State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky

IN THE COMMUNITY - Air Mobility Command Museum Marks a Milestone

REP. HILOVSKY: "I recently attended the 40th anniversary celebration of the Air Mobility Command Museum, located on the grounds of Dover Air Force Base. It was an unforgettable evening celebrating this top-notch facility dedicated to preserving the legacy of the men, women, and machines that faithfully served our country, flying humanitarian missions during peacetime and transporting essential personnel and materiel during times of war. It was a great night, with wonderful music provided by the Milgird Community Band! Retired USAF Lt. General Bill Welser III, President of the AMC Museum Foundation, served as the Master of Ceremonies."

NEWS & OPINION:
We Refused the Simple Answers, So Our Community Got the Water Testing It Deserved

By State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky

When families in Oak Orchard, Long Neck, Angola, and northeast Millsboro asked whether their drinking water was safe, some were told the culprit was nitrates. That simple answer was never going to be enough.

Private wells are not regulated like public water systems. Some complained of illnesses that their medical history couldn't explain. We had to do more.

Over 18 months, I convened the people who had expertise in groundwater and toxicology, and I included the state agencies and a local laboratory partner to run advanced sampling, not a single agricultural screen. Families now have written records. Every private-well household can get tested at no cost and get help paying for treatment when a result is high.

Public water systems must monitor under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and publish an annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). Private-well owners are the operators. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend testing those wells about once a year. Too many households never get that far, because a serious test is expensive.

I asked for bipartisan help by inviting legislators with experience and expertise in these areas. State Reps. Kerri Evelyn Harris and Sophie Phillips offered their assistance.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) provided a leading hydrologist, and the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) added a senior environmental scientist to the team.

We recruited toxicologists from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)—a federal health organization that evaluates chemical exposures to help interpret advanced results.

The DNREC and DHSS secretaries demonstrated a commitment to excellence and to using sound science to resolve these issues. The hydrologist and senior environmental scientist obtained and interpreted multiple samples.

Hydrologists explain how water moves underground. A senior environmental scientist keeps the design honest. ATSDR toxicologists keep the health conversation tethered to evidence. The legislative team kept pushing the process forward.

From January 29, 2025, through July 20, 2026, we sampled wells in this review nine times. The panels changed as the science required. January 29 and February 5, 2025, used the Expanded Sampling List plus Standard Drinking Water Parameters from the Division of Public Health (DPH).

August 14, 2025, we paired the Expanded list with the 3 Parameter List. On January 14 and February 11, 2026, half the locations received the 06 Parameter List, and every pre-filtration sample — water taken before a household filter — received the 3 Parameter List. May 21, June 11, June 23, and July 20, 2026, used the 04 Parameter List. Those names sound bureaucratic. The chemistry inside them is not.

Together, the five lists covered seven families of analysis:

• Standard DPH parameters. Total coliforms and Escherichia coli (E. coli) by the Colilert method, plus nitrate as nitrogen, fluoride, chloride, sulfate, iron, hardness, sodium, alkalinity, pH, and free chlorine.
• PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — persistent “forever chemicals.” The panel included PFOA, PFOS, PFNA, PFHxS, PFBS, PFBA, HFPO-DA (GenX), and related replacement compounds, broader than the few PFAS with federal limits.
• Metals and cyanide. More than 20 elements, including arsenic, lead, copper, iron, and manganese.
• Pesticides. Persistent organochlorines such as DDT, chlordane, and lindane.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Fuels and solvents, including benzene, toluene, xylenes, chlorinated solvents, and MTBE.
• Pharmaceuticals and personal-care products. Wastewater tracers such as caffeine, cotinine, acetaminophen, metformin, and DEET.
• DNA microorganism analysis. Selected events used 16S rRNA gene sequencing, a genetic barcode for bacteria and archaea. It is a microbial census, not a substitute for the Colilert safety result.

In April 2024, EPA set Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for public systems: PFOA and PFOS at 4 parts per trillion (ppt); PFNA, PFHxS, and GenX at 10 ppt; and a Hazard Index of 1 for certain mixtures. Delaware uses those numbers as private-well action levels. An MCL is not a promise of zero chemicals. One sample is a snapshot. That is why we sampled repeatedly, with hydrologists, a senior environmental scientist, and ATSDR toxicologists reading the same pages.

A laboratory panel replaces uncertainty and guesswork with a record. Families who went through these events now have DHSS-provided results that are actionable for a water treatment professional to remediate and for their clinician to interpret.

No household in this district will need to wait for another special sampling day. Every private-well household can get tested at no cost and, if qualified, can seek assistance to help pay for treatment when the result is high.

DNREC and DHSS now offer statewide private-well sampling at no cost. After you file the form, staff or the state contractor contacts the household within two weeks. If results are above a threshold, DPH notifies residents within 48 hours. When PFAS or other contaminants exceed Delaware’s action levels, filtration systems and maintenance may be provided. Qualifying low-income households may receive 100 percent of installation and one year of maintenance; moderate-income households may receive up to 50 percent of each.

That is the health improvement: a free sample, a health-agency call if the number is high, and a path to pay for the filter.

If you drink from a private well, submit the state’s Private Well Water Sampling Request and Consent Form. There is no charge for sampling or laboratory analysis. Read the program at de.gov/pfas and on DNREC’s PFAS in Delaware page. DHSS also keeps a private drinking-water page with kit locations.

Public-system customers should look up their utility on Delaware Drinking Water Watch. For federal health context on PFAS, use ATSDR’s PFAS pages.

If a result is high and cost is the barrier, tell DHSS when they call. Treatment help is income-based. United For ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) publishes the ALICE household income-status tool that Delaware agencies use when talking about households above poverty that still cannot cover a basic budget. Use it as a planning reference, then ask DHSS which assistance tier applies.

District 4 residents asked hard questions. Dismissing their concerns by blaming it on nitrate contamination would have been the easy option. We didn't take it, because they deserve better. We built a skilled team, ran nine sampling events across five advanced laboratory lists, and secured free water testing and treatment for residents.

Special thanks to DHSS and DNREC who, proved government can solve problems and work for those who hired them: the people!

LINKS:
Private Well Water Sampling Request and Consent Form:
https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/9c4a230cbb7d4d82bad446fcb4c95f70?portalUrl=https://dnrec.maps.arcgis.com

PFAs in Delaware:
https://dnrec.delaware.gov/waste-hazardous/remediation/pfas/

DHSS Private Drinking Water Webpage (including kit pick-up locations).
https://dhss.delaware.gov/dph/homepage/about/sections/ehdishome/labs/environmental-laboratory/private-drinking-water/

Public-system customers can look up their utility at:
https://drinkingwater.dhss.delaware.gov/

For a federal health context on PFAS, visit:
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/pfas/

Delaware agencies use the ALICE household income-status tool to identify households above the poverty line that still struggle to cover a basic budget. Use this as a planning reference when asking DHSS about assistance:
https://www.unitedforalice.org/alice-income-status-tool

NEWS: Honoring Delaware's Visionaries

State Rep. Jeff Hilovsky was among those attending the recent Pete du Pont Freedom Award presentation.

The annual honor is presented to an individual or organization that has championed a successful idea that has led to economic growth or brought innovation to the private sector.

This year's winners are Terry and Sandy Strine for co-founding Leadership Delaware, an ambitious effort to develop Delawareans with the integrity, vision, and courage to lead.

Now nearly 20 years old, the organization has grown into one of the state’s most influential leadership pipelines. Through its flagship fellowship program, Leadership Delaware has graduated nearly 400 leaders, creating a powerful and expanding network of changemakers across business, government and the nonprofit sector.

"Together, the Strines built and led Leadership Delaware," said Rep. Hilovsky. "Their acceptance remarks were heartfelt, exemplifying the humility and 'service before self' mindset that allowed them to influence and guide so many lives. I found it very inspiring."

IN THE COMMUNITY - Economic Development in Sussex County

REP. HILOVSKY: "I had the recent opportunity to attend the Sussex Economic Development Action Committee (SEDAC) meeting in Georgetown, where I was asked to discuss the county’s role in the federally funded Rural Healthcare Transformation Program (RHTP).

"Delaware received over $157 million this year for the development of programs to improve the quality and availability of healthcare in rural Delaware. Among the initiatives are funding for Delaware’s Medical School and the Delaware Diabetes Wellness Program that I authored (House Bill 305).

"Additionally, I discussed funding for dredging obtained in the current Bond Bill for site preparation work to develop aquaculture, establishing oyster and clam farming in Delaware."

FEATURE: Confusion Over Solicitation and Political Canvassing Creates Friction, Conflict

SEPTEMBER 27, 2026 -- With less than six weeks remaining until Election Day, political candidates and their supporters throughout Delaware are actively campaigning, leading to more complaints and confrontations over confusion between solicitation and canvassing.

Decades of case law have established Americans' right to advocate for political, religious, and non-profit causes door-to-door, even in privately owned communities.

Solicitation involves situations in which individuals go door-to-door to sell goods or services. By contrast, canvassing is a noncommercial exercise of free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In political canvassing, volunteers or candidates visit homes to share information, discuss public issues, register voters, or encourage people to vote. Canvassing for political, religious, and non-profit groups is a protected right. Noncommercial canvassers are legally entitled to go door-to-door, speak with residents, and distribute literature.

Federal court cases over more than sixty years have affirmed and framed these rights, striking down state and local attempts to prohibit or unreasonably restrict such activities.

In Lovell v. City of Griffin (1938), the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) found that a city ordinance requiring a permit to distribute “circulars, handbooks, advertising, or literature of any kind” was unconstitutional. The ruling established a precedent for broadly allowing canvassing and the distribution of flyers, declaring it a form of protected speech.

In Martin v. City of Struthers (1943), the Supreme Court found unconstitutional a municipal ordinance that barred anyone from contacting citizens in their homes to distribute handbills or circulars. Delivering the prevailing opinion, Justice Hugo Black noted that the ability to distribute information to every citizen was “so clearly vital to the preservation of a free society that…it must be fully preserved.”

Generally, constitutional freedoms cannot be suspended inside privately owned communities.

In Marsh v. Alabama (1946), the High Court considered a case in which religious materials were being distributed in Chickasaw, a town exclusively owned by a corporation. Company officials posted the notice stating: "This Is Private Property, and Without Written Permission, No Street, or House Vendor, Agent or Solicitation of Any Kind Will Be Permitted."

A woman handing out literature for the Jehovah's Witnesses was later arrested when she refused to comply with the declaration. In this case, the justices found that even though the community was under exclusive private ownership, the owners could not arbitrarily curtail citizens’ constitutional rights. “Ownership does not always mean absolute dominion,” the court’s prevailing opinion stated. “When we balance the Constitutional rights of owners of property against those of the people to enjoy freedom of press and religion, as we must here, we remain mindful of the fact that the latter occupy a preferred position.”

Political canvassers cannot be required to obtain a license, pay a fee, wear an identification card, be subject to a criminal background check, or get permission from any municipality or homeowners association –- all rights affirmed in decisions made in the decisions of: Murdock v. Pennsylvania (1943); Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc. v. Village of Stratton (2002); and Lovell v. City of Griffin (1938).

While political canvassing is legally protected and cannot be prohibited by state law, municipal ordinance, or most homeowners’ associations, it is not without limits.

Private, gated communities, whose roads are not open to public access, can bar canvassers from entering.

Within reason, restrictions can limit the hours during which political canvassing can occur, such as between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Homeowners have the right to bar canvassers from their properties by posting “No Trespassing” or “No Canvassing” signs.

Canvassers must also leave the property immediately if the homeowner asks them to. Under Delaware law, people who knowingly violate the property owner's wishes could be found guilty of criminal trespass in the second or third degree.

HONORED BY THE DELAWARE MANUFACTURED HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION

REP. HILOVSKY: "I recently attended a DMHOA Board meeting and was honored with a Certificate for my work serving manufactured homeowners. We discussed several issues, including the rate-increase calculation formula, the impending sale of a manufactured home community in District 4, and landowner and homeowner rights."

NEWS FROM SUSSEX COUNTY: Sussex County Property Taxes Due September 30

Sussex County reminds property owners that September 30 is the mandated deadline to pay annual County property tax bills.

In August, the County’s Business Services office issued tax bills for the 2027 fiscal year, totaling an estimated $218 million in tax revenue. Annual tax bills include County property taxes, and County sewer and water, tax ditch and street lighting fees, where applicable. Additionally, tax bills include local school district taxes, which are set by and vary among the eight independent school districts. Delaware law requires Sussex County to bill property owners for school taxes on behalf of the districts, with those funds then turned over to the State. Approximately 10 percent of the typical residential tax bill is for County property taxes, with the remainder going to public education administered by the local, independent school districts.

Bills are available for viewing on the County’s website, at sussexcountyde.munisselfservice.com/css/citizens/RealEstate/Default.aspx.

Tax bills feature an easy-to-read format to help taxpayers understand their bills and payment options, a number of which are available for the public’s convenience.

Sussex County accepts tax payments by cash, check, money order, and debit or credit cards. Taxpayers have different options to make their payments. These include:

THROUGH LENDER
Many taxpayers have their annual taxes paid out of escrow accounts by their mortgage lenders. Escrow customers do not receive paper bills. However, billed amounts are available online by visiting www.sussexcountyde.gov/pay-your-bill and selecting the “Sussex County Self Service site” link on the page. If escrow customers have any questions regarding the status of their accounts, they should contact their lenders or enter their parcel ID in the County’s EscrowCheck tool at www.sussexcountyde.gov/EscrowCheck to see real-time tax payment status. This option is the fastest, easiest way to check escrow information as hold times to speak with County representatives have increased due to call volume.

ONLINE
Payment can be made online with most major credit cards or by e-check. Please visit www.sussexcountyde.gov and select “Online Payment” at the top right of the page.

BY MAIL
Property owners can mail their tax payments using the return envelopes included with their bills. Checks and money orders should be made payable to “Sussex County Government” and addressed to the Sussex County Treasury Division, PO Box 601, Georgetown, DE 19947. All payments sent by mail must be postmarked by Sept. 30 to be considered received on time. Unpaid balances are subject to monthly interest charges.

IN PERSON OR BY TELEPHONE
The County’s payment center is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The office is located on the first floor of the County Administrative Offices building, 2 The Circle, in Georgetown. A convenient and secure after-hours payment drop box also is available, located in the lobby. For those making payment by telephone, call 1-866-791-9802. Callers must have their annual tax bill available when making a telephone payment.

For more information or general questions about tax bill payments, please call (302) 855-7871.

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WEDNESDAY!

NEWS: Community Meeting on Chronic Wasting Disease Temporary Regulations Set for September 16

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will hold a community meeting regarding Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in the auditorium at Delaware Technical Community College Owens Campus in Georgetown on Wednesday, September 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Anyone unable to attend in person can take part virtually via Microsoft Teams. More information and registration can be accessed using this link: https://dnrec.delaware.gov/events/community-meeting-chronic-wasting-disease/

DNREC recently announced the adoption of temporary deer hunting and rehabilitation regulations to try to limit the spread of CWD and confine it to the area where it has been found in central Sussex County. The Division of Fish and Wildlife will explain the temporary regulation provisions and why they are necessary.

CWD is a fatal disease that affects members of the deer family and is caused by prions — malformed proteins that severely damage the brains of infected animals. Although much about prions is unknown, researchers are certain a compromised deer can pass prions on to others through urine, f***s, saliva, and via close bodily contact. Other prion diseases include “Mad Cow” disease in cattle, scrapie in sheep and goats, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans.

DNREC will listen to community feedback and take questions during the meeting. Comments will be limited to two minutes, and interested parties must sign up beforehand. To sign up, individuals may email [email protected] by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, or arrive early for the meeting on September 16. DNREC staff will be present at the Del Tech College auditorium starting at 6:10 p.m. for sign-up.

Please note that this meeting is informational and not part of a formal public comment related to the regulations. Possible permanent changes to regulations in response to CWD will be open for formal public comment during the standard regulatory process later this year.

More information – including the state response plan to CWD in Delaware, a map of the CWD Management Zone, and public guidance for dealing with CWD – can be found on the CWD webpage: de.gov/cwd