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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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