Issue 559 – March 25, 2023
| Proposed Crime Targets Acts of Destruction A bipartisan bill filed this week proposes a new crime to stiffen penalties for those found to have intentionally damaged critical infrastructure. House Bill 91, sponsored by State Rep. William Bush (D), would establish the new offense of Aggravated Criminal Mischief to apply in cases where an individual has knowingly damaged or tampered with critical utility infrastructure to disrupt service. The crime would be a Class D felony, carrying a presumptive sentence of up to two years in prison. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI have repeatedly issued warnings about domestic terrorists and extremist groups targeting critical utility infrastructure. Physical and computerized attacks on electric utility equipment reportedly hit a 10-year high last year. House Republicans co-sponsoring the legislation include State Rep. Ruth Briggs King, Ron Gray, Jeff Hilovsky, and Danny Short. |
| Measure Would Help Citizens Access, Compare School Performance Data The Delaware Department of Education issues annual education profiles on its Delaware Report Card website. While the site provides data for all Delaware traditional and charter public schools, the information can only be viewed in a limited fashion — on the basis of a selected school or district. House Bill 66, sponsored by State Rep. Bryan Shupe (R-Milford South), seeks to make the following reforms: Upgrade the website to allow users to generate side-by-side comparisons of the education profiles for multiple schools and school districts. Provide a link to the education profiles on both the Department of Education’s homepage and the school choice website. Include a list of career pathways offered at each high school in the schools’ education profile. Thus far, the bill only has Republican sponsorship. House Republicans co-sponsoring the legislation include State Rep. Ruth Briggs King, Rich Collins, Jeff Hilovsky, Mike Smith, and Lyndon Yearick. |
