I’m proud to fight for them.”
The Inspire scholarship provides up to $3,000 per year to DSU students who graduate from Delaware high schools, demonstrate good conduct, and maintain at least 2.75 or higher GPA. Once enrolled, recipients must maintain their grades and conduct and perform at least 10 hours of community service per semester.
House Bill 270, sponsored by Rep. Mike Mulrooney, D-New Castle, and Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, is the most comprehensive legislative effort yet proposed to address water quality in Delaware and invest in infrastructure that treats drinking water and prevents flooding.
“Clean water isn’t a partisan issue; it’s a health, economic, enviornmental, and quality-of-life issue that affects everyone from Claymont to Delmar,” said Sen. Townsend, who chaired the Clean Water and Flood Abatement Task Force. “Whether you’re drinking from the tap, fishing, or swimming, most of Delaware’s water is too impaired for its intended use. That’s a huge problem for families in all three counties and for giant segments of our economy, like tourism and agriculture. Add in the growing problem of chronic flooding throughout the state and the ever-present risk of industrial accidents or infrastructure failures that contaminate wells or lead to boil water advisories, it’s clear that our current commitment to clean water is just a drop in the bucket. The good news is that we can fix the problem – but the longer we wait, the harder and more expensive it gets.”
HB 270 would create a lockboxed Clean Water Trust, supported by multiple revenue sources, which would invest in water remediation, flood abatement, and aging water infrastructure that more than 80 percent of Delawareans rely on.
One in seven taxpayers (and more than half of Delaware’s population) would pay nothing under the plan; those who did would pay roughly the cost of a cup of coffee each month.
Forthcoming legislation from Senate Majority Whip Nicole Poore, D-New Castle, would also help ensure that transportation projects are completed on-time and under-budget by requiring DelDOT’s bid selection process to weigh contractors’ past performance.
“The people of Delaware deserve to know that their money is being spent well when it comes to building and repairing their roads,” said Poore. “Unfortunately, history shows that the lowest bid isn’t always the cheapest one. That’s especially true if you’re a small business owner losing customers to extended road closures, or an hourly worker who shows up late for a shift because of bad traffic. This is a simple reform that will help us maintain quality infrastruture while ensuring that roadwork happens as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.”
Senate Democrats are also prioritizing environmental initiatives that would clean up polluted rivers, reduce flooding, and restore the state’s ecosystem.
Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Newark is following up on months of study on the Ecological Extinction Task Force by proposing a commission to respond to native species loss.
“Our task force came up with dozens of recommendations that are urgently needed if we want to reverse the course of extinction in the lower half of our food chain,” said Sen. Hansen. “Our ecosystems depend on native species. Their extinction would damage not only our environment, but also our health and our $3 billion tourism economy. If we act soon, we can avert that threat at a minimal cost to the public – but it requires us to take the problem seriously and to coordinate. A Native Species Commission will deliver the kind of scientific, sustained, consensus-building approach that this challenge calls for.”
Democratic legislation under consideration would also help support working class budgets. Senate Bill 10, from Sen. Robert Marshall, D-Wilmington, would gradually increase Delaware’s minimum wage, which is currently tied for third-lowest among states that pay above the federal minimum.
“Everybody is happy to see the economy get back up to speed after the Great Recession,” said Sen. Marshall. “But the recovery has benefitted some far more than others, and too many working people are still just trying to make ends meet. The cost of living is only going up, and our economy can’t work for everyone when people who work 40 hours a week can’t afford basics like rent or food. Lifting Delaware’s economic floor will help everyone on the income ladder, grow the economy from the middle out, and help ensure that everyone has the opportunity, dignity, and security that they deserve.”
Legislative session began on Tuesday, January 9.
“The issues facing Delawareans don’t go away after June,” said Senate Majority Leader Margaret Rose Henry, D-Wilmington. “All of us are eager to get to work right away. Communities across the state are facing real challenges. They go to sleep worrying about everything from their finances to the health and safety of their loved ones. Delaware is a small state; these are our neighbors, and we all rise and fall together – so let’s get to work.”
On higher education, Senate Bill 90 – sponsored by Sen. Brian Bushweller, D-Dover – would expand the Inspire scholarship, which helps pay for tuition at Delaware State University, to cover all four years instead of just three.
“The Inspire scholarship is a great program that creates opportunity and brings a high-quality college education within reach for countless hard-working students,” said Sen. Bushweller. “It also invests in our future by keeping some of our brightest students in Delaware, helping them enter the workforce with low debt or no debt, and making it likelier that they make up the backbone of our economy over the long run. Investments like this don’t just help kids go to college – they’re key to growth in our local economy and the middle class, and I’m proud to fight for them.”
The Inspire scholarship provides up to $3,000 per year to DSU students who graduate from Delaware high schools, demonstrate good conduct, and maintain at least 2.75 or higher GPA. Once enrolled, recipients must maintain their grades and conduct and perform at least 10 hours of community service per semester.
House Bill 270, sponsored by Rep. Mike Mulrooney, D-New Castle, and Sen. Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, is the most comprehensive legislative effort yet proposed to address water quality in Delaware and invest in infrastructure that treats drinking water and prevents flooding.
“Clean water isn’t a partisan issue; it’s a health, economic, enviornmental, and quality-of-life issue that affects everyone from Claymont to Delmar,” said Sen. Townsend, who chaired the Clean Water and Flood Abatement Task Force. “Whether you’re drinking from the tap, fishing, or swimming, most of Delaware’s water is too impaired for its intended use. That’s a huge problem for families in all three counties and for giant segments of our economy, like tourism and agriculture. Add in the growing problem of chronic flooding throughout the state and the ever-present risk of industrial accidents or infrastructure failures that contaminate wells or lead to boil water advisories, it’s clear that our current commitment to clean water is just a drop in the bucket. The good news is that we can fix the problem – but the longer we wait, the harder and more expensive it gets.”
HB 270 would create a lockboxed Clean Water Trust, supported by multiple revenue sources, which would invest in water remediation, flood abatement, and aging water infrastructure that more than 80 percent of Delawareans rely on.
One in seven taxpayers (and more than half of Delaware’s population) would pay nothing under the plan; those who did would pay roughly the cost of a cup of coffee each month.
Forthcoming legislation from Senate Majority Whip Nicole Poore, D-New Castle, would also help ensure that transportation projects are completed on-time and under-budget by requiring DelDOT’s bid selection process to weigh contractors’ past performance.
“The people of Delaware deserve to know that their money is being spent well when it comes to building and repairing their roads,” said Poore. “Unfortunately, history shows that the lowest bid isn’t always the cheapest one. That’s especially true if you’re a small business owner losing customers to extended road closures, or an hourly worker who shows up late for a shift because of bad traffic. This is a simple reform that will help us maintain quality infrastruture while ensuring that roadwork happens as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.”
Senate Democrats are also prioritizing environmental initiatives that would clean up polluted rivers, reduce flooding, and restore the state’s ecosystem.
Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Newark is following up on months of study on the Ecological Extinction Task Force by proposing a commission to respond to native species loss.
“Our task force came up with dozens of recommendations that are urgently needed if we want to reverse the course of extinction in the lower half of our food chain,” said Sen. Hansen. “Our ecosystems depend on native species. Their extinction would damage not only our environment, but also our health and our $3 billion tourism economy. If we act soon, we can avert that threat at a minimal cost to the public – but it requires us to take the problem seriously and to coordinate. A Native Species Commission will deliver the kind of scientific, sustained, consensus-building approach that this challenge calls for.”
Democratic legislation under consideration would also help support working class budgets. Senate Bill 10, from Sen. Robert Marshall, D-Wilmington, would gradually increase Delaware’s minimum wage, which is currently tied for third-lowest among states that pay above the federal minimum.
“Everybody is happy to see the economy get back up to speed after the Great Recession,” said Sen. Marshall. “But the recovery has benefitted some far more than others, and too many working people are still just trying to make ends meet. The cost of living is only going up, and our economy can’t work for everyone when people who work 40 hours a week can’t afford basics like rent or food. Lifting Delaware’s economic floor will help everyone on the income ladder, grow the economy from the middle out, and help ensure that everyone has the opportunity, dignity, and security that they deserve.”
Legislative session began on Tuesday, January 9.
###
- Press Contacts
Scott Goss
Communications Director
(302) 744-4180
[email protected]
Dylan McDowell
Communications Assistant
(302) 744-4282
[email protected]