Whip Count

She's One of Us: The Governor Ruth Ann Minner Special Part 1

Welcome back to the 150th Delaware General Assembly and to Season 2 of Whip Count! This season we're going even farther into the quirks, history, and characters of Legislative Hall.
Our session begins with a momentous occasion: former Governor Ruth Ann Minner's 85th birthday. Governor Minner has a fascinating and unique story, and this week we delve into it with some of the people who knew her best throughout her life and career. 
Stay tuned: next week we finish off this 2-part special with an interview with Governor Minner herself.

We Have a Platform Now: Reforming Delaware's Criminal Justice System Feat. Attorney General Kathy Jennings

In 2019, Democrats in Delaware's General Assembly began an unprecedented effort to reform our state's criminal justice system on a large scale, introducing 19 bills aimed at reforming sentencing, reentry, and more. At the same time, Delaware's new Attorney General Kathy Jennings has been changing practices within the Department of Justice to make the system more equitable. This week on Whip Count, AG Jennings sits down with Rep. Sean Lynn, a defense attorney and the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Dubard McGriff, an activist and organizer with the ACLU Campaign for Smart Justice for a wide-reaching conversation on the criminal justice system and the work they're doing to reform it.

The Crisis of Our Generation: Fighting the Opioid Epidemic in Delaware

A Delawarean dies every 22 hours from an opioid overdose. This crisis has reached a point where it affects nearly everyone in our state, and Delaware lawmakers are fighting back. This week we are joined by Rep. David Bentz, the chair of the House Health Committee, Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long, the chair of the Behavioral Health Consortium, and David Humes, a board member of Attack Addiction to discuss steps we have taken to fight the opioid epidemic and what we can do going forward. Get access to help with addiction and mental health issues today: https://www.helpisherede.com/

In The Middle of it All: The Unsung Heroes of Legislative Hall

On a busy session day Legislative Hall is bustling and crazy, but underneath that chaos there is a team of people who make sure everything runs smoothly. Many of the people who work here have years of insight into our state government, and their unique stories and backgrounds are part of what make this building special. We sat down with staff from the Legislative Library, Facilities, the Leg Hall Cafe, the print shop, a long-time House Democrats receptionist, and a Master Corporal from the Capitol Police to hear what they had to say about their lives and their important work.

I Told You We Would Make It: The Freshman Class of the 150th General Assembly

In 2019, 8 new legislators joined the Delaware House Democratic Caucus. They come from a variety of backgrounds and bring unique perspectives and experiences to the General Assembly, which has helped them already make an impact on the policies that affect every Delawarean. We spoke to five of the new representatives about their lives, their journey to the House of Representatives, and the unique experiences of being a freshman legislator, including learning the building and running their first bill.

Early Voting (Finally) Comes to Delaware

Voting is the fundamental right that underpins our democracy, and giving people the option to vote early in-person makes that process easier, simpler, and more accessible. In this episode of Whip Count we spoke to Rep. David Bentz and Jennifer Hill from Common Cause Delaware about early voting and the fight for its passage in our state, and cover the signing ceremony for Delaware's new early voting law. 

Overnight In 10 Years: The Long Fight for LGBTQ Rights In Delaware

Just 10 years ago in Delaware it was legal to discriminate against someone because they were gay. A landlord could refuse to rent to you, you could be denied insurance, and you could show up to work to find that you were fired simply for who you loved. That was the reality. The LGBTQ community didn't gain legal protections in our state until 2009, when the General Assembly passed landmark legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Within four years of that law's passage, Delaware had passed civil unions, marriage equality, and protected gender identity, and to some the changes may have seemed to happen basically overnight. But in reality the fight for equal rights was a decade-long process where lawmakers and advocates ran up against bigotry and hatred at every turn. This is the story of that struggle, as told by three people who were intimately involved with the process right from the very beginning.

411 Legislative Avenue: 40 Years of Legislative Hall History

"There is still magic in this place. Just a total happenstance that's going to change someone's life forever." Legislative Hall is rich with history and tradition. Few people in this building have a better knowledge of these distinctly Delaware quirks than long-time staffers Rich Puffer, Dick Carter, and Bernard Brady. In this special episode of Whip Count, we're going to let them speak for themselves.
 
Learn about some of the most memorable characters, stories and events of the last 40 years in Legislative Hall straight from the people who experienced it themselves. This episode also includes exclusive historical audio from floor votes that you haven't heard anywhere else.

House Bill 1: The Equal Rights Amendment

If you thought Delaware already guaranteed women equal rights under the law, well you wouldn't be the only one. But it wasn't until this year that lawmakers passed an Equal Rights Amendment, enshrining equality under the law for Delaware women.
 
The fight for women's equality has been 100 years in the making, with Delaware lawmakers paving the way in 1972 by ratifying the federal ERA. Unfortunately, the federal ERA never became a reality, so Delaware had to take on the issue and run with it. Today, the state ERA is law. To give us the history, we spoke to a retired judge, our House Majority Leader, and a family member of a 1972-era legislator who led the charge.

It Starts with an Idea: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Every bill starts with an idea, Schoolhouse Rock taught us that. But there may be plenty of things that go on behind the scenes that not everyone gets to see. Consider this a crash course in what happens in-between an idea and a law. This is the inaugural episode of Whip Count, a podcast by the Delaware House Democratic Caucus. Join an issue advocate, a cabinet secretary, a state representative, a legislative drafting lawyer, the Speaker of the House, the Chief Clerk of the House, and the Governor of Delaware to learn the ins and outs of the legislative process.