This Is The Delaware Way

Episode Notes Let’s talk data center ordinances! Well, just the one. There’s a big ordinance vote on Tuesday, November 18 at 6:30pm. New Castle County Council is set to make a decision that will affect everyone in the entire state, as it will directly affect energy prices throughout Delaware. This episode covers a bit about the ordinance, and digs into the opposition to it as well as several proposed amendments that would weaken its protections in the future. Links List of NCCC meetings and locations (scroll for "County Council Meeting" on Tuesday Nov 18 at 6:30pm) County Council Meeting link for 11/18/2025 Toole's amendment striking Abandonment's clause Kilpatrick's amendment adding additional retroactivity protections Kilpatrick's amendment removing community protections November 5th Spotlight article: NCCC may relent on regulating Project Washington data center November 16th Spotlight article: NCCo Council set to vote Tuesday on amended data center rules Elon Musk's diesel generators poisoning communities in Memphis: "How Come I Can't Breathe?" - Politico; 'We Are The Last Of The Forgotten' - Time Highlands Bunker podcast episodes on reassessment: Reassessment Reassessed, The Dark Triad, A Better World Is Possible? Questions? Email: ask[at]thisisthedelawareway.com

Episode Notes Hear how some of the discussion went in Tuesday's special session. The bills that were passed were expected, but some amendments did make it in that were pleasant surprises. Most of this episode is spent wishing that our legislators spent more time using their power responsibly and less time demanding obedience. Links Spotlight article - State lawmakers ease residential property tax burden in testy special session Watch the recording of the House session Watch the recording of the Senate session Questions? Email: ask@thisisthedelawareway.com

Episode Notes What's a special session, and why is it happening today? Which bills will be considered, and which won't, and what is the difference? We'll go over all of that and more for you today. Bonus content: data is beautiful and we can get more of it. Links Spotlight Delaware Special Session Live Blog -- the best way to catch up on what is happening or has happened in Aug 12th's special session State Constitution - Time and frequency of sessions State Constitution - Governance of revenue Spotlight article - After property tax outcry, leading lawmakers focus on three bills for special session Urban3 - Financial assessments for cities, towns, counties, and municipalities Land value tax links State Constitution - Land value tax ban Strong Towns article - Big Box Stores: Core Insights Strong Towns article - Big box stores are costing our cities far more than we ever imagined Video - Is a Land Value Tax the Best Option? - Chuck from Strong Towns

Episode Notes We cover a few news items, including a bill to protect medical providers in Delaware from being sued based on other states' laws. We dig a little deeper behind the company that wants to build a data center in New Castle County, as it would impact our electric bills but we wouldn't get any of benefit from the billions of dollars it may generate for its owners. We also look at the process of running for office and being a first-time legislator, and give some tips on how to look into running for office. Data Center Town Hall Thursday, July 24th, 5:30pm Delaware City Fire Hall Form to submit questions to Data Center Town Hall Links Campaign to replace Rep. Parker Selby heats up between two educators Proposed Delaware data center’s energy needs would dwarf all state households AI Tech CEOs are lying to you - listen to just the first 15 minutes to understand how bad data centers are for all of us Why the true water footprint of AI is so elusive Latest Delaware City Refinery emissions prompt investigation, ongoing questions AI data centers could make your electric bill go up by 70% Jack Kemp Foundation Leadership Awards Delaware Department of Elections Run For Something Network Delaware Change Agent Journey Delaware Working Families Party contact form to request training Day in the Life of a Legislator: State Representative Madinah Wilson-Anton

Episode Notes Where are they now, legislative edition. What happened to the bills we've talked about this year? How are we feeling? There's some extra philosophizing in this episode, because that's the mood of the moment. But also some yelling. And the word "flabbergasted" is used. Links 2025 Session Legislative Report - DE WFP End of Session Live Blog - Spotlight Delaware

Episode Notes We get through most of the notable bills being heard on the House and Senate floor on Tuesday June 24th in 15 minutes. Then we get into it with a recap of the lead paint remediation bill's committee hearing, in preparation for it being heard on the House floor on Tuesday as well. After some light philosophizing, we lightly laugh at a Senator's spin of one of his bills. To submit corrections or questions, email: ask@thisisthedelawareway.com Note: the sound quality is a bit off, I apologize. This will tighten up! Session is almost over, and then episodes will be more planned out for a while. The rest of the summer into the fall will be a series of deep dives on different processes, legislators, and of course bills we've seen fall short of passing.

Episode Notes This episode comes with a content warning, as it discusses a bill on educating minors about sexual extortion. The timestamp for that section is 8:24. Enjoy the rapid-fire delivery of most of the bills our state legislature will discuss on Wednesday, June 11th. As we near the end of session, the schedule will become more and more crowded, and there are some big deal bills being heard! Links Speed cameras are not a permanent solution to dangerous streets Well planned street design

Episode Notes We kick off a hectic week by looking at just Tuesday's agendas. You've heard of most of these bills before, but there are a few hot ticket items that might have you wanting to reach out to your legislators. Surprise surprise, we see one of the two school meals bills yet again, and wonder about the timing of how the saga went down. We also look at what's happening with the slate of immigration protection bills.

Episode Notes Disappointment abounds in this week's episode, from opening to close. But we start off giving people more info on how a bill gets written, and what qualifications someone needs to run for office (hint: not many). In the middle, we go over the long list of bills the General Assembly worked on the week of May 20th. The GA is now on a break while the Joint Finance Committee finalizes budget decisions, and will be back in session next week. We round out the episode with a personal story from the host that leaves her with more questions than answers about her House Representative. Links Ask questions for the pod! ask@thisisthedelawareway.com Division of Legislative Services Staff House Speaker: Income tax reform may be delayed Babies smacked, slapped, knocked over at Delaware day care, then director lied to parents about state’s investigation Examples of what a bill looks like HB 142 - edits that remove permission for citizen's arrest HB 153 - edits that make citizen's arrest illegal Timestamps (00:00) Intro and outline (4:14) Who actually writes the bills? (14:14) House Speaker speaks on delay of tax bracket bill (24:28) House bills (24:55) Affordable housing through Site Readiness Fund (26:55) Slate of immigration bills (29:59) Increasing vehicle fees (31:43) multi-level marketing schemes (32:10) Creates new crime charge for discharging a firearm in public (35:00) Elimination of citizens’ arrests (36:02) Threshold for automatic election recounts (36:19) Protecting seniors from property reassessments (38:23) Constitutional amendments for voting (39:43) Senate bills (40:06) right to marry (41:29) rape kits monitoring (41:42) Dental usage of general anesthesia & Medicaid dental coverage (43:11) Bills related to evictions of renters (44:18) Reducing property taxes for Low Income households (49:31) Interaction with my House representative (1:02:20) Closing

Episode Notes Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 0:32 - Dramarama with the House Speaker and shenanigans 12:40 - How to look up district maps 16:23 - How much time do we have to work on bills? 21:22 - Senate bills this week 21:54 - Changing primary election dates 23:10 - Cell phones in school 24:58 - Collective bargaining 25:18 - Prohibition of polystyrene foam for food containers 26:17 - Protections for car owners with regard to towing 27:10 - Summary of additional bills voted out of Senate committees 33:07 - House bills from this week 33:13 - Low income utility rate 35:19 - Remove some fees in the criminal justice system 35:47 - Legalizing low-speed motorized scooters 34:46 - Summary of additional bills voted out of House committees 42:45 - Closing Links Elections.Delaware.Gov State Rep. Sherae'a Moore removed from House Ed. leadership, calls move 'politically motivated' Breakdown of previous House Speaker Longhurst's redistricting (after she made Delaware City / Fort DuPont community angry)

Episode Notes In this special episode, we focus on two specific pieces of legislation working their way through their respective government bodies. The rent stabilization ordinance in Wilmington City Council has implications for the whole state, and has passed out of committee. The energy assistance bill in the state legislature has passed the House, is out of committee in the Senate, and is currently awaiting a slot on the Senate floor schedule. (Also note that we recorded much of this the day after the Wilmington City Council committee hearing, which is why we say "last night" a lot.) Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 0:34 - Rent stabilization in Wilmington City Council 24:07 - HB 50 energy assistance 48:44 - Closing Links Community Development & Urban Planning Committee Meeting | May 8, 2025 Ordinance for rent stabalization - Introduced by Shané Darby, Wilmington City Council 1-pager from Councilwoman Darby on how rent stabilization works HB 50 - Energy Assistance Justin Adekanbi-Coger, PhD, research - "Rent Stabilization Price Controls" paper under "Public Economics" Diabolical Lies podcast - The Rise and Fall of Capitalism Energize Delaware Strong Towns Housing Ready Checklist Delaware Energy Co-op

Episode Notes Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 0:55 - Outline 1:50 - Getting involved in politics and how scared people are 6:59 - Meyer rescinding EV mandate; commentary on freedom of choice 13:31 - footnote on EV mandate rant edited out 14:57 - House Bills 15:47 - Pay transparency 17:13 - Immigration protections 18:09 - Red dye 40 19:22 - Increasing oversight on electrical grid management 19:48 - Book bans counter 20:51 - brief explainer on House Administration committee 21:03 - Recognizing marriages of people who move to Delaware 22:13 - Tax bracket additions and updates 27:30 - Senate bills 27:31 - Energy assistance bill 30:14 - National Day of Mourning government closures 31:17 - ADUs - Needs 2/3 to pass 34:25 - anti-SLAPP law improvement 38:42 - discussion of power dynamics in politics and involvement 43:41 - ending a lease when purchasing a home 44:50 - quick rundown over miscellaneous bills 52:44 - closing Links These Stupid Trucks Are Literally Killing Us

Episode Notes With the legislature on spring break, we're taking the time to look at a few bills at different stages -- one that's been introduced but hasn't been voted on yet, one that had a committee hearing, and one that has already passed the Senate and is on its way to the House. Also today, we tell people how to contact their legislators, and what kinds of things they can expect from that relationship. Timestamps 0:00 - Quick note 1:51 - Intro 6:00 - legislator lookup and absence tracking 15:38 - CASA program funding cuts 19:03 - Lead paint bill 27:00 - School meals bill committee hearing recap 35:40 - Special interview on school meals bills 41:44 - Red 40 ban 55:13 - Closing Links Ballotpedia - Comparison of state legislative salaries 2025 Legislative Calendar Recordings of committee hearings Rep. Stell Parker Selby still missing from Legislative Hall after months long absence Announcement of National CASA program's funding termination Action for Delaware's Children ADC's Facebook post mentioning Rep Harris AJC Opinion - Cuts at CDC birth defect center will harm millions Center for Science in the Public Interest - Synthetic food dyes: Health risks, history, and policy

Episode Notes 0:00 - Intro 1:15 - Explanation of the podcast name 6:05 - Info on weekly schedule 7:05 - Hot Topics 7:16 - Consumer protections with home improvement contracts 9:25 - Immigrant and migrant protections 11:52 - Bail bill 17:19 - School meals for all students 23:33 - **How to give public comment 25:20 - Delaware Pre-Authorization Reform Act 26:58 - Legal counsel for relative pursuing adoption of child in DFS custody 33:28 - Early release from prison 34:38 - Repealing Renewable Portfolio Standard 40:00 - Rapid Fire Run Through 41:34 - **Why township charter changes go through the state legislature 44:25 - **What Joint Resolutions are and how they can be used 55:24 - Closing Links Legis.Delaware.Gov meeting info for HB125 Legis.Delaware.Gov Zoom signup link to give public comment for HB125 Books Weapons of Math Destruction What If We Get It Right?

Episode Notes Looking at the week of April 8th, we've got bills on end of life options for terminally ill patients, school meals, electric vehicle mandates, constitutional amendments for voting, and more. On the topic of providing meals to kids in school, the host gives a potential reason for why there are two competing bills in the House. It's a busy week as the Delaware legislature amps up for spring.