Description: The Delaware Senate is composed of 21 members, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term. There is no limit to the number of terms that a Senator may serve. State senators introduce and vote on proposed legislation, approve the annual budget for the state, and serve on assigned committees. The General Assembly of Delaware meets in Dover three days a week between mid-January and the end of June. The Lieutenant Governor serves as the President of the Senate, but only casts a vote if required to break a tie. The President Pro Tempore is a senator elected to the position by a majority of the members to run the mechanics of the Senate, including appointing committees and their members and assigning legislation to committee.
Salary: $51,692
Democratic Candidate: Stephanie L. Hansen; Republican Candidate Brent Burdge.
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Party: Democrat
Community Involvement: Founder and first president of the Frenchtown Woods Civic Association and then the founder and first president of the multi-community Bear Glasgow Council of Civic Organizations.
Education: Seaford High School, Class of 1979; Bachelor’s degree, Geology, University of Delaware, 1983; Master’s degree, Earth Science, University of New Orleans, 1986; Juris Doctorate, Widener University School of Law, 2000
Campaign Website: HansenforSenate.org
Work Experience: 1988 – 1996: Environmental Scientist/Hydrologist with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; 1996 – 2001: President of New Castle County Council; 2001 – 2020: Attorney (Richards, Layton & Finger; Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor) practicing primarily environmental and administrative law; 2017 – Present: Delaware State Senator for the 10th Senate District
Campaign Email: shansen724@gmail.com
Campaign Facebook Page: facebook.com/HansenforStateSenate/
Neighborhood/area of residence: Middletown
Additional Information: I currently serve as chair of the Senate Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee, vice chair of the Senate Elections & Government Affairs Committee, and a member of the Senate Agriculture, Education, and Health & Social Services committees, and I am a member of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee.
Q: What are the most important challenges facing our state, and how do you propose to address them?
A: Climate change, the energy transition, and energy reliability are of utmost importance. Climate change sweeps in issues of flooding, property damage, infrastructure destabilization, severe weather damage, rising temperatures leading to heat-related illnesses, increasing illness from ticks/mosquitos, increases in mental health issues including violence and suicide, and more. Along with the Energy Stakeholders Group that I founded a few years ago, I intend to continue building on our legislative successes of community solar, offshore wind, and electric vehicle supports with new work on battery storage, grid buildout, energy reliability, energy equity and more. Improving education, and healthcare accessibility and cost are also priorities.
Q: Homelessness in Delaware more than doubled in 2022. What legislation would you propose to reduce the number of unhoused in Delaware?
A: First, we need to better equip our law enforcement agencies with mental health specialists that are available to accompany the officers when they are called to respond to a situation involving unhoused individuals. Understanding whether the situation involves substance use disorder, mental health challenges, or other factors is a threshold issue, and then knowing how to connect the individual(s) with the appropriate services is crucial. Next, we need greater support for initiatives like Pallet Village in Georgetown, where tiny homes now provide housing for approximately 50 formerly homeless individuals. We need to gauge the success of that program, learn from it, and build upon it.
Q: What role should the government play with regard to a woman’s reproductive choices?
A: A woman’s reproductive choices should be her own, in consultation with her physician.
Q: We have all read about communities where residents have had to boil water before using it to drink. Are there specific policies you’d support to avoid this from happening in Delaware?
A: As sea level rise continues in Delaware and storm impacts become more frequent, we will face the risk of water contamination. When a water distribution system experiences a loss in pressure (often due to damage or deterioration), this may allow contaminated water to seep in. Providing local government and water distributors access to funding to keep their water distribution systems in good repair, or repaired quickly after damage, is important to maintaining clean drinking water. Knowing where to build so as not to build water infrastructure in areas prone to damage from sea level rise and other extreme weather is also important. Lastly, boiling water can kill the pathogens in the water, but it will not affect other contaminants like PFAS.
Q: Some states have passed innovative laws that open access to healthcare, housing, and financial services for immigrants. Would you support these measures in Delaware? (Yes or No). Please explain.
A: Yes, I am generally in favor of initiatives such as these, but I would need to know more about the cost, and the source of the funding.
Q: How likely are you to support gun legislation such as safe storage or banning assault weapons?
A: Strongly support Q: Do you agree or disagree with this statement: “Mail-in ballots cause voter fraud.”
A: Strongly disagree
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