Friends and neighbors,
It is hard to believe the leaves are already beginning to change. This has been a difficult year for us all, but I hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy.
I have been working hard throughout the summer to connect with local residents and businesses over the phone, while also getting vital information out through Facebook and email.
I have highlighted some recent news for you below on legislation I have sponsored, vote-by-mail, and more.
If you are having trouble with any state agency or program, are looking for more information on a service or local issue, or think I might be able to help in some other way, please don’t hesitate to email me at john.walsh@delaware.gov or call my office at (302) 577-5305.
Thank you,
Jack Walsh
Senator, District 9
Bills signed: protecting workers and small businesses
Two bills I sponsored with Rep. Ed Osienski were recently signed into law. House Bill 351 and 353 are both designed to shore up our Unemployment Insurance program here in Delaware.
All of us in the General Assembly have been working hard to help our constituents with their unemployment cases since the COVID-19 pandemic reached our state. The impact this crisis has had on Delaware workers has been incredibly hard on so many of our neighbors, and these bills aim to help in two key ways:
- HB 351 allows for the expansion of the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and authorizes it to hold more hearings – two steps that are crucial to delivering the assistance our neighbors need. The bill also helps us maximize the amount of federal funding we can use for unemployment and ensures that otherwise eligible individuals are not denied any CARES Act compensation benefits.
- HB 353, meanwhile, offers some relief to employers and small businesses who were forced to furlough or lay off employees due to the pandemic. In short, this bill directs federal funds to be used as a stopgap instead of passing the cost of covering unemployment payouts on to the very businesses that are already struggling to survive.
Both pieces of legislation make up a vital part of our recovery strategy and I thank Gov. John Carney for signing them.
Shredding and Disposal Event
Thanks again to everyone who stopped by our shredding and disposal event in September!
Nearly 700 vehicles came through the drive-up event to dispose of household hazardous waste, unneeded electronics and wastepaper in need of shredding.
Thanks to the Delaware Solid Waste Authority and my colleagues Rep. Kim Williams and Sen. Anthony Delcollo for co-hosting. If you missed this event, keep an eye out for our next event!
Vote-by-mail
Over a year ago, State Rep. Gerald Brady and I began working on a bill that would let Delaware voters choose whether to cast their ballots in-person or by mail. It didn’t go as far as we would have liked, but we felt like it was a good idea whose time had come. Maybe we were ahead of our time, because vote-by-mail quickly went from being simply a convenient way to cast your ballot to good public health policy due to COVID-19.
That’s why, in June, the Delaware General Assembly passed House Bill 346, which is allowing voters to cast their ballots by mail this year, and this year alone.
Those who wish to vote in person can do so. But for this election cycle, no one will have to choose between risking their health and participating in a fair, open and secure election.
More than 68,000 voters chose to cast their ballots by mail in this month’s primary elections, resulting in record turn out across Delaware. Voting by mail will again be available to Delaware voters for the November 3 general election.
The Delaware Department of Elections soon will be sending out ballot request forms to all registered voters in the state. You also can request a mail-in-ballot at ivote.de.gov.
When your request form arrives, just fill it out and mail it back in as soon possible. You’ll then receive a ballot to fill out and mail in. Completed ballots also can be dropped off at one of two Delaware Department of Elections drop boxes in New Castle County.
Those locations are:
- 820 N. French St. in Wilmington
- 200 Lisa Drive in New Castle