DELAWARE FAMILY POLICY COUNCIL REVEALS NEW BILLS TO BE VOTED ON: HB 400: No Parental Notification for Minors to Receive Gender Transition and Abortion; HB 371: Recreational Marijuana; SB 232: High School Civic Requirement

Parental Rights are threatened again this week, and the legalization of marijuana is yet again in committee. The hearing for both bills is on Tuesday morning.
Send in a comment today to advance truth this week!
Ask your legislator to: 

We've made the process super easy for you; read below to be informed and to take action.

Parental Rights
Yes, you read that right. HB 400 would allow dependents on an insurance policy to receive "sensitive health care services" without the policyholder being alerted.
Last year, a similar bill was introduced that never passed; the main difference was that it only applied to dependents between ages 18-26.
HB 400 clearly extends this practice to minor dependents.
Look at the "sensitive health care services" that your child would be able to receive without your knowledge.
I'm sure you're as outraged by that list as I am. Wouldn't you want to be notified if your child began taking experimental drugs that disrupt the natural puberty process, using your insurance coverage?
It's important to realize that this is just one of many policies, proposed and passed, that would give minors more easy access to these "sensitive services." Follow the trend:

Step 1: Increase the number of school-based health centers.

Step 2: Allow advanced practice registered nurses, many of whom are employed in these centers, to prescribe abortion pills. 

Step 3: Prevent policyholders -- parents -- from being notified when dependents receive these treatments. 
Do you see how the state is trying to remove you, the parent, as the barrier to your children having easy access to dangerous, life-altering medical decisions?
HB 400 is being heard in the House Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce committee THIS Tuesday at 11am. Click here to send your comment to the committee today, urging them to vote NO on HB 400.
Send your comment here
This committee hearing is also in person; I hope you'll also consider being present for the hearing and giving a 2-minute testimony.

Human Flourishing
Yes, this bill keeps coming back.

To recap: the original bill to legalize recreational marijuana, HB 150, was blocked in the House. But there are now two new bills that would essentially do the same thing: HB 371 and HB 372 w/ HA 1. 
In our last update, HB 371 was being heard in committee. What happened?

Committee hearings follow a consistent process for each bill:

1. The bill sponsor explains the bill, sometimes with the help of expert testimony.
2. Committee members ask questions or give comments. 
3. Finally, and most importantly, the public is given the opportunity to comment.

When HB 371 was heard, this protocol was blatantly ignored. Despite protest from Rep. Briggs King, the comment time for both the committee and the public was completely skipped, and the bill was brought straight to a vote. 

This blatant disregard for procedure was "rectified" by restarting the process. The bill is now back in committee, and will be heard at 11am on Tuesday.
Go to StopthePot.org for research about the harmful effects of marijuana and to send your comment to the committee. 
Send your comment here

Education
SB 232, the bill that would have required 10th and 12th graders to be assessed on basic US History and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, failed in committee. This solid piece of legislation was disregarded as unnecessary.

Religious Freedom
SB 144 essentially defines a "hate crime" as a crime motivated by a "belief or perception" about the victim's characteristics. We explained in an earlier update how this subtle bill exposes a significant worldview problem.

A new amendment was proposed that removes threats from the criteria for whether desecration has occurred. Desecration in this bill applies to places of worship, burial places, schools, and monuments (this amendment also removes private property from this list).

Knowing this Assembly's history of proposing policies that elevate the protection of sexual orientation and gender identity above religious liberty, it is important to ask pointed questions and think critically through the implications of this bill.
I encourage you to listen to the discussion when it comes up in committee. Listen to hear the motivation behind this bill and its amendment.

Reminders ...
Remember to take action on these two bills ASAP! 

Once you've sent in your comment, would you forward these links to other like-minded individuals?
For Faith, Families, and Freedom, 
Nandi Randolph
Policy Analyst
Delaware Family Policy Council
P.S.  Be Informed. Read about previous legislative updates HERE.