WDEL 1150 AM, September 2, 2008

Children are our greatest asset and a Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor wants to protect them.

Matt Denn says he wants every child to have health insurance regardless of the household income because of its importance to their welfare.

He also stressed how his plan would be a major benefit not just to the families who need it but to the entire state.

Denn says healthy kids are happier kids and his program, should he become Lt. Governor would help boost their way of life.

Hopefuls for governor, lieutenant agree on problems, not solutions

The News Journal, August 22, 2008

WILMINGTON — Candidates for the state’s two highest offices agreed improvements are needed in education, the state prison system and crime prevention — disagreeing mostly about the means but rarely the ends.

The candidates for lieutenant governor, state Sen. Charlie Copeland and Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn, faced off for the first time. They were joined by three of the four candidates for governor at an event hosted Thursday night by the Urban League.
Democratic Lt. Gov. John Carney and Treasurer Jack Markell and Independent Mike Protack were the three gubernatorial candidates on hand. Republican Bill Lee declined an invitation.

Republican Copeland and Democrat Denn disagreed on the issue of eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for people convicted of drug offenses – one of Copeland’s banner issues.

Copeland sponsored legislation in the Senate that would give greater discretion to judges when handing down sentences. The reform would reduce prison crowding and allow judges to reduce sentencing for first-time offenders, but also couple them with rehabilitation programs, creative use of community service or other programs, Copeland said.

The problems with mandatory minimum sentences are larger in Wilmington, Copeland said, where almost every area is within a restricted number of feet from a park or school, doubling the sentences for people who would get arrested for the same crime elsewhere in the county.

But Denn said doing away with mandatory minimum sentences is like “throwing the baby away with the bath water.”

Denn said most mandates deal with punishing dealers who carry large amounts of drugs. He said the solution is stricter enforcement of the laws and implementation of the mandatory sentences.

Copeland responded that the handing down of punishments should not be made beforehand by legislators in Dover, but judges with experience who are able to review details of a crime.

Protack said sentencing should be adapted for the nature of the crime.
“If you’re a violent offender, rot in hell, I really feel strongly about that, but if you have a disease, we will help you,” Protack said.

The two topics that drew the most response from the crowd of about 150 people were education and crime prevention.

Moderator John Watson, talk show host at WILM NewsRadio, asked the candidates to explain how they would correct some of the problems with state’s education system.

Each candidate said they think there are too many school districts in the state and would support some form of consolidation.

“If I had a magic wand to wave at our education system, I would wave it to increase the level of participation of parents,” Markell said.

Carney and Markell said they would “scrap” the Delaware State Testing Program and replace it with a new test.

“A moratorium on charter schools is moving in the wrong direction,” Copeland said.
Protack pointed to the Vision 2015 report and said he would support the implementation of the report’s recommendations.

“We should reward teachers who take on additional challenges, and we should reward teachers who have results,” Denn said.

The candidates fielded a question about the lack of public high schools in Wilmington. Most agreed that more access was needed to public schools, including increased funding for an inner-city school to address the needs of many of the low-income residents.

Delaware State News, August 20, 2008

DOVER — Insurance Commis­sioner Matthew P. Denn slashed workers’ compensation insur­ance premiums Tuesday by 11.57 percent, a move designed to save Delaware businesses more than $14 million.

It is the second straight year Mr. Denn has ordered workers’ comp rates cut — he ordered 17.75­22 percent in cuts in November, which was the largest cut in insur­ance rates in at least 25 years.

“When I took office in 2005, our rates were among the high­est in the country,” Mr. Denn said. “ With the amount we’ve reduced rates in the past year — about 30 percent — we can call workers’ comp reform a success.”

And Mr. Denn said he expects to order at least another 10 per­cent in rate cuts by the end of the year. Delaware businesses, which have paid some of the highest work­ers’ comp rates in the country, shell out about $122 million each year for the insurance.

“This will help employers con­trol costs,” Mr. Denn said. “It will make businesses, like contractors who have to compete with out­-of-state businesses, be competi­tive.”

While Mr. Denn did not have comparative stats with other states in recent years, he noted that most workers’ comp rates throughout the country have ei­ther remained flat or increased in recent years.

Tuesday’s reduction is the di­rect result of legislation passed last year designed to save Dela­ware employers up to $43 million annually in workers’ compensa­tion premiums.

The new law creates a health care advisory panel to craft a fee schedule for medical costs and charges and standardized prac­tice guidelines for medical treat­ment of injuries, saving Delaware employers 15-21 percent in work­ers’ compensation costs.

But, in the order to insurance companies, Mr. Denn warned that the workers’ compensation insur­ance companies have “not made sufficient efforts to determine the potential cost savings to carriers of all of the provisions of Senate Bill 1,” and told the carriers and insurance department staff to provide him with information to consider additional reductions.

“I intend to ensure to the maximum degree permitted by law that any likely cost savings re­sulting from SB 1 are reflected in lower premiums rather than be­ing retained as windfall gains by insurance carriers,” Mr. Denn said in his order.

Delaware’s Insurance Commissioner orders an 11.57 percent cut

WILM, August 19, 2008

With this cut, Denn says, insurance rates will have dropped 30-percent in a year. He says the workers compensation rate cuts are the first resulting from the Workers Compensation Cost Control measures that were passed by the General Assembly this year.

“The eleven and a half cut that I’m announcing is a direct result of that legislation.”

The second part of these cuts come from an effort he began in 2005.

“The rate freeze in 2006 and the 17 1/2 to 22 percent cut in 2007 were the result of that effort from my office. This 30-percent cut has been a real partnership between the legislature, and the insurance commissioners office and the private sector.”

The latest across the board cut becomes effective October 1st.

WDEL, August 19, 2008

Employers in Delaware will soon be paying less for workers compensation insurance.

Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn has ordered an 11-and-a-half percent cut in average premium rates effective October first, and he says that’s good news for businesses.

The 11.5 percent cut comes on top of another cut Denn ordered last fall. Denn says this latest cut should mean savings of at least 14 million dollars a year to Delaware businesses.

Denn says physicians haven’t balked at new fees

The News Journal, August 20, 2008

For the second time in nine months, the state has ordered insurance companies to cut their rates on workers’ compensation premiums in Delaware, this time by 11.5 percent.

The move is expected to save employers $14 million, and marks another step in reform of the workers’ compensation system in Delaware, which had faced some of the highest rates in the nation.

Last fall, Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn ordered rate cuts ranging from 17.75 percent to 22 percent that went into effect the first of the year, and he said Tuesday that he will push for a further 10 percent reduction by the end of 2008.

“We’re happy. We’d rather see it be more like 50 [percent] or 60 percent … but we think we’re heading down the right path,” said A. Richard Heffron, senior vice president for government affairs at the Delaware Chamber of Commerce.

The lower rates in the current round of cuts can be achieved through a fee schedule that limits what doctors can charge for certain procedures, Denn said.

High rates here have put financial pressure on local firms and even limited economic development opportunities, observers have said. The cuts announced Tuesday become effective Oct. 1, and employers should receive a rebate for any overpayments, said Denn, who is a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor.

“Workers’ comp has probably been the No. 1 expense for contractors for a while,” said Ed Capodanno, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors Delaware chapter. “It’s good to have the curve go in the other direction a little bit.”

Denn’s order follows legislation that aims to reform the system by instituting standard physician fees, an effort that Denn said has not prompted doctors to push back. “We’re not aware of any doctors who were treating compensation cases who have stopped as a result of this fee schedule,” he said.

Heffron agreed. “Over a thousand doctors applied to be certified, which tells us they want to be in the system,” he said.

Lower rates are especially helpful in today’s economic climate, officials and businesses said. “It’s also good from an economic development standpoint,” Capodanno said. “A lot of companies that relocate here look at workers’ comp rates as an indicator of the economic climate.”

With rates in Delaware now roughly 30 percent lower than last year, Denn still believes there’s room to demand more savings from insurance carriers. Total workers’ compensation premiums paid by Delaware employers last year were estimated at $122 million.

News Journal, August 13, 2008

Lieutenant governor candidate Matt Denn wants to help faith-based programs get more federal and private funding, he said in a campaign announcement Tuesday.

Denn, a Democrat, said if elected he would call upon the governor to designate one member of his staff to work exclusively with churches and community organizations to apply for federal assistance. He said if the new governor would not assign someone to aid churches, he would place a member of his own staff in the position.

His opponent, Republican Sen. Charlie Copeland, said reaching residents through church- and community-based groups is an effort he has supported for years. He sees Denn’s announcement as “political pandering” to try to attract traditionally conservative voters.

Copeland said he has a long history of working with community and religious leaders to develop and fund programs that assist those in need. He described using faith-based programs as a traditionally Republican approach and said it was a long stretch from Denn’s usual “big government solves all” stances.

Denn announced this portion of his campaign platform in a teleconference that also included Wilmington religious leaders Rev. Christopher Bullock of Canaan Baptist Church and Bishop Thomas W. Weeks of New Destiny Fellowship.

Funding church programs is important, Denn said, because in many neighborhoods churches are the organizations that people reach out to in time of need.

Denn said Delaware should be prepared to work more closely with the federal government after Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said recently he would renew efforts to fund faith-based programs if elected president.

He pointed to previous efforts by the federal government to fund faith-based programs that allocated $289 million for state-level grants, only $100,000 which ended up in Delaware programs.

“We in Delaware need to be positioned to take advantage of a renewed federal focus on faith-based initiatives,” Denn said.

Delaware is one of 15 states that don’t have a state worker dedicated to helping churches seek federal and private funding.

Denn said he, like Obama, is familiar with constitutional law and would not support any efforts that would violate the separation of church and state.

Bullock said churches like his chose to build congregations and invest money in neighborhoods that are lower in economic condition.

“We help folks all the time,” Bullock said. “The bottom line is we need help so we can help folks that are less fortunate or stuck in situations that are oppressive.”

Delaware State News, August 13, 2008

DOVER — Delaware has been on the short end of the stick when it comes to faith-based organiza­tions receiving federal and private funds, prompting state Insurance Commissioner Matthew P. Denn Tuesday to call for the state to dedicate staff to assist the groups.

Mr. Denn, the Democratic can­didate for lieutenant governor, said faith-based groups are vital centers of communities, having seen first­hand while serving a fellowship with Delaware Volunteer Legal Services and working in churches and community centers.

“Few organizations are closer to the community and able to draw people in and touch them than our churches and faith-based groups,” Mr. Denn said.

“From 2002 through 2007, the federal government oper­ated what it called a Compassion Capital Fund, that was designed to help faith-based and community organizations expand their capac­ity. During the life of the program, Congress funded it to the tune of $289 million. “Of that amount, Delaware programs received just $100,000, two $50,000 grants.”

Mr. Denn said the staff would assist or­ganizations find­ing and getting funds already available, but of which Dela­ware may not be receiving a fair share. Around the country, 35 states have offices to help faith-based organizations providing social services in a con­stitutionally appropriate way, but Delaware is not one of them.

Mr. Denn said he would ask the next governor to dedicate staff in the executive branch to helping faith-based organizations and, barring that, would do it himself as lieutenant governor.

The insurance commissioner will face Senate Minority Leader Sen. Charles L. Copeland, R­Wilmington, in the general elec­tion Nov. 4.

The News Journal, August 9, 2008

Searching online for the candidates for lieutenant governor got a little trickier Friday.

Matt Denn and Charlie Copeland both maintain a Web site about their campaign and the addresses are their names — mattdenn.com and charliecopeland.com.

But Friday afternoon, an unknowing online surfer seeking Denn’s page could have landed them on Copeland’s. Or an unknowing Web searcher looking for a Copeland fan page might have seen a funny picture.

The sites for mattdenn.org and mattdenn.net are routing Internet users to charliecopeland.com.

A search for the owners of the two misleading Web pages are listed as Domains by Proxy, a company that allows people to remain anonymous when creating sites.

When asked Friday afternoon, Copeland laughed and said he had not heard the sites were redirecting. Copeland, who in addition to being a state senator was recently lauded for his printing company’s development of a Web program that cuts administrative costs by streamlining the process online, said he did not personally participate in the rerouting process and didn’t know who did.

“Whether someone on my campaign did or not, I don’t know the answer to that question, but it is rather humorous,” Copeland said, laughing.

Denn decided to act.

After being asked about the Web site switcheroo, Denn sent Copeland an e-mail revealing his own exploration into buying domain names.

Denn purchased charleslammotcopeland.com, charliecopelandisaswellguy.org and iheartcharliecopeland.net, and adorned each with a different photo of Copeland. One features Copeland riding a mechanical bull, another shows him sitting at a desk and a third with the letter “I” and then a red heart and a cutout of Copeland’s face.

In an e-mail from Denn to Copeland and forwarded to The News Journal, Denn thanked Copeland for registering the sites, “to prevent someone else from grabbing them and making any mischief with them.”

“Good thinking,” the e-mail said. “Second, in appreciation, we have taken the liberty of registering a few domains related to your name. I propose we trade them, so that everyone owns their own names and there’s no confusion.”

Copeland laughed when he heard about the e-mail.

“It’s a nice try at a comeback, it really is,” Copeland said.

Denn said the e-mail and new Web sites were all in good humor.

“We thought it was kind of funny and that we ought to treat it accordingly,” Denn said.

Copeland said he was content with his supporters holding onto the Denn domains, but would take the proposed swap under advisement. He agreed with Denn that the whole affair was simply a laughing matter.

“It’s important to make sure that you keep a sense of scale about the political process,” Copeland said.

E-mail from Matt Denn to Charlie Copeland

Charlie –

Matt

Delaware State News, July 29, 2008

DOVER — Attracting the best possible teachers to educate stu­dents and providing a positive learning environment would be top priorities for state Insurance Commissioner Matthew P. Denn if he is elected lieutenant gover­nor.

Mr. Denn, a Democrat vying against Republican Sen. Charles L. Copeland, said Monday that the quality of classroom teaching is the most important factor in the success of public school stu­dents, and that recruiting good teachers will be critical in the coming years as Delaware faces 2,300 teacher retirements in the next decade.

Delaware’s teacher salaries, he said, should be the best in the region to attract more quality teachers.

“Will this cost money?” Mr. Denn asked. “Of course it will. But I expect to use some of the savings that we realize from the plans I proposed several weeks ago [reducing the percentage of education funds spent outside the classroom] to fund this initia­tive.”

“We spend millions of dollars a year trying to lure new busi­nesses to our state. It is about time that we realized that if we want to recruit new businesses, we can do that best by recruiting excellent new teachers. Strong schools are the backbone of a strong state economy.”

Mr. Denn said the state should change the way teachers are paid, rewarding those who excel in the classroom and take on ad­ditional responsibilities. He said alternative pay plans should ini­tially be piloted in two Delaware school districts in the 2009-10 school year.

The plan also calls for con­trolling class size and bolstering professional development in the classroom.