NOVEMBER 20, 2023

LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR 2024

lwvde@comcast.net

https://my.lwv.org/delaware

Climate Change & Energy

DE needs offshore wind

• Scarcity of allowable space left off DE’s coast.
• 1 800 MW wind farm -> 28% of DE’s electricity.
• Avoid co-pollutants—causing $69 M/yr. in healthcare costs.
• DE goal: 50% emission reduction by 2030.
• Without OSW, no energy for hydrogen manufacture.
• Without OSW, no economic opportunities, jobs.

Rampion Wind Farm, 13 mi. off English coast, 460 ft. US Wind’s Marwin, will be 15 mi. off DE coast, 817 ft.

Why?

Legislation necessary:

• Get started; will include deadlines.
• Provision for competetive bidding.

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BOEM Wind Energy Areas, 2023

Climate Change & Energy

Upgrade Solar Readiness Bill, HB 11

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• Strong roof; no protuberances.
• Conduits & space for controls on blueprints.

Current bill (buildings/50,000+ ft.sq. footprint)

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• Require installed solar panels in all new 50,000+ ft.sq. construction.
• Examples: San Francisco, Culver City, Santa Monica, South Miami, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Flanders (Belgium), state of Baden-Württemberg (Germany); California (residential, small business).

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Proposed bill; strong roof, controls, plus…

Criminal Justice

Probation Reform, SB4

• Prohibits re-incarceration for technical violations.
• Customizes conditions for individual needs.
• Provides for community-based re-entry programs.
• Limits probation to one year.

Criminal Justice

Fines and Fees

• Eliminates fees; services funded from General Fund.
• Automatic Ability-to-Pay assessment.
• Writes off “Old Debt.”
• Removes fines and fees—barriers to expungement.

Elections and Voting

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What has changed in the way we vote since 2022?

Elections and voting

…..not for lack of trying.

• Constitutional amendment introduced that would remove specific absentee language to allow for no excuse absentee voting. First leg passed, 2nd leg failed.

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• Vote by mail law introduced, passed. No change to Constitution. Delaware Supreme Court struck down bill; said constitutional change needed.

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• Focus for League: Pass bill to allow voting at home, absentee or vote by mail.

Elections and voting

What other voting bills do we support?

• HB43- Allows non-affiliated voters to vote in primaries
• HB96 - Allows 16 and 17 year olds to vote in school board elections
• Rank Choice Voting

Elections and voting

What voting bills do we not support?

• HB121- Bill allows Seaford to permit LLCs, partnerships, and trusts to vote in municipal elections.
• HB215 - Moves the state primary to 4th Tuesday in April to correspond to the Presidential primary. LWVDE will remain neutral and just monitor this bill.

Redistricting

Creation of a Delaware Independent Redistricting Commission

• Preserve communities of interest.
• Create geographically continuous & compact districts.
• Follow county, city, town, & school district lines in equally populated districts.
• Ignore candidate & political influence over drawing of districts.

Present Delaware redistricting law does not guarantee one person/one vote. Works backwards, with legislators picking their voters.

General Assembly Senate Districts. 2022

General Assembly House Districts, 2022

An Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) would:

Redistricting

IRC would consist of 5 members:

• 2 Democrats, 2 Republicans, 1 unaffiliated.
• Excludes lobbyists, party officials, legislative employees, & office holders of past 7 years.
• Assisted by citizen advisory committees and public hearings in each county and Wilmington.

As a constitutional amendment, requires passage by 2 consecutive General Assembly sessions.

Healthcare

SB2 Permit-to-Purchase Handguns

• Firearms leading cause of death for U.S. children.
• Handguns used in most homicides & suicides.
• Gun violence costs DE taxpayers $44.4 million/yr.
• Research: P2P handguns reduce gun violence.

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Background

Provisions of SB2

• Requires permit to purchase handguns.
• Requires fingerprinting, firearm & safety training
• Prohibits sale/transfer of handguns to those without permit-to-purchase.

Health Care

HB 110: Medicaid Coverage for Abortion

• Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funds for abortion.
• State-funded portion of Medicaid could cover abortion cost.

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• Requires all health-benefit plans to cover abortion.
• Prohibits cost-sharing requirement (co-payment, deductible, etc.)

Background

Provisions of HB110

Land Use/Transportation

Focus on Reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled

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• Enables public transportation.
• Increases physical activity = physical & emotional health.
• Reduces traffic accidents.
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• Reduces air pollution.

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• OPPOSE as written: Why impose new fee ONLY in State Strategy Growth Areas Levels 1 and 2?

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• SUPPORT changes to HB 103:
• Apply new transportation impact fee to ALL State Strategy Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4.
• Base fee on induced MILES TRAVELED, not trips.

Actions to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT): Revise HB 103 A New Transportation Impact Fee

What is Walkability?

Conceptual

Actual-Newark, DE

Image from: Coleman, J. (2021, April 19). What is a Walkability Study, and Why Should You Do One? | Smart Growth Online.

Land Use/Transportation

Focus on Protecting 30% of Delaware’s Natural Lands

• Clean water
• Clean air
• Flood protection
• Habitat for animals and biodiversity
• Recreation

Actions to Protect 30% of DE’s Natural Lands by 2030

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• Support for funding Delaware’s Open Space Program at pace with inflation = $20 million annually.

Some of Delaware’s Natural Resources

Delaware’s Forests only 30% Protected

Delaware’s Wetlands 50% Gone

Blackbird State Forest

Delaware Coastal Salt Marsh

Social Policy

Bill to strike death penalty from Code (HB 70) introduced January 2023

• Strong punishment for any adult convicted of 1st of t degree murder (life imprisonment with no chance of ility of probation or parole).
• Why support this bill? Death penalty historically has been applied unjustly. — Targets minorities. — Has led to execution of innocent individuals. — Evidence shows: no deterrent to violent crime.

Social Policy

Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights coaltion (LWVUS a member) speaks out:

“State-sanctioned killing is not only inhumane, but in deep conflict with many of our country’s most fundamental demcratic principles and civil rights protections.”

Passage of HB 70 ought to be 152nd General Assembly priority.

LWVDE will advocate strongly for its passage.