What You Need to Know:
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Human Flourishing
Bill Status: PASSED
This resolution addresses the Delaware Highway Safety Plan, which is focused on using every effort to significantly reduce the number of traffic deaths. This is a noble cause to protect life, but it seems ironic that a few of this bill’s sponsors have also sponsored the bills to legalize marijuana. Marijuana legalization precedes increases in traffic fatalities.
While HB 371, which decriminalized possession of marijuana at a certain amount, passed, HB 372 — the more extensive marijuana bill — did not receive the required number of votes to pass.
Bill Status: SIGNED
When the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Families (DSCYF) places children within the foster care system, they must obtain a court order or higher level approval to place those charged or found guilty of a juvenile offense in the same facility as other children. It must be determined that the children without a criminal record will not be adversely affected by the placement.
SB154 removes this requirement and leaves the issue to the discretion of the DSCYF.
Bill Status: PASSED
HB 264 affects human trafficking by allowing victims of sexual violence to file a protective order against their attacker without having to wait for criminal charges.
Bill Status: EXPIRED
HB283 funds the Human Trafficking Interagency Coordinating Council by disbursing $100,000 each fiscal year from the Fund to Combat Violent Crimes. Is this interagency Council effective? We can’t answer that. But, we do know that porn addiction is the fuel of the sex trafficking industry. Until we confront the porn epidemic, sex trafficking will continue to be the largest industry in the world. To learn more about sex trafficking in Delaware, go to Zoë Ministries. To learn how to talk to your kids about the dangers of porn and to confront it in your home and church, we STRONGLY suggest the Conquer Series.
Bill Status: VETOED
Medical marijuana is already legal; this bill legalizes the usage of recreational marijuana at 21 yrs old.
The verbiage of the bill equates marijuana to alcohol, implying that they should be treated the same in regulation and sale. Whether you think that marijuana should be legalized or not, marijuana is NOT the same as alcohol. It does NOT affect the body the same way, and it CANNOT be tested for as quickly in the same manner.
To read more on the potential pitfalls and dangers, go to StopthePot.org.
When HB 371 was heard, this protocol was blatantly ignored. Despite protest from Rep. Briggs King, the comment time for both the committee and the public was completely skipped, and the bill was brought straight to a vote.
This blatant disregard for procedure was “rectified” by restarting the process. Though it passed both chambers, it was vetoed by Governor Carney.
Bill Status: EXPIRED
As many times as we have worked to push back the legalization of recreational marijuana, it keeps coming back. One bill actually managed to pass the Legislature this year but was vetoed by Governor Carney shortly after.
We don’t know where that legalization battle will end up, but HB 469 will ensure that it is made clear that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal. No matter where you stand on the issue, this is a good policy. We should all be able to agree that any substance that can slow your reaction time should not be consumed while operating a vehicle.