Whip Count

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.