Help Keep Pete Working for Us.
Legislative Letter - April 2003 |
| SR 1 and our traffic problems continue to be at the top of my hit list.
I have met several times with DelDot officials and they seem very receptive
to some new ideas but they move at a much slower pace than I am comfortable
with. We have some serious transportation problems and we need some
serious attention and money to lessen the burden on the people of the 14th
District. I will continue to push for improvements in our district
and try to move up DelDot’s timetable. On a side note, I want to thank everyone for their calls, letters and emails expressing their concern and support for my son, Scott, who is serving with the 1st Marine Division in Iraq. He is just one of many military personnel serving from this area and I ask that you pray for a quick resolution to this conflict and for all of our service men and women to return safely to their families. Also, this past Saturday night, Alex Pires from the Highway One Limited Partnership in Dewey Beach treated every fire company and police force in Sussex County to the 2nd Annual Thank You Dinner at the Baycenter. Over 450 first responders were served dinner by area personalities which included the Cape Gazette’s Dennis Forney and Trish Vernon. It was a wonderful evening of fellowship and camaraderie made possible by Alex’s generosity and my hat goes off to him for showing these people just how special they really are. After 5 weeks of budget hearings, the General Assembly went back in session on March 18th and we immediately tackled our most contentious issue this year-HB 15 or the bill that would weaken the Clean Indoor Air Act by allowing smoking in casinos, taverns and taprooms. I voted not to weaken our current law for two reasons- one, I think it is a health issue and two, because it would create an unlevel playing field for all of the restaurant/bars in Rehoboth Beach as the city prohibits the licensing of taverns or taprooms. The bill passed the House 21-19 and now goes to the Senate for a vote on April 8th. Some Senators are playing it very close to the vest and it promises to be a very close vote. If it passes the Senate, I feel confidant that the Governor will veto the bill and send it back to the House of Representatives where it will be very difficult for the bill sponsors to garner the votes needed for an override of her veto. Last year, Delaware set a very high standard for the rest of the country to follow. Now that other states are trying to enact tough smoking legislation similar to ours (New York just passed legislation this past week), the House has chosen to take a step backwards. I was very surprised with the fact that 11 legislators changed their vote from their original stance last year. Hopefully, we will soon put the smoking issue behind us and move on to other issues. HB 99 has been reintroduced in the House and I have signed on as a co-sponsor. This bill is about equal protection for everyone in the eyes of the law. It prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation whether it is real or perceived. Opinions based on fact are valid and worthy of debate. Opinions based on ignorance are just plain dangerous. I encourage everyone to read the legislation before forming his or her opinion and then discuss it from an informed perspective. Other topics that will be coming up soon include lowering the blood alcohol content (BAC) for driving under the influence from .10 to .08 and making seatbelts a primary offense. I support both bills and have signed on as a co-sponsor. We will also be looking at the open container law which would prohibit any open alcoholic beverage in the passenger area of a vehicle. I have some mixed feelings about this one and I need to hear your opinions. Another piece of legislation that should be interesting is the Sunday liquor sales bill. I have no personal feelings on this bill and I need to hear from both sides of the issue. And finally, the Governor’s budget proposals have been introduced and they promise to stir up quite a debate from the more conservative members of the House. We are $300 million in the red and the plan proposed makes the necessary adjustments to balance the budget. I have looked at the proposals and they do not affect the average person in any way. Corporations, casinos, estate taxes and cigarettes would take a hit but it is something we can all live with. It promises to be interesting and I will try to keep you informed. If you would like to contact me about these issues or any other issue, you can email me at peter.schwartzkopf@state.de.us, call me at home 227-6252 or at Leg Hall 302-744-4351. I look forward to hearing from you. |
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