Asking Faith Community to Encourage Members to Help Children by Providing Foster Care

WILMINGTON – Last week, Delaware Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn launched his “Faith, Family & Foster Care” initiative at events in New Castle and Sussex Counties.  He was joined by local faith leaders who have volunteered to work with the Lt. Governor to encourage members of their congregations and communities to consider becoming foster families.

Right now in Delaware, there are more than 850 children in foster care and only 400 foster families available for placing these children.  The Lt. Governor’s goal is to help find a family that is the best fit for each child, based on that child’s social, emotional, and physical needs, as well as geographical and educational situations.  To do that, Delaware needs to significantly increase the number of families that provide foster care/become foster parents for Delaware’s children.

“That is where our faith community comes in,” says Lt. Governor Denn.  “Most of our religious denominations have as one of their central tenets, ‘the care of the most vulnerable among us.’  Caring for foster children captures all of what Micah told us were the core demands on people of faith:  to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.  So we believe that we will find in Delaware’s houses of worship many families willing to step up, take on what we acknowledge to be a real challenge, and help these kids.”

The Lt. Governor is asking each congregation in Delaware to find one family from its midst that would be willing to explore being a foster family.  If even a fraction of our state’s congregations take part in this “Faith, Family & Foster Care” initiative, we will dramatically increase the number of foster parents in our state.  And that, in turn, will make a real difference in the lives of these foster children. Reverend Doug Gerdts of First and Central Presbyterian Church in Wilmington said, “The Old Testament tells us we are all adopted into a family of faith.”  These children deserve no less than the caring and support of a loving family.

The Lt. Governor unveiled a locally-produced five minute video featuring foster and adoptive families, and foster care recipients that will be shared with the faith community all over Delaware.  The video is available on the Lt. Governor’s website at http://ltgov.delaware.gov.  In addition, information about becoming foster parents is posted so those interested can see what the responsibilities are and contact the Division of Family Services for further assistance.  DFS will then work with prospective foster parents to connect them with an appropriate participating agency.

“Our children are our future and our collective responsibility,” said Vivian Rapposelli, Cabinet Secretary for the Delaware’s Children Department. “We are truly grateful that Lt. Governor Denn has accepted the challenge to initiate recruiting additional foster families from the faith-based community.”

Lt. Governor Denn has been joined in this effort by local clergy including Rabbi Michael Beals (Wilmington), Reverend Doug Gerdts (Wilmington), Dr. Robert McConkie (Wilmington), Apostle Thomas Weeks (Wilmington), Pastor David Carey (Newark), Reverend John Moore (Dover), Reverend Max Wolf (Rehoboth Beach), Pastor Andy Ehlers (Roxana), Pastor Kim Tephabock (Dagsboro), and Pastor Mike Williams (Georgetown).

All of these faith leaders have agreed to support the Lt. Governor’s initiative and do what they can to help.  Pastor Kim Tephabock of Dagsboro Church of God summed up the initiative, “It is hard to open your heart and your home but it is called hospitality and that is one way we will all be judged.”

If you are interested in learning more about the Lt. Governor’s “Faith, Family & Foster Care” initiative, please call 302-744-4333 for more information.

Dover-  The Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) and law enforcement agencies statewide will begin the third wave of enforcement on June 1st for the Respect Your Ride motorcycle safety campaign.  Throughout the next wave of enforcement Bethany Beach Police, Dewey Beach Police, Delaware State Police, Dover Police, Newark Police, New Castle County Police, Rehoboth Beach Police will conduct patrols on high crash roadways and will cite violators of the state’s motorcycle safety laws.  They will be paying particular attention to speeding and impaired motorcyclists.

This wave comes after two successive motorcycle crash fatalities on May 18th & 19th.  The first crash involved a motorcyclist driving on a suspended licens and fictitious Delaware registration.  He passed another vehicle on a double yellow line while in a curve, and struck a pedestrian crossing the street.  The impact killed the pedestrian.  The second motorcyclist failed to negotiate a curve and crashed in the roadway and was killed.  Alcohol is considered a factor in the crash.

As the weather warms up, and more motorcyclists are on the roads, all drivers should be vigilant about sharing the road with motorcyclists.  They are easy to miss in a vehicle’s blind spot.  Always look twice before changing lanes or making turns at intersections.

Motorcycle riders can also go to www.MotorcyclesafetyDE.org, to find information about the proper tools and training to make them the safest rider they can be.  Any person who operates a motorcycle, or other 2-wheeled motor driven vehicle, must have a driver’s license with a motorcycle endorsement before taking to the road.  To obtain the endorsement a person must pass a written exam and road skills tests or complete an approved motorcycle rider education program.

OHS is offering the following safety tips for both motorists and motorcycle operators:

Motorcyclists

• Follow posted speed limits and keep all wheels on the ground at all times
• Do not try to share a lane with a vehicle, stay in your own
• Always signal your intentions before changing lanes or merging with traffic;
• Never drink and ride
• Watch out for loose sand, gravel, debris, and uneven and textured surfaces
• Do not pass on the shoulder
• Suit up for Safety – wear not only a helmet, but also appropriate eye gear, long sleeves, over the ankle boots and reflective material when riding at night
• Keep your skills up to date by signing up for a DMV Motorcycle Training Course, either beginner or advanced

Motorists:

• Always make a visual check for motorcycles by checking mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections;
• Always allow a motorcyclist the full lane width;
• Always signal your intentions before changing lanes or merging with traffic;
• Allow more following distance, three or four sec­onds, when following a motorcycle, so the motorcyclist has enough time to maneuver or stop in an emer­gency; never tailgate.

For more information about the Respect Your Ride campaign visit http://ohs.delaware.gov/services/motorcycle.shtml or visit us on Facebook at ArriveAliveDE.  For more information about motorcycle endorsement and motorcycle rider education program visit http://www.dmv.de.gov/services/driver_services/drivers_license/dr_lic_motorcycle.shtml.

Lt. Governor Denn Will Share His “Faith, Family & Foster Care” Video and Initiative

DOVER, Del. (Wednesday, May 30, 2012) – On Thursday, May 31, Lt. Governor Denn will participate in the Delaware Children’s Department’s annual foster parent conference and recognition banquet.  He will speak at 9:45am followed by the video presentation.

He will join over 300 foster parents, foster care agencies, state child welfare officials, and keynote speaker Mr. Chauncey Strong.

The conference, entitled, Life Changers: Impacting Today for a Better Tomorrow will recognize the work of foster parents who care

for children throughout the state. Foster parents reaching milestones for years of service will be recognized during the event.

This annual event honors those foster families in Delaware who have answered the call to provide safety, stability, a sense of hope and help build the self-esteem of children who have suffered abuse and neglect. The event also provides foster parents the opportunity to earn training credits by attending workshops designed to better understand the needs of children in care and to improve their foster parenting skills to meet these needs.

The Lt. Governor will recognize the outstanding work done by current foster families and also talk about his new initiative, “Faith, Family & Foster Care.” The Lt. Governor will share his locally-produced five minute video featuring foster and adoptive families, and foster care recipients that will be shared all over Delaware.  The video is also available on the Lt. Governor’s website athttp://ltgov.delaware.gov.

There are currently over 400 foster families in Delaware. These families do a good job, and we are very grateful for their efforts, but our current foster families are overwhelmed.  With double the number of children in foster care as we have foster families and with a shortage of foster families, the state cannot choose the ideal setting for each foster child.  To do that, Delaware needs to significantly increase the number of families that provide foster care/become foster parents for Delaware’s children.

Conference runs from 8:30am – 4:00pm
Keynote Address from 9:00am – 9:40am

Lt. Governor Denn presentation 9:45am – 10:00am

Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sheraton Dover Hotel
1570 N. DuPont Highway
Dover

Biden Calls for Change in For-Profit School Funding Rule to Protect Veterans’ Benefits
Loophole allows schools to exploit federal veterans’ education funding

Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden and his colleagues from 21 other states today sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging them to close a loophole in the Higher Education Act that is harming American veterans and their families.  The Attorneys General are asking Congress to require that GI Bill and Veteran’s Assistance educational benefits be subject to the 90/10 rule, which prohibits for-profit colleges from receiving more than 90 percent of their revenue from public Department of Education (Title IV) funding sources.  The 90/10 rule was enacted in 1998 to instill more accountability by for-profit colleges following Congressional investigations of the industry.

Through a loophole in federal law, for-profit schools are permitted to secure the remaining 10 percent of their income from Veterans’ Affairs and Department of Defense veterans’ programs, rather than obtaining that portion of their revenue from non-federal sources as the law intended.  At the time the 90/10 rule was established, veterans’ educational benefits were not a substantial source of potential income for these colleges.  However, those benefits grew substantially in 2008 when Congress enacted the Post 9/11 GI Bill, making billions of dollars available for veterans and their families.  During Fiscal Year 2010, $9 billion in educational benefits were provided to service members and veterans, according to the Government Accountability Office.  Moreover, total military educational benefits paid to 20 for-profit colleges increased 683 percent, from $66 million in 2006 to a projected $521 million in 2010, according to an analysis by the U.S. Senate HELP Committee.

“Our military servicemembers have earned the educational benefits that are meant to help them provide for their families and strengthen our workforce,” Attorney General Biden said.  “We must close this  loophole and make sure for-profit colleges’ focus is on providing a quality education and real-world skills to our citizen soldiers, not on exploiting them to make money.”

In their letter, the Attorneys General noted the well-documented fact that the economic downturn resulted in an exodus of private lenders from the subprime student loan market, which for-profit colleges depended on in part to obtain their 10 percent of non-federal funds.  This exodus of lenders and the veterans’ loophole created a strong incentive to recruit military members.  Schools are also using the military benefits to leverage even more Title IV funds, since each one dollar they obtain from DoD or VA sources allows them to obtain an additional nine dollars in Title IV funds.

“I believe we have a moral imperative to ensure that those who have sacrificed for our country obtain the best education possible, one that will equip them with the skills they need to find a good job, repay their college loans, and go on to live productive lives,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper.  “That’s why we must focus on how we can fix problems within the higher education system and encourage all schools to deliver a higher quality education to our military and veteran populations. We must also demand more from the schools that serve our service members and veterans so we can get better results from this taxpayer funded program. I thank this coalition of Attorneys General for its support in our efforts.”

“This gives for-profit colleges an incentive to see service members as nothing more than dollar signs in uniform, and to use aggressive marketing to draw them in and take out private loans, which students often need because the federal grants are insufficient to cover the full cost of tuition and related expenses,” said Holly Petraeus, assistant director for service member affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in a September 2011 New York Times oped.  “As long as military education funds are on the 10 percent side of the 90-10 rule, service members will be a lucrative target for exploitation.”

“It’s no longer a secret that the worst actors in the for-profit college industry are aggressively targeting veterans in order to pad their company’s bottom line,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL).  “Senator Harkin and I have a bill – Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act – that would close the outrageous loophole that allows this to happen.  We need Congress to act on it to protect students and veterans from aggressive recruiting practices and help ensure taxpayers are getting a return on their investment. The Attorneys General that signed on to today’s letter will be important partners in that effort.”

Dover – During these difficult economic times, consumers are faced with many challenges. If you were to lose your job, you would likely be forced to determine how, or if, to continue your health insurance. Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart is happy to report the passage of House Bill 170–the Mini-Cobra Law.  On May 22, 2012, Governor Markell signed into law this bill which amends Title 18 of the Delaware Insurance Code relating to group health insurance.  This bill requires insurers to offer to otherwise ineligible employee’s mini-cobra coverage for small-employer plans.  Sponsored by State Senator Brian Bushweller, State Representative Bryon Short, and State Representative Danny Short, Commissioner Stewart and the staff at the Delaware Department of Insurance have worked with members of the General Assembly from the beginning of the 146^th Session on this piece of legislation. Commissioner Stewart stated that, “This law not only protects Delawareans from fear of losing health insurance coverage upon losing employment but it also alleviates stress for many during an uncertain time.”

The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) is a federal law, under the direction of the United States Department of Labor, which gives unemployed workers the right to continue their health insurance through a former employer.  Although this option requires you to pay the entire premium yourself, it can provide more comprehensive coverage than a more restrictive or costly individual plan.  COBRA coverage is typically available for up to 18 months after losing a job, but in some circumstances benefits can be extended for up to 36 months. COBRA applies only to employers of 20 or more employees, leaving employees of smaller businesses unprotected.

Delaware joins 39 other states that have enacted “Mini-COBRA” laws.  Under this new legislation, individuals who have lost their employment and health insurance may qualify for continuation of health insurance coverage for nine months (as long as the employer is still offering health insurance to their active employees). Commissioner Stewart is extremely pleased and proud that the Department of Insurance played an integral role in making this happen. For more information on the mini-cobra law and all other insurance matters, contact the Delaware Department of Insurance at 302-674-7300 or our website, www.delawareinsurance.gov.