Tenure
Behavioral health
As Lt. Governor,Hall-Long helped create Delaware's first Behavioral Health Consortium in June 2017,which she chaired. [12] The consortium's role is to develop short-term and long-term plans to address addiction and mental health issues in Delaware. [13] In 2018,Pew Charitable Trusts partnered with the Consortium to help increase access to opioid treatment. [14]
Through her work on the Behavioral Health Consortium,Hall-Long spearheaded legislation that created the first overdose system of care in the United States. [15] The legislation was signed into law by Governor Carney in 2018. Hall-Long also led a pilot program in Delaware to launch the nation’s first combined xylazine and fentanyl testing strips,a harm reduction tool aimed at curbing the opioid epidemic. [16]
In June 2022 Hall-Long worked with state senator Sarah McBride and state representative Melissa Minor-Brown to secure $3.2 million in funding from the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services for the first in-patient addiction treatment facility for pregnant and parenting women in Delaware. [17]
Along with Attorney General Kathy Jennings,Hall-Long co-chaired Delaware’s Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission. [18] The Commission is tasked with recommending where more than $250 million in settlement funding from pharmaceutical companies should be allocated across the state to aid in addiction treatment and resources. [19]
Throughout her tenure,Hall-Long worked to improve mental health resources for veterans. In 2022,Hall-Long became co-chair of the Delaware Governor's Challenge alongside former Delaware Adjutant General Francis Vavala. [20] The Governor's Challenge is part of a nationwide effort to facilitate community and state-level strategies to prevent veteran suicide. [21] Additionally,Hall-Long and the Behavioral Health Consortium helped propose legislation that created a Green Alert system in Delaware for at-risk missing veterans,similar to a Gold Alert. The legislation was signed in 2018. [22]
Board of Pardons
As part of her role as Lt. Governor,Hall-Long served as Chair of Delaware’s Board of Pardons,where she led significant reforms to modernize the board’s operations. Under her leadership,wait times were reduced and outdated procedures were streamlined,resulting in more Delawareans receiving pardons and commutations than at any point in the past 30 years. During her tenure,pardon hearings increased by over 12%,and commutation hearings rose by more than 90%,offering more individuals a meaningful opportunity for a second chance. [23]
Disaster response efforts
During the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic,Hall-Long helped lead the states COVID response efforts. In 2020,she was asked by Governor Carney to co-chair the state’s Pandemic Resurgence Advisory Committee (PRAC) along with Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock. Comprised of over 50 Delaware leaders in both the private and public sectors,the PRAC was tasked with preparing a pandemic playbook that included a strategy focused to develop new public health strategies,identify critical resources,and assess methods to protect vulnerable populations. [24]
In 2023,in response to the nationwide infant formula shortage,Hall-Long worked with public,private and non-profit organizations to lead efforts to increase the distribution of infant formula to high-needs areas across Delaware. The initiative helped distribute over 44,000 canisters of infant formula to Delaware families in need. [25]
Hall-Long served as a principal investigator of the Delaware Medical Reserve Corps (DMRC),where she helped lead the state’s response to public health emergencies. [26]
STEM initiatives
As a research scientist and Lt. Governor,Hall-Long spent much of her tenure working to close education and opportunity gaps in the STEM field. [27] Notably,she serves as national co-chair of Million Women Mentors,an organization championing women and girls in STEM. [28]
Other initiatives
In 2018,Hall-Long was appointed by Governor John Carney to Chair the Governor's Complete Count Commission,which led Delaware's 2020 U.S. Census efforts. [29] The commission found that between 2010 and 2020 the state’s population grew by more than 10%,the highest growth rate in the northeast. [30]
Hall-Long also led the effort to establish basic needs closets in 43 Delaware schools. The initiative helps elementary and middle school students with free products like hygiene products,school supplies,clothes and more. [31]
In 2023,Hall-Long partnered with the Delaware Art’s Alliance to develop a strategic plan to grow Delaware’s Creative Economy and grow cultural tourism across the state. [32]
She served as Chair of the National Lieutenant Governor's Association from 2020 to 2021. [33]
