Candidate Name: Richard Collins

Office you are seeking: I am an incumbent seeking reelection to continue serving the 41st Representative District.

Party: Republican

Age: 75

Hometown: Millsboro, DE

Political experience:  10-year incumbent

Professional experience:

•  I was an insurance agent with Horace Mann Insurance Company, and then became the owner/operator of Access Insurance & Financial Services.
•  I founded and led the Positive Growth Alliance—a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving citizens’ property rights.
•  I have also been a public school teacher and a farmer. I continue to farm a few acres.

What uniquely qualifies you for this office?

In addition to my decade of service, I have a diverse background that gives me experience and personal insights into a wide range of public policy areas, including land use, small business, taxation, labor, agriculture, natural resources, and energy.

What are the top three issues for this office in your view? 

1.  Education:Delaware’s classroom performance was steadily slipping prior to the pandemic, and the remote learning forced on students during it accelerated the process. An unacceptable percentage of our students cannot meet math or language standards. By many measures, Delaware has some of the worst performing schools in the nation, even though we’re among the leaders for the amount of money spent per student. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation’s Report Card, ranked Delaware 47th in math scores and 44th in reading scores. No one should find that acceptable.

2. Healthcare:The availability of healthcare professionals and medical services needs to be addressed. We should eliminate Delaware's Certificate of Public Review (CPR) program—a regulatory process requiring healthcare providers to obtain state approval before adding or expanding services, acquiring expensive equipment, building new facilities, and expanding existing facilities. Private healthcare providers should be able to conduct their own assessments and make appropriate investments to serve their current and future patients. Free markets are a time-tested method for increasing availability and reducing costs. The state’s interference has needlessly limited Delawareans’ access to medical services, often forcing them to leave the area to find the help they need.

3.  Firearms:The current majority is intent on eroding the rights granted to Delawareans in the state constitution to possess and use firearms for the defense of home and family, hunting, and recreation. According to a study by Delaware's Criminal Justice Council Statistical Analysis Center, gun violence is typically criminal-on-criminal violence. In 2020 (the most recent year available), more than 86% of victims and more than 90% of identified suspects had criminal histories in Delaware. Of those with an arrest record, 80% of victims and 87% of identified suspects had at least one felony arrest. We cannot curb gun violence by passing new laws that are ignored by criminals and only serve to disarm law-abiding citizens.

What would be your top priority if elected? 

Continuing to fight the intrusion of state authority into the lives all our citizens. The current one-sided domination of our state government has empowered it to expand its reach and control without accountability. Laws that elected officials have known, or strongly suspected, to be illegal have been enacted without consequence. The only recourse against this abuse of power has been the courts. I have successfully challenged state laws and regulations in the past and I am currently a party to legal action seeking to overturn the onerous electric vehicle sales mandate. In just the last few years, laws and executive orders dealing with voting, the free exercise of religion, gun control, and the state takeover of non-profit hospitals have been contested. This is a fight that constantly needs to be fought.

If you could change or protect one state policy or law, what would it be?

The governor can declare a State of Emergency to deal with a fast-developing situation where swift action is needed to protect the public’s welfare. This is a necessary and prudent safeguard. The initial declaration can last up to 30 days, during with the governor has broad, nearly unlimited power to take any actions he or she deems necessary. After the 30 days is up, the governor can renew the State of Emergency as many times as he or she wishes. It is this second aspect that is potentially problematic. Gov. Carney declared an emergency in Delaware on March 12, 2020 to cope with COVID, renewing the declaration 16 times. Because the governor had no check on this unfettered authority, the public had no ability meaningfully contest or question the hundreds of decisions he made during this period that impacted everyone in the state in countless ways over a year-and-a-half. I propose limiting, within good reason, the ability of the chief executive to continuously renew a State of Emergency without the approval of the legislature. This is a common-sense check of unlimited executive power that would give our citizens a voice in that process they currently lack.  

What can Delaware do about its workforce issues?

The entire nation is struggling to deal with the issue of not having enough qualified candidates willing to fill open positions. In Delaware, hundreds of diverse state jobs are unfilled, and there is a critical shortage of teachers, police officers, health care workers, and many other professions. Delaware has been very active in implementing a system that encourages high school students to adopt career paths that involve skills training and relationships with employers, often leading to paid, quality jobs when they graduate. We need to continue and enhance these efforts.

How would you protect or change state employee benefits?

I believe retirees and current state employees have been appropriately protected from having their benefits unfairly degraded. I continue to support maintaining the status quo on these issues.

 What would you do to improve the quality of education in the First State?

Improve the ability of teachers and administrators to maintain discipline in the classroom. Take steps to ensure students have a solid understanding of basic math and language skills at an early age, giving them a foundation for future success. Give local districts the discretion to structure their learning environments so students with different skills, challenges, and experiences, can receive the resources and attention they need to learn effectively and advance.

What issues do you strongly support and would not compromise?

I generally oppose levying new taxes or fees on Delawareans or hiking existing ones. I believe we need to limit the authority of state government. Our government should be the servant of our citizens, not the other way around. I believe Delawareans should have the freedom to choose what they drive and the ability to select the options that make the most sense for their finances and their families, not have their potential selections limited by misguided government mandates.

How do you improve civility and thoughtful dialog in Delaware politics?

Unfortunately, I believe “civility and thoughtful dialog” have declined markedly over the last decade in the General Assembly. That has largely been the result of an increasing partisan polarization, among lawmakers and the general population. One-party control of the governor’s office and the state legislature over the last 16 years have emboldened members of the majority party to bully anyone with a perspective that does not mirror their own. A monoculture of political thought has led to a dysfunctional state legislature where dissent and alternative points of view are unwelcome.

How do you perceive the “Delaware Way” today?

The Delaware Way—where partisanship would be set aside to jointly take action to benefit all—is largely dead. The majority party does not need minority votes for most bills to pass. The consequence is that there is no incentive on the part of the majority to cooperate, collaborate, or make any attempt to reach a consensus.