By Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola, Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, and Senate Majority Whip S. Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman
Our state is stronger today than it was just a few years ago, thanks in large part to the leadership and compassion of our Senate colleagues in Dover.
Delaware Senate Democrats have proudly and successfully fought to raise wages, implement a paid family and medical leave system for thousands of working families, shift our state toward renewable energy sources, protect women’s reproductive rights, expand addiction recovery services, increase access to debt-free college, pass historic gun safety legislation, offer second chances to Delawareans caught up in the legal system, and protect our neighbors from discrimination. We made major investments in our state’s mental health programs while also bolstering our fire companies and ambulance services, senior centers, and the nonprofits that provide direct services to our most vulnerable neighbors.
In a year when every legislator in the General Assembly faced a referendum on job performance, voters overwhelmingly endorsed our caucus’s vision for the future by expanding our majority with the election of 15 strong, policy-minded Senators from every county of our state.
Now we begin the critical work of delivering on our promises to the voters of Delaware.
As we begin the 152nd General Assembly, and with the new perspectives of Sen. Kyra Hoffner from Kent County and Sen. Russell Huxtable from Sussex County, we are now poised to enact additional reforms that will lift up our working families, support critical institutions and infrastructure, and improve the lives of sick, hungry and vulnerable Delawareans.
The Delaware Senate Democrats are committed to passing legislation that will help more Delawareans find affordable housing and protect families from eviction.
Legal discrimination against housing vouchers hurts low-wage earners, vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities, which in turn worsens homelessness and harms children in families facing housing insecurity. We will not accept housing laws that encourage more than a dozen evictions a day, many displacing families who have already paid their back rent. As home prices soar and housing stock becomes diminished, the unfair and punitive policies that are adding to our housing crisis disproportionately impact Black and Brown families who statistically have a lower rate of homeownership than white families as a result of longstanding housing discrimination paired with income and wealth inequities.
We are committed to raising the wages of teachers and the thousands of health care workers whom Delaware families depend on to care for our most vulnerable family members. To provide the best education and care our families deserve, we must be willing to pay competitive wages that will attract and retain a well-trained and highly skilled workforce capable of supporting the needs of the youngest and oldest Delawareans.
We are committed to creating a high quality, developmentally appropriate and affordable early childhood education system in Delaware that will not only stabilize our workforce by providing access to safe and nurturing childcare, but also set up our youngest learners for future success.
We are committed to guaranteeing our precious natural resources are protected, and that the drinking water in our public schools is free of lead and other contaminants. We will insist on providing our retired public servants with strong, stable health care, bringing more primary care doctors to every corner of Delaware and reducing prescription drug prices. And we will continue our work to make our law enforcement agencies more transparent and accountable to the people they serve, to protect and expand access to reproductive rights, and to make voting safe, secure and accessible for all eligible voters.
With your support this past November, and with your ongoing participation in the governing and electoral processes, we can and will continue to make Delaware stronger, safer and more prosperous for all of our communities. To learn more about our members and stay up to date on our work, visit senatedems.delaware.gov.