New law will limit access to firearms for those considered a danger to themselves or others

NEWARK, Del. – On Monday, Governor John Carney signed the Beau Biden Gun Violence Prevention Act alongside Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Ashley Biden, Representative David Bentz, legislators, and gun safety advocates at the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware.

The Beau Biden Act, passed unanimously by the General Assembly, will help restrict access to firearms for those who mental health professionals believe present a danger to themselves or others. The Act, which takes effect six months after its signing, mirrors legislation championed by former Attorney General Beau Biden in 2013.

“I am honored to sign this legislation, and to help carry on Beau’s legacy and his commitment to protecting Delawareans,” said Governor Carney. “The Beau Biden Gun Violence Prevention Act is important, common sense legislation – and one piece in a package of comprehensive gun safety reform that will help make our state safer. This law will ensure that law enforcement and health professionals are working more closely together to confront the issue of gun violence and mental health. And it will help keep firearms away from those who may pose a danger to themselves or others, while protecting due process rights, and ensuring continued access to important mental health services.”

“My son Beau always believed that there was room for common sense gun safety legislation. It is something he supported and worked for his whole professional career, including championing a nearly identical bill as Attorney General,” said Vice President Joe Biden. “While that bill came up short of passage before we lost Beau, he was always confident that we would move in the right direction. This bill will make the state of Delaware safer while safeguarding every Delawarean’s rights to due process. It is a fitting tribute to Beau’s legacy.”

“Delaware has taken a substantial step forward in addressing mental health and gun safety with this thoughtful, consensus-driven piece of legislation. The Beau Biden Gun Violence Prevention Act balances due process and public safety in the ultimate effort to prevent senseless gun violence by keeping guns out of the hands of those who present a danger to themselves or others,” said Representative David Bentz. “It was an honor to stand with Vice President Joe Biden as Governor Carney signed legislation addressing an issue that meant so much to the Vice President’s son. I hope this legislation serves as a model for other states as they work through gun safety policies.”

“Delaware has a responsibility to take action on the gun violence epidemic. Today, we’re upholding that responsibility,” said Senate Majority Leader Margaret Rose Henry. “As policymakers, we have to have a good faith conversation about mental health and gun safety, but we also need to make sure that we protect due process and that we don’t perpetuate the harmful, stigmatizing myth that people with mental illness are dangerous. Two unanimous votes show that Representative Bentz struck that balance. His work on gun safety will save lives, and he deserves real praise for that.”

“The Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence is grateful to those legislators on both sides of the aisle who were willing to work together to craft this important piece of legislation. This was a bipartisan effort that will protect people in our state who might pose a threat to themselves or others,” said Dennis Greenhouse, Chairman of the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence. “The fight against gun violence is not a partisan issue, and it does not stop here. As we continue into the final months of this session, we are optimistic that legislators will approach other common-sense gun violence bills before them with a similar commitment to action and willingness to work together to get things done.”

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DETAILS OF THE BEAU BIDEN GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION ACT:

The Beau Biden Gun Violence Prevention Act adds the following individuals to the list of persons prohibited from owning a firearm:

• Any person who has been committed to a hospital for treatment of a mental condition.
• Perpetrators of violent crimes who have been found:
  • Not guilty by reason of insanity;
  • Guilty but mentally ill;
  • Mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Those individuals have not been prohibited from owning firearms under Delaware law. The new law also requires health professionals to report to law enforcement anyone they believe presents a danger to themselves or others. Appropriate law enforcement agencies must then investigate – and may seek a court order to require individuals to relinquish firearms, if they are found to present a danger. The law, which takes effect six months after its signing, also allows affected individuals to appeal orders to the Supreme Court, and petition to have their firearms returned.

Click here to learn more about Governor Carney’s call for comprehensive gun safety reform.

Click here to watch the bill signing.

Click here for photos from the bill signing.

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ST. JONES NECK – In the autumn of 1767, the American Colonies were reeling from a fresh round of taxation without representation handed down by Parliament in London. With their pleas for fair treatment and equal standing ignored by the Crown, the leading men of the fledgling colonial opposition began to turn their thoughts to more direct acts of resistance.

But before the Boston Tea Party, before the First Continental Congress, and well before July 4, 1776, the Colonies needed a message to bring them together – a clear text that would lay out their common cause and draw them even closer in unity.

Through the winter of 1768, that unifying message took shape in a series of 12 modest letters published in colonial newspapers and signed simply “A Farmer.” The man behind the pseudonym would earn the title of “Penman of the Revolution,” a well-educated lawyer with Quaker beliefs raised on a quiet plantation in Kent County, Delaware: John Dickinson.

Dickinson and his “Letters from a Famer in Pennsylvania to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies” (referring to Delaware’s status as a jurisdiction of Pennsylvania at the time) became a sensation across the Colonies and abroad in Britain and France for their simple, eloquent summary of the rights held by the American colonists and the many ways they had been infringed.

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the publication of the “Letters” and the role John Dickinson played in setting the stage for the American Revolution, the Delaware Department of State has launched a new website, de.gov/johndickinson, and a slate of special programming to take place over the coming months.

“Dickinson and his contributions to the Revolution are truly monumental, and Delawareans can take a great deal of pride in knowing that this man who called our state home was such a key figure in our country’s history,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “I hope that the resources we’ve assembled and the plans we have in store for the next few months create an opportunity for all of us to explore that history, make a connection with it, and allow it to enrich our understanding.”

The website hosts biographical information about Dickinson and context framing the “Letters” in their historical moment. Assembled in cooperation with the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the site will serve as a hub for activities to celebrate the anniversary.

The online calendar of events lists programming taking place now through February in cooperation with the University of Delaware, the Delaware Public Archives, the Friends of the John Dickinson Mansion and others.

Programs on the schedule include a dramatic production of “The Great Debate: Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson” about the political and philosophical differences of the two statesmen. Presented by the American Historical Theater company of Philadelphia, the production will be at the Old State House in Dover on Sunday, Nov. 19.

Also on the schedule is a presentation from retired Delaware Supreme Court justice and eminent historian Randy J. Holland on the writings of Dickinson and their significance. Governor John Carney is also slated to participate in a February panel discussion about the legacy of the “Letters” and their impact on American politics through the present.

“Dickinson is a fascinating figure, and no less influential in the creation of our republic than any of his fellow Founding Fathers,” said Gloria Henry, supervisor of the John Dickinson Plantation museum and historic site outside Dover. “Our goal is to bring his story to life and show that the words he penned 250 years ago are still full of meaning today.”

Events at the John Dickinson Plantation will explore how life was lived on a large farm in 18th-century Delaware, including a presentation on the history of the African American inhabitants of the plantation, both free and enslaved, and Dickinson’s complicated relationship with the institution of slavery.

The season of programming will conclude in February with a traditional wreath-laying at Dickinson’s gravesite at the Friends Meetinghouse in Wilmington, sponsored by the Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation.

Dover, Del. (October 23, 2017) – The state of Delaware wants to hear from small business owners, community leaders and interested citizens as the new Division of Small Business, Development & Tourism charts a path forward.

There will be three listening sessions this week – one in each county – to allow the public to share how the state can support small business development.

The sessions are:

October 24, 5:30 – 8:00 PM: Georgetown, University of Delaware – Carvel Research & Education Center, 16483 County Seat Hwy.

October 25, 5:30 – 8:00 PM: Wilmington, New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, 920 Justison St.

October 26, 5:30 – 8:00 PM: Dover, Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Hwy.

People interested in participating can click here to RSVP.

“Delaware is reinventing its approach to economic development and we’re asking our customers—Delaware’s residents and business owners—to help,” said Cerron Cade, Director of the Division of Small Business, Development & Tourism. “We want to hear from the public, so the chosen approach is one that serves the needs of residents and the business community.”

At each session, discussion leaders will work with attendees through three possible scenarios. They highlight non-mutually exclusive directions the Division could take. Each has benefits and tradeoffs for consideration.

Governor Carney signed HB226 in June, which led to the creation of the Division of Small Business, Development & Tourism and the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, a public-private partnership that will market the state externally as a place to grow and expand business.

Media Contact:
Michael Chesney                                                                                            
Director of Communications
Division of Small Business, Development & Tourism
Michael.Chesney@delaware.gov
(302) 577-8472 (office)
(302) 943-9508 (cell)

NEW CASTLE (Oct. 16, 2017) – More than 90 students with disabilities are expected to participate in career-building experiences during Delaware’s Disability Mentoring Day on Oct. 18 at locations in New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties. Disability Mentoring Day is held each October during National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

This year, several New Castle County school districts are joining together to host a Career Development Day at the Siegel Jewish Community Center in Fairfax, with sessions planned on dressing for success, how to be self-advocates under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and tips on developing employability skills. A morning panel will feature employers from manufacturing, culinary arts and outdoor recreation. The morning’s keynote speaker will be George Tilson, a career and workforce development consultant from Maryland who operates Tilson & Diaz Solutions, Inc. Tilson has spent his career helping communities build or enhance programs that support children, youth and adults with disabilities in achieving their personal goals for employment, education, and full inclusion in the community. About 60 students from Appoquinimink, Brandywine, Christina, Colonial, Red Clay and New Castle County Vo-Tech school districts are expected.

Elsewhere, students will be gathering at host sites and then transitioning to work sites for job-shadowing experiences. At the Courtyard Marriott-University of Delaware in Newark, 13 students from UD’s Career & Life Studies Certificate (CLSC) program will participate in job-shadowing experiences in the Newark area. At Smyrna High School, eight students will gather and then move to job sites at the school and at Willey Farms. And at Woodbridge High School, 14 students are expected to learn job skills at different locations at the school, including the office, cafeteria and maintenance department.
“For students with disabilities, Disability Mentoring Day is another invaluable experience as they make the transition from school to the world of work or higher education,” Gov. John Carney said. “Students get to experience what is expected of them in a workplace and how to advocate for themselves and their needs. Employers get the opportunity to meet young people with incredible talents and enthusiasm and a passion to embrace their dreams.”
Disability Mentoring Day is a national program, and in Delaware, the collaboration involves several agencies, educational institutions, business groups, and organizations, including the University of Delaware’s Center for Disabilities Studies, which started the first Disability Mentoring Day in Delaware eight years ago. Joining the collaboration are the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), the Department of Labor’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Department of Education, Christina School District, and Smyrna and Woodbridge high schools, the Better Business Bureau of Delaware, the Delaware Business Leadership Network and Easterseals of Delaware & Maryland Eastern Shore. The group is co-chaired by two young people with disabilities – Alyssa Cowin, an operations support specialist with DHSS, and Julia Hensley, who is working through Easterseals at Victory Fellowship Church.
“Because employment is a social determinant of health, the experience that students with disabilities receive during Disability Mentoring Day is an important one,” Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker said. “Increasing the number of workplace experiences that any student has, gives that young person a greater chance of being hired by an employer who will harness their talents and skills. But that experience is especially crucial to students with disabilities because employment is the pathway to financial security, independence and inclusion in society.”

“We are encouraged and delighted by the increased support throughout Delaware for Disability Mentoring Day,” said Brian Freedman, associate director of the University of Delaware Center for Disabilities Studies. “We are hopeful that we will continue to see more employers each year giving opportunities to these incredibly talented and motivated students. Delaware businesses are realizing how people of all abilities can enhance their workplaces.”

The on-the-job experience that the students will receive illustrates why the Delaware Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) is such a strong supporter of Disability Mentoring Day.

“DVR is pleased to again support Disability Mentoring Day, which provides students with role models and experiences ensuring their future success in the workplace,” said Andrea Guest, director of the Department of Labor’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Employers participating in Disability Mentoring Day are:

New Castle County (23): Eagle Group, The Hospitality School, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Brandywine Creek Park, Community Integrated Services, Junior Achievement of Delaware, Olive Garden, Grub Burger, Season’s Pizza, Siegel Jewish Community Center, Independent Resources, Inc., Victory Fellowship Church, Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Newark Senior Center, VCA Newark Animal Hospital, PetKare, and at the University of Delaware, Student Financial Services, Carpenter Sports Building, University of Delaware Transportation, UD Messenger, WMPH Radio, Office of Student Conduct and Student Health Services.

Kent County (3): Willey Farms, and the Smyrna School District’s Maintenance Department and Early Childhood Program.
Sussex County (7): Woodbridge High School’s Custodial Crew, Buildings and Grounds Department, Nursing and Wellness Staff, Early Childhood Care, Cafeteria Crew, Criminal Justice and Secretarial Staff.

Follow Disability Mentoring Day year-round on Facebook at Facebook.com/DelDMD or on Twitter @DelawareDMD. To view a video that explains Disability Mentoring Day and features a 2016 Disability Mentoring Day participant who now attends Delaware Technical Community College:

NOTE TO MEDIA: To download photos from Delaware’s Disability Mentoring Day 2016, go to:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/deldhss/albums/72157674343260311

To view video highlights of U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and UD President Dennis Assanis giving keynote speeches at Delaware’s Disability Mentoring Day 2016, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEOJwi9feRw&feature=youtu.be

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Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.

Legislation, sponsored by Representative Baumbach, requires additional notifications, free credit monitoring

NEWARK, Del. – Governor John Carney on Thursday signed into law House Substitute 1 for House Bill 180, legislation that requires additional protections for Delawareans whose personal information may be compromised in a computer breach, including additional notifications and free credit monitoring services.

Representative Paul Baumbach sponsored the legislation, which passed the General Assembly with broad bipartisan support. The new law requires businesses to safeguard information, and requires businesses to provide free credit monitoring services for customers whose sensitive personal information is compromised in a cybersecurity breach. With Governor Carney’s signature on Thursday, Delaware became just the second state to require businesses to provide those services, after Connecticut.

“We live in a digital world where threats to personal information are becoming more common, and the cyber threat is one of the most serious economic challenges we face,” said Governor John Carney. “It makes sense to offer additional protections for Delawareans who may have their information compromised in a cybersecurity breach. At the same time, we will continue to connect businesses to training and resources that will help them safeguard and protect their data. I was also proud to sign this legislation on Thursday alongside Dr. Assanis at the University of Delaware, an institution that is helping lead innovation around cybersecurity. Thank you to Representative Baumbach for leading on this issue, and to all members of the General Assembly who voted to approve these new consumer protections.”

“We have worked with many stakeholders to perfect this cybersecurity legislation so that Delawareans will have proper consumer notifications and protections in place when there is a security breach of personal information. In our technological-driven world these data breaches have become too common and impact a wide variety of individuals. We had to find a way to address those concerns,” said Representative Baumbach, D-Newark. “This is a meaningful step forward in addressing these breaches so that we guarantee better protections for our residents and help them rebuild their lives after a cyber-attack. In particular, the bill focuses on notification requirements and additional help with identity theft mitigation services in cases where Social Security numbers are breached.”

House Bill 180 provides the first updates in Delaware law in more than a decade to address advances in cyber threats. The new law will require all companies doing business in Delaware to implement and maintain reasonable security to protect personal information. Delaware is one of 14 states to impose explicit data security obligations on the private sector.

Thursday’s signing ceremony was held at the University of Delaware, which offers a master’s program in cybersecurity to help drive innovation. UD’s Small Business Development Center also trains small businesses to identify cybersecurity threats and protect their business and customer data.

“The University of Delaware is committed to working with the state and our other partners to address the large and growing challenges of cybersecurity,” said Dr. Dennis Assanis, President of the University of Delaware. “UD is devoting unique resources to developing and advancing technologies and solutions for a safe and resilient cyberspace by contributing our expertise in computer science, corporate governance and public policy.”

“The Delaware Small Business Development Center is proud to be part of the Governor’s signing of House Bill 180,” said Daniel Eliot, the Manager of Technology Business Development at UD’s Small Business Development Center. “For the last two years, we have worked closely with the state and other stakeholders, focused on providing training and resources to help Delaware’s small businesses make a reasonable effort to secure their businesses. It’s a matter of fact: all businesses today are technology-based businesses and are vulnerable to cyber breach. We want to be sure Delaware’s businesses are technologically and behaviorally prepared to combat such attacks.”

“The increase in cyberattacks and data breaches creates an imperative for Delaware to protect citizen information commonly used by criminals to perpetrate identity theft and fraud,” said James Collins, Chief Information Officer at the Delaware Department of Technology and Information. “We all know that prevention is the best strategy and that is our main goal. We want to be proactive so that our citizens and business community can avoid these threats.”

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