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The Republican Caucus of the Delaware State Senate elected its Leadership for the upcoming 144th General Assembly at a meeting in Dover on Monday evening November 27, 2006.

The new Senate Minority Leader will be Senator Charlie Copeland (R-West Farms) and Senator Liane Sorenson (R-Hockessin) will continue as the Minority Whip.

Senator Copeland said "I don't expect major changes with our Caucus. We operate like a team and I'm just the next leader proud to follow a line of exceptional people from Myrna Bair to Steve Amick to John Still."

Senator Copeland, 43, was first elected to the Senate in 2002. He is a resident of Wilmington, where he manages a family-owned business as President of Associates Graphic Services.

Copeland attended Duke University, where he earned a B.S. degree in Computer Science/Physics in 1985 and an M.B.A. in 1994.

Charlie Copeland's volunteer community activities and affiliations have included Board President of the Challenge Program, Kalmar Nyckel Foundation Board, the Delaware Nature Society, Vice President of the Mt. Cuba Center Board, the Caesar Rodney Rotary, Christ Church and the Kennett Pike Association.

Senator Sorenson is a full-time legislator. She retired from the University of Delaware after serving as Director of the Office of Women's Affairs. Her earlier professional career included service as Director of Parent Education and Counselor at Battered Women’s Shelter, Child, Inc.

Sorenson earned B.S. and M.C. degrees from the University of Delaware.

Liane Sorenson was first elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 1992 and came to the Senate in 1994. She has served as Senate Minority Whip since 2000.

Sorenson also serves as Chair of the Delaware Family Law Commission. Her volunteer community activities and leadership positions include the Delaware Cancer Consortium, American Cancer Society, Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, International Trade Council, Rotary Club, Newark Symphony, Friends of the Newark Free Library, Friends of the Hockessin Library, Hockessin Historical Society, Newark Historical Society, Friends of the White Clay Creek State Park, Delaware Nature Education Society, and Planned Parenthood.

Sorenson has held national leadership positions on the Board of the Eastern Region of the Council of State Governments (CSG), the CSG Eastern Region Criminal Justice Board, and as President of the Women's Legislative Network of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

At the Caucus meeting, Senate Republicans also agreed unanimously to renew their pledge to work for more open government. During the recent campaign the eight Republican Senators were joined by all Republican Senate candidates in promising to pursue more transparent, accountable and public-friendly procedures in Senate operations and throughout state government.

Leaders Copeland and Sorenson say the Republican Caucus is strongly committed to work in bipartisan fashion with Senators across the aisle to accomplish positive change in five specific areas:

• Pass legislation under FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) to define the General Assembly and all its standing and ad hoc committees as "public bodies";
• Change Senate Rules to do away with the power of a Senate Committee chair to single-handedly kill legislation by preventing public debate;
• Change Senate Rules to create a deliberative process that guarantees legislation will get a public hearing in committee within a reasonable time frame;
• Promptly post Senate Roll Call votes on the General Assembly website giving the public access to an accounting of individual votes by all Senators; and
• Close loopholes to avoid the potential and appearance of conflict inherent in holding dual roles in government, including a prohibition on paid registered lobbyists holding office on state Authorities, Boards, Commissions and statutory Committees.

The Republican Senators and their Districts are: Senators Charlie Copeland (4th), Cathy Cloutier (5th), Liane Sorenson (6th), Steve Amick (10th), Dori Connor (12th), Colin Bonini (16th), John Still (17th) and Gary Simpson (18th).

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