FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | January 14, 2025
Contact: Sarah Fulton (302) 401-1114
In the Final Days of His Presidency, President Biden Sends His Regards to Former Staffer Upon Swearing-in to Delaware State Senate
DOVER — Upon taking his oath of office for his third term, State Senator Darius Brown received formal communication from the White House, which was read into the official Senate record.
President Joseph R. Biden wrote:
“State senators like you are the lifeblood of our democracy. Each and every day, you put your heart and soul into delivering for our families, communities, and country. Serving as a senator from the state of Delaware was one of the greatest honors of my life, and I am filled with pride in knowing that its leadership will be in capable hands.
Your work advocating for equal rights and criminal justice reform, improving access to housing and education, and so much more is improving the lives of people across the state. Your commitment to building a Delaware that works for all Delawareans is an inspiration for this generation and future generations of public servants.”
Senator Brown has been a family friend of President Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Beau Biden, Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden. He is a former senate staffer to President Biden and personal friend to Beau. Jill, Hunter, Ashley and the entire Biden family have been an extension of his family.
“Working for then-Senator Biden was the honor of a lifetime,” said Senator Brown. “The lessons I learned in his office were foundational in launching my career in elected office, and I will always be grateful to have had such a distinguished public servant, husband, and father serve as one of my mentors.”
As a member of Wilmington City Council, Senator Brown renamed the Prices Run Park Pool after then Vice President Joe Biden with the support of Richard “Mouse” Smith.
Senator Darius Brown is the only African American man serving in the Delaware State Senate. He is a member of the Joint Finance Committee which appropriates the over $7B state budget, Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology Committee and the Chair of the Judiciary Committee maintaining Delaware’s business court and corporate franchise as the best in the country generating a third of the states’ revenue.
As the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Brown has increased the diversity of the bench with the historic appointment of Delaware’s first African American Supreme Court Justice, along with a record number of White women and African Americans joining the judiciary during his tenure.
Senator Brown is lauded for his bipartisan coalition-building and corporate stakeholder relationships that has resulted in the unanimous passage of the Adult Expungement Reform Act of 2019 and Clean Slate Act of 2021 helping over one in three Delawareans become eligible for the expungement of their criminal records. His public policy development prioritizes restorative justice, and he has continually put forth transformative legislation including a legislative package reforming Delaware’s criminal fines and fees system.
Senator Darius Brown brings his focus on building a strong Delaware economy to the Senate Business, Banking, Insurance and Technology Committee. He has worked to bolster the state’s economic competitiveness and workforce development.
Senator Brown is the curator of the three rivers economic development strategy Opportunity LIVES Here to recruit and retain businesses in the Second Senate District.
“Prosperity and economic growth are not mutually exclusive to corporations and citizens. In Delaware, we have a long history of being able to do both,” said Senator Brown. “I want every business, employer and entrepreneur to know that the first state is the place where opportunity lives.”
Below are just some of the economic development initiatives that Senator Brown has helped usher in to Delaware:
- Delaware Community Investment Venture Fund — Seeded with up to $2.5 million from regulatory fees paid by the banking industry, this state-managed fund will provide much needed capital and other financial services to the black-owned business creating jobs in some of our most historically marginalized communities.
- Bronze Valley Venture Lab — This accelerator program is now providing entrepreneurially minded students from Delaware State University, one of the top three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the nation, with advice, advocacy and access to venture capital in the heart of Delaware’s minority-majority urban center.
- Northeast Wilmington Revitalization Fund — Invested $3M to provide flexible, low-interest loans to Black-owned childcare centers, residential developments, private business that collectively have created 100 jobs in one of Delaware’s most economically depressed communities.
- Delaware Grocery Initiative — Appropriates funding and develops a statewide strategy to combat food insecurity and create a grant program to support businesses and organizations that bring fresh food to underserved communities.
- Talent Dividend — Increased funding appropriated to better align Delaware’s adult basic education programs, vocational training and higher education with the needs of Delaware employers.
Senator Darius Brown has invested over $100M in his district to build new libraries, community centers, affordable housing, and infrastructure investment through the American Rescue Plan Act funding.
###
