Delaware lawmakers return to Dover for the start of the 153rd General Assembly
DOVER, Del. – Delaware lawmakers returned to Dover today for the start of the 153rd General Assembly.
While several bills have already been introduced in the weeks and days leading up to their return, across both aisles and in both chambers, state lawmakers have their eyes set on education reform.
“Putting more money into education, figuring out what is the future of education looking like?,” House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris said. “Making sure that our teachers are paid so that they want to stay. Making sure that our children have the best technology, ensuring that our curriculum is staying up to speed and is competitive with everyone else.”
While education reform around instruction, testing, and funding remains a top priority this year at Legislative Hall, some other lawmakers are focused on other ways to tackle education, specifically when it comes to safety.
“Looking at safety in the classroom,” explained Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn. “Making sure that students are safe, making sure that our educators are safe there in our schools as well.”
Efforts to increase safety don’t stop at the classroom, Senator Pettyjohn tells our Rob Petree how he and his colleagues are working right now on legislation to combat crime and protect people across the First State.
“We have several bills that are going to be addressing public safety as well that we’re working on,” Sen. Pettyjohn explained. “I think we’re going to be releasing some of those here in the next couple of days.”
Another hot topic this year is Senator Laura Sturgeon’s bipartisan bill to create an Office of the Inspector General in the State of Delaware that would oversee all branches of state government.
“It would be an independent office to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, corruption, fraud, abuse of power,” Sen. Sturgeon said. “We want to make sure that there’s an office that isn’t partisan. That can look into whatever needs to be looked at.”
And with new leadership across the board, including the first-ever Black Speaker of the House in Melissa Minor-Brown, House Minority Whip Jeff SpiegelmanThe people’s branch is open for business. It’s a brand-new day, the sun rose this morning, as it turns out.” says they are excited to get to work.
“The people’s branch is open for business. It’s a brand-new day, the sun rose this morning, as it turns out.,” Rep. Spiegelman said. “It’s an interesting time right now. There’s going to be a lot of wait and see, a lot of feeling out of how this is going to work, but look, we’re here to do business at the state.”
While past sessions in the Delaware General Assembly have been plagued with partisan politics and controversy, all of the lawmakers we spoke with today were hopeful that this year’s session will be based on building a bridge through bipartisanship to get things done for Delawareans.
