The Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC) has released additional sections of the informal draft regulations for review. The sections of draft regulations released today include the sections related to tracking, product health standards, packaging and labeling requirements, and advertising.

The Informal Comment Period on the OMC website omc.delaware.gov will close on March 29, 2024. Once this informal feedback has been collected, considered, and appropriate revisions are made in response to the feedback, the OMC will begin the formal rulemaking process.

Pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, Chapter 101 of Title 29, the OMC shall file notice and text of proposed regulation with the Registrar for publication in the Register of Regulations.

OMC continues to encourage stakeholders and members of the public to review these preliminary, draft regulations in the informal process, as well as the officially proposed regulations when published later in the Register of Regulations

 

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) in collaboration with the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security (DSHS), Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS), Delaware State Police (DSP), Federal Highway Administration (FHA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after coordinating with stakeholders, advocacy groups and the public recently unveiled the Delaware 2021-2025 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP).

Since 2010, over 1,100 people have died, and 5,600 people have been seriously injured because of a motor vehicle crash on Delaware’s roadways. 2015 and 2019 experienced the highest number of fatalities during the most recent ten-year period with 133 reported each year.

The goal of the Delaware 2021-2025 SHSP is to reduce the total number of fatalities and serious injuries by 15% over the next five years, and to achieve at least a 50 percent reduction by 2035.

“The number of fatalities on our roads continues to be too high, and of real concern,” said Governor John Carney. “The Delaware Strategic Highway Safety Plan is an important tool our state agencies can use to make our roads safer for all Delawareans and visitors.”

“Safety is our number one priority. We are committed to reducing fatalities and serious injuries on Delaware roadways. Working collectively with our partners, we can implement strategies and safety countermeasures to work towards our goal of zero deaths,” said Secretary of Transportation Nicole Majeski.

“In collaboration with our Highway Safety partners, the Delaware State Police remain devoted to keeping the citizens and visitors of Delaware safe while traveling on Delaware roadways,” said Colonel Melissa A. Zebley, Delaware State Police Superintendent. “Through education and necessary enforcement action, troopers are committed to reaching the goal set forth in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan of reducing the total number of fatalities and serious injuries.”

The emphasis areas of the Delaware 2021 – 2025 SHSP are:

• Intersections
• Distracted Driving
• Impaired Driving
• Roadway Departure
• Pedestrians
• Motorcycles
• Unrestrained Motorists
• Speeding
• Traffic Records

To review the Delaware 2021-2025 SHSP, click here, or join DelDOT, OHS, and DSP on Thursday, March 18 starting at 6:00 p.m. for a virtual public workshop. More details on the upcoming workshop can be found at deldot.gov or click here to join.

The Delaware 2021-2025 SHSP serves as the fourth update since the original Plan was adopted in 2006. The plan is updated on a five-year basis to evaluate its success and to review crash data to ensure resources are being used appropriately.

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor Carney on Friday announced the State of Delaware will host Government Efficiency & Accountability Review (GEAR) public meetings in each county as part of an ongoing review of state regulations. Governor Carney and members of his cabinet will host the meetings, and accept public comment on ways to improve state government and the delivery of state services.

The Delaware Departments of Labor; Health and Social Services; Education; Natural Resources and Environmental Control; and Transportation will be among the agencies participating. State of Delaware constituent relations staff also will be available to assist Delawareans with questions or concerns. 

“Since taking office, I have talked to Delawareans about our commitment to operating our state government as efficiently and effectively as possible – so we can focus on investing taxpayer dollars where they are needed most,” said Governor Carney. “These GEAR public meetings are another chance for us to hear directly from Delawareans on how we can improve our state government – and strengthen our work around education, public health, workforce training, and social service delivery. Members of our GEAR team have done important work to identify statewide improvements, and we are going on the road to hear directly from Delawareans about their priorities.”

Governor Carney established GEAR by Executive Order in February 2017 to identify ways for state government to operate more efficiently, and improve the delivery of state services for Delaware families.

A review of state regulations is required every four years by the Regulatory Flexibility Act. The following executive branch agencies of the State of Delaware are accepting public comments: 

• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Education
• Department of Finance
• Department of Health and Social Services
• Department of Human Resources
• Department of Labor
• Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
• Department of Safety and Homeland Security
• Department of Services for Children, Youth & Their Families
• Department of State
• Department of Transportation
• Office of Management and Budget

Members of the public who would like to provide comments regarding state rules and regulations can submit comments online, by email, or by mail:

• • Online at: https://gear.delaware.gov/public-comment/ 
  • Email to: reg_review@delaware.gov
  • Mail comments to:

                       GEAR – Attn: James Myran
                       Carvel State Office Building
                       820 North French Street, 8th Floor, Office 813
                       Wilmington, Delaware 19801

 

Kent County – GEAR Town Hall

WHAT:          Governor John Carney and state agencies will host a GEAR Town Hall to accept public comment on which state regulations should be modified or eliminated.

WHO:             Governor John Carney

                        Secretary Rick Geisenberger, Delaware Department of Finance

                        James Myran, Executive Director, Government Efficiency & Accountability Review (GEAR)

                        Members of Governor Carney’s Cabinet

                        State Senator Trey Paradee

                        State Representative Bill Bush

                        State Representative Lyndon Yearick

                        Representatives from State of Delaware Agencies

WHEN:          Thursday, March 19, 2020

                        6:00 p.m.

WHERE:        Wilmington University, Dover Campus

                        Building A Auditorium

                        3282 N DuPont Highway

                        Dover, DE 19901

 

 

Sussex County – GEAR Town Hall

WHAT:          Governor John Carney and state agencies will host a GEAR Town Hall to accept public comment on which state regulations should be modified or eliminated.

WHO:             Governor John Carney

                        Secretary Rick Geisenberger, Delaware Department of Finance

                        James Myran, Executive Director, Government Efficiency & Accountability Review (GEAR)

                        Members of Governor Carney’s Cabinet

                        State Senator Brian Pettyjohn

                        State Senator David Wilson

                        State Senator Gerald Hocker

                        State Representative Ruth Briggs King

                        State Representative Daniel Short

                        State Representative Ronald Gray

                        State Representative Tim Dukes

                        State Representative Stephen Smyk

                        Representatives from State of Delaware Agencies

WHEN:          Tuesday, March 24, 2020

                        6:30 p.m.

WHERE:       Delaware Technical & Community College

                        Owens Campus – Arts and Science Center Theater

                        21179 College Drive

                        Georgetown, DE 19947

 

 

New Castle County – GEAR Town Hall

WHAT:          Governor John Carney and state agencies will host a GEAR Town Hall to accept public comment on which state regulations should be modified or eliminated.

WHO:             Governor John Carney

                        Secretary Rick Geisenberger, Delaware Department of Finance

                        James Myran, Executive Director, Government Efficiency & Accountability Review (GEAR)

                        Members of Governor Carney’s Cabinet

                        State Senator Darius Brown

                        State Representative Kendra Johnson

                        Representatives from State of Delaware Agencies

WHEN:          Monday, March 30, 2020

                        6:00 p.m.

WHERE:       Route 9 Library & Innovation Center

                        Black Box Theater and Multipurpose Room A

                        3022 New Castle Avenue

                        New Caste, DE 19720

 

 

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WILMINGTON, Del. –  Governor John Carney announced on Friday that Secretary Robert Coupe – a longtime leader in Delaware law enforcement – will step down from his current role as the head of the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security next month to join the Office of the Attorney General.

“There are few people across our state who are more well-respected, and more committed to serving the people of Delaware, than Secretary Coupe,” said Governor Carney. “When I was elected Governor in 2016, he was the clear choice to lead the Department of Safety and Homeland Security. He spent almost three decades at the Delaware State Police, rising through the ranks to become Superintendent, and later took on the unique and difficult challenge of leading the Department of Correction. There is simply no one more prepared to help Attorney General Jennings lead the Department of Justice. I look forward to continuing to work together with Secretary Coupe to protect the safety and welfare of Delaware communities.”

“It was an honor to be selected by Governor Carney as the Secretary of Safety and Homeland Security and to have served alongside the members of the Governor’s Cabinet,” said Secretary Coupe. “I am grateful to have had the privilege to work with the dedicated women and men of the DSHS. Their devoted service was an inspiration for me to be at my best and to earn the right to lead such a talented group of people working to ensure the safety and security of Delaware.”  

Governor Carney will nominate Colonel Nathaniel McQueen, Jr., who currently leads the Delaware State Police, to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

The agency has responsibility for protecting the safety and welfare of all Delawareans, overseeing the Delaware State Police, the Capitol Police, the Delaware Emergency Management Agency, the Office of Highway Safety, and the State Council for Persons with Disabilities, among other divisions.

The Delaware Senate is expected to consider Colonel McQueen’s nomination in March.

“A real public servant and a natural leader, Colonel McQueen is the right choice to serve as our next Secretary of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security,” said Governor Carney. “I’ve known Colonel McQueen a long time, and I know he has dedicated his career to law enforcement, to protecting our communities, and to keeping Delawareans safe. Colonel McQueen has the right skill set and temperament to continue building trust between Delaware law enforcement and the communities they serve, and I look forward to the Senate considering his nomination.”

“I am truly humbled and honored to be nominated by Governor Carney as the next Secretary of Safety and Homeland Security,” said Colonel McQueen. “I am grateful for his trust and confidence in me to lead and serve as a member of his Cabinet. I thank Secretary Coupe for his leadership and guidance. He has been a true inspiration to us all.”

Colonel McQueen has led the Delaware State Police since 2012, during a time of reductions in violent crime statewide. Over the last decade, violent crime in Delaware communities has fallen 27 percent, according to data released in September by Delaware’s Statistical Analysis Center. Property crime is down 25 percent.

Colonel McQueen joined the Delaware State Police in 1988 and has served as Operations Major managing all troops statewide. He also served as Troop Commander at Troop 1 (Penny Hill), Troop 2 (Bear), and Troop 9 (Odessa). Colonel McQueen was a member of the Delaware State Police’s Critical Incident Stress Management Team, and he served for a time as the agency’s sketch artist.

Before he was nominated by Governor Carney to lead the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Coupe served as the Commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction under Governor Jack Markell from 2013-2017.

He previously spent more than 28 years at the Delaware State Police, including more than three years leading the state police as Superintendent. During his career as a State Trooper, Coupe worked as a detective in the Major Crimes and Homicide units, a drill instructor at the training academy, a Patrol Sergeant, and an Internal Affairs investigator.

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(Smyrna, Delaware) – On December 13, 2019, the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) officially earned accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). Only nine programs nationwide completed the rigorous assessment process in 2019 to achieve either initial accreditation or reaccreditation. This is the initial accreditation for DEMA and the State’s emergency management program.

“Congratulations to those programs that have maintained their accredited status as well as those who have joined the elite leaders in emergency management having earned accreditation through the Emergency Management Accreditation Program. Through their commitment and leadership, they have proven to their communities and stakeholders that their programs are sustainable and that they continue to focus on their communities’ best interests,” stated Nick Crossley, Director of the Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and the EMAP Commission Chair.

Providing emergency management programs the opportunity to be evaluated and recognized for compliance with standards certified by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) and recognized by the industry complies with EMAP’s mission to build safer communities through credible standards of excellence. These programs demonstrate accountability and focus attention on areas and issues where resources are needed to heighten their preparedness efforts to address any technical or natural disaster that may affect their communities.

To achieve accreditation, applicants must demonstrate through self-assessment, documentation and peer assessment verification that its program meets the Emergency Management Standard set forth by EMAP. The emergency management program uses the accreditation to prove the capabilities of their disaster preparedness and response systems. Accreditation is valid for five years and the program must maintain compliance with the Emergency Management Standard and is reassessed to maintain accredited status.

Through standardization EMAP revolutionizes emergency management programs that coordinate preparedness and response activities for disasters. In addition to obtaining the ability to measure those capabilities, EMAP recognizes the ability of emergency management programs to bring together personnel, resources and communications from a variety of agencies and organizations in preparation for and in response to an emergency. The Emergency Management Standard is flexible in design so that programs of differing sizes, populations, risks and resources can use it as a blueprint for improvement and can attain compliance with those standards in an accreditation process. The accreditation process evaluates emergency management programs on compliance with requirements in sixteen areas, including: planning; resource management; training; exercises, evaluations, and corrective actions; communications and warning; and administration. EMAP is the only accreditation process for emergency management programs.

DEMA Director A.J. Schall said “The team at DEMA started on this journey in 2018. Over the last eighteen months we have worked diligently to review our processes, plans, and relationships. Over that time, we learned a tremendous amount and modernized procedures.  This was a division-wide project and everyone on the team had an important part. I couldn’t be more proud for their dedication to the State.”

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