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Delaware State Senate - Overview of Senate activities
Last Action Date: 9/13/2021
Description:  Overview of Senate activities
Highlights: Senator Richardson made an election promise and kept his promise to not vote to increase taxes or fees and to not approve of any new taxes or fees.

Background: Freshman term started the day after Election Day 2014.

Senator Richardson is the author of six major new bills to be introduced in January 2022 and is co-author of more than 150 bills.

Senator Richardson serves on numerous committees and task forces; he is currently serving on the Veterans Affairs, Elections & Government Affairs, Agriculture, Legislative Oversight & Sunset, Labor, and Banking & Insurance committees, the Domestic Violence Bail Review Task Force, the Human Trafficking Interagency Coordinating Council, the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission and on the Delaware Healthy Mothers & Infants Consortium.

Senator Richardson serves more than 44,000 people in the 21st Senate District.

Senator Richardson is Pro-Life; and believes in strong family core values.

Senator Richardson supports free enterprise with very minimum government interference/regulations.

Senator Richardson believes in small government and letting the people control their lives and not the government.

Proudest accomplishments:
  • Lead sponsor and champion of SB75 relating to Human Trafficking; coming down hard on perpetrators of this crime.
  • Combating and preventing the drug abuse problem in the state by championing a Drug Task Force; major driver on the Joint Finance Committee securing funding ($400K) for the Home for Hope, where women recovering from drug addictions can be with their families.
  • Sponsoring two bills dealing with Pro-Life issues: Pain Capable Bill (Senate Bill 21) to save fetuses developed at 20 weeks and (Senate Bill 19) relating to the offer of an ultrasound before terminating pregnancy.
  • Moving the business climate forward by sponsoring SB266 to expand opportunities in the TV and Motion Picture Industry in Delaware.
Joint Finance Committee Accomplishments:
  • Invited to join in his First Term as Senator.
  • JFC Accomplishments since joining in January -
  • Budget done a week in advance; Governor signed a day ahead of ending session
  • Worked with other Republicans on the JFC to convince Democrats to hold back 3% of financial intake; raising the percentage by 1%; instead of spending 98%, spending 97%.
  • Secured $300K for the Home for Hope- drug addiction recovery home for women
Smaller, more responsible government

How? By sponsoring HB338 with Danny Short allowing Seaford City Council to run more efficiently and economically.

How? By sponsoring SB25 with Tim Dukes to eliminate the need for Laurel residents to re-register if they miss 2 consecutive elections.

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of HB342 creating a Task Force to examine options for voting machine replacements.

How? By sponsoring and voting for HB392 establishing a sub-committee to hear and decide appeals of the State Election Commissioner's decisions regarding tardy and incomplete reports.

How? By sponsoring and voting for SB282 allowing the Bethel Town treasurer to assign another person to physically deposit town funds.

Respect for the Life of the Unborn

How? By sponsoring Senate Bill 19, the Ultrasound Act, and Senate Bill 21, the Pain Capable Unborn Children Protection Act. (see Proudest Accomplishments)

Tax Laws that help unite families

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor SB221 giving tax credits for businesses who hire Delawareans with disabilities; spirit and purpose as a means to develop skills necessary to gain employment in the private sector.

How? By sponsoring and voting for HB85 allowing school and property taxes to be collected by tax intercept.

How? By sponsoring and voting for SB200 which promotes research and development in Delaware and encourages employers to locate or retain their headquarters here; providing tax credits for small businesses, etc.

Educational choices that pave the way for advanced career opportunities

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of HJR4 creating a joint resolution to form a task force to study and report findings concerning financial literacy education in Delaware; also, devise policy and program recommendations to help increase financial literacy of students.

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of HB307 providing a fee waiver for Delaware High School graduates of teacher preparatory programs located in Delaware.

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of HB274 allowing Laurel Special School District to convey to the town of Laurel the Paul Laurence Dunbar School and lands on which the school is located.

An improved regulatory environment that encourages business startups and growth

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of SB74 creating an act to efficiently manage preserved lands.

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of a bill vesting authority for seed regulation to the Delaware Department of Agriculture; repeals inconsistent act or parts of acts.

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor HB262 making recommendations to bring codes up-to-date and relevant to today's needs.

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of HB151 amending the time frame in which Sussex County Council must pass a formal resolution after posting notices of establishment or revision of sewer or water district. Substitutes 90 days for the current 30 day time frame.

Work incentives, not welfare incentives

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of HB170 which creates incentives for qualified angel investors to invest capital in qualified Delaware Small Technology Companies.

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of HB327 giving an investment tool for corporations and other businesses, relative to certain limitations.

Support for our military and first responders

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of HB80 which adds "Stolen Valor" to the list of impersonation crimes in order to gain any type of monetary or tangible benefits.

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of SCR31 creating a resolution to establish a task force to study and make findings and recommendations regarding veterans' access to higher education in Delaware.

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of SB22 allowing first responders to use reasonable force to remove a confined animal from a motor vehicle under conditions likely to cause suffering, injury, or death.

How? By sponsoring and voting in favor of SB44 providing the surviving spouse of a deceased veteran the ability to transfer special military plates to the surviving spouse's car for no additional fee.

Other sponsored legislation supporting quality of life (both human and animal):

HB140 - Coordinates policies and procedures relating to infants born with any form of substance abuse (including alcohol) or with drawl symptoms and formalizes uniform response protocol.

SB90 - Includes intractable epilepsy to the list of medical marijuana debilitating conditions so no one has to suffer.

SB174 - Creation of a drug overdose fatality commission to examine the facts and circumstances of deaths resulting from all forms of opioids; make recommendations on how to prevent deaths.

HB220 - Act enabling prosecution of perpetrators of animal fighting.

SB180 - Recognize the rights of the disabled 18-year-old young adults to exercise their own rights or to appoint an agent to exercise educational rights.

HB393 - Updates state law, names, and organizations relative to the visually impaired or severely handicapped. Promote and expand markets and products to better service the handicapped individual.

SB102 - Consolidation of all forms of detection of abuse, violence, youth criminal acts, suicide, bullying, sexual assault into one sub-chapter of Chapter 41, Title 14 of the Delaware Code. Also, develops non-academic training programs for all educators, students, and parents.