Priorities
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Senator Townsend is fighting for reforms that will uplift working families across Delaware.
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Senator Townsend is working to foster equality and create a just and fair society for all Delawareans by leading the effort to reform Delaware's cash bail.
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Senator Townsend is championing legislation to support Delaware’s retirees and public sector employee unions.
Accomplishments
Healthcare:
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Senator Townsend sponsored House Bill 350 (S2). This landmark legislation establishes the Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board, and requires hospitals to submit annual budgets, audited financial statements, and related financial information to the Board to ensure that hospitals are making every effort to meet State healthcare cost benchmarks and keep healthcare costs down for Delaware residents.
Retirees and Public Sector Employee Unions:
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Senator Townsend sponsored Senate Bill 29, which makes membership of the SEBC more representative of impacted parties, and creates a standing subcommittee on healthcare benefits.
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Senator Townsend sponsored House Bill 281, which repeals the adoption of the Medicare Advantage Plan, which had generated widespread concerns among retirees over the quality of care.
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Senator Townsend sponsored House 282, which provides extra regulatory and transparency processes to the State Employee Benefit Committee to ensure that both current and retired State employees are informed of proposed changes to their benefits.
Housing:
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Senator Townsend passed Senate Bill 1 (S1), which gives tenants a right to representation in eviction proceedings and other landlord-tenant actions. The bill includes key provisions to support responsible landlords while also protecting tenants.
Criminal Justice:
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Senator Townsend passed Senate Bill 11 (S), the first leg of a constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to identify certain crimes and circumstances in which the courts can use preventive detention to protect the public.
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Senator Townsend passed Senate Bill 12, which allows courts to withhold bail entirely for cases involving 38 dangerous and violent offenses.
Artificial Intelligence:
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Senator Townsend sponsored House Bill 316 (S1). This bill criminalizes the use of A.I. generated or manipulated images, audio, or video to influence an election. This will help to keep our elections fair and free from interference.
Inclusion:
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Senator Townsend also passed legislation to foster greater inclusion of Delaware’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations in public education and civic life. House Bill 322 creates the Delaware Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage and Culture. Senate Bill 297 directs the Delaware Department of Education to update content standards and regulations using a non-exhaustive list of racial, ethnic, and cultural groups to encourage a more culturally responsive public education.
A native Delawarean with family in all three counties, Bryan Townsend is committed to supporting hardworking Delaware families, and has a proven track record of bringing together diverse stakeholders to solve difficult issues as one of the most productive legislators in Delaware's General Assembly.
A state senator since 2012, he currently serves as the Senator Majority Leader and chairs the Housing Committee. He also serves as a member of the Senate Agriculture, Education, Judiciary, and Rules & Ethics committees. He previously chaired the Health & Social Services Committee and Banking & Business Committee.
Bryan is the son of a Newark police officer and a public school teacher from Newark. A Glasgow High graduate, he has earned degrees from, the University of Delaware, the University of Cambridge, and Yale Law School. After law school, Bryan clerked for the Delaware Court of Chancery and then became an attorney at a major Delaware law firm, representing Delaware businesses of all sizes, as well as children in foster care, victims of domestic violence, and veterans with service-related disabilities.
Never afraid to challenge the status quo, Bryan first won office by defeating the highest-ranking state senator in Delaware through a commitment to responsive government and the support of a coalition of students, retirees, teachers, and other community leaders who wanted to see a new approach and more candor in government.
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Paid for by Delaware Senate Majority Caucus Campaign Committee