Open and Accountable Government

As a State Senator, Charlie Copeland has been one of Delaware’s strongest voices in the fight to make state government more accountable and transparent to citizens.

Since first elected in 2002, Charlie has been a co-sponsor of numerous pieces of government reform legislation. He is the prime Senate Sponsor of House Bill 4 which, if passed, would have provided more time for public and legislative review of budget bills -- and stopped the decades-old practice of rushing the budget process through the legislature. He is also leading the effort to end the “desk drawer veto” in which powerful legislative leaders prevent legislation from ever coming to the floor for debate or a vote.

Other reforms called for and sponsored by Charlie include requiring the state and school districts to set-up searchable databases that outline how their tax dollars are spent, and requiring the Delaware Economic Development Office to post information on how they are spending the Delaware Strategic Fund.

As a result of Charlie’s efforts, Senate votes are now posted publicly online for the first time in Delaware’s history.

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