Community Affinity Groups Established and New Bills Impacting Veterans Introduced
- David Rugg
- May 30
- 2 min read
Lt. Governor Gay has established a Veterans Affairs Affinity Group to foster collaboration between state government and the state's veterans community leaders/advocates. The purpose of the group is to help ensure the government’s decisions are impactful by engaging leaders/advocates that represent Delaware's veteran community in regular zoom calls.
Members of the Delaware Democratic Veterans and Family Members Caucus (DVMFC) will participate in the calls and help the Lt. Governor grow and expand the reach of the affinity group’s collaborative process.
Besides the veterans affinity group, other affinity groups are forming to foster collaboration with Art and Creative Economy Leaders, Black Leaders, Faith Leaders, Latinx Leaders, and LGBTQ+ Leaders.
In addition to the affinity group process, two more bills have been introduced in the Delaware General Assembly that, if passed, will impact veterans and military members in Delaware.
House Bills 160 and 169 were introduced during the legislative week of May 12, 2025. Please contact your state legislator and or the Governor’s office to voice your position on these or any of the bills working their way through the legislative process.
House Bill 160 amends the existing code relating to Delaware National Guard education benefits by switching from a system that reimburses service members to a system that pays certain tuition and fees, on behalf of a service member, directly to a Delaware postsecondary institution. This change allows more service members to use education benefits, which will improve Delaware National Guard recruiting and retention, and enhance the professional education qualifications of its members.
House Bill 169 makes changes to the Behavioral Health Consortium and the Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission that includes one veteran who has served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard or the Reserves, and who has been impacted by behavioral health in this State.
You can see all of the veteran-related bills tracked by the DVFMC at: https://www.deldemvets.org/post/new-bills-under-consideration-in-the-state-lege
Comments