Less than 10% of Delawareans who were due refunds when they filed their taxes are still waiting on them. Since the beginning of 2023, the Delaware Department of Finance has received more than 387,000 requests for a 2022 tax refund. Its completed 355,641 of those requests, which totaled about $230 million. The number of outstanding tax refunds is about the …
Kitchen table issues expected to be focus of 2024 election
With three Democrats already announcing a run for statewide offices in 2024, politicians say they expect the electionâs main issues to be familiar to most voters. âIt’s the cost of things going up and kind of wages being stagnant,â said Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, minority leader in the Delaware State Senate. âMore and more I’m hearing from people, especially our …
Community reinvestment fund gets half of previous year
The 2024 fiscal year community reinvestment fund allocates $45 million to 153 different organizations, a big drop from the $90 million allocated for 2023 fiscal year and the $70 million allocated in 2022. The fund is part of this yearâs bond bill and comes from Senate Bill 160, sponsored by Sen. Jack Walsh, D-Stanton, which allocates $1,409,448,938 to address capital …
Correction commissioner to join nonprofit prison company
The commission of the Delaware Department of Correction is stepping down to join a national non-profit that is âexpanding to correctional systems across the U.S.â Monroe Hudson, who has been commissioner since 2021, announced Thursday that he will be leaving. Hudson will service until July 14. Jason Miller, chief of communications with the department, declined to say which company Hudson …
Bills, issues that will be back before the General Assembly
Since this yearâs General Assembly session opened in January, hundreds of bills have passed, from marijuana legalization to climate change regulations. Plenty are still waiting for the second half of the 152nd session of the Assembly, which begins in January. Minority Leader Mike Ramone, R-Pike Creek, said Republicans had several tax bills that they are going to introduce at the …
Worst kept secret: Longhurst is new House Speaker
On Friday, speaker of the House Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, choked up several times as he announced that he would be stepping down and that Rep. Valerie Longhurst, D-Bear, will succeed him as the new speaker. It will be the first time a woman has been elected the speaker of the House in Delaware. With Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long presiding …
Seaford, EV bills pass House, so GOP votes to OK bond bill
Republicans returned to the House Friday to vote in favor of the bond bill after the House passed the change to Seafordâs charter and another bill on electric vehicles. House Substitute 1 for House Bill 121, sponsored by Rep. Daniel Short, R-Seaford, will approve a charter change for the town of Seaford allowing an LLC that owns a business in …
Contractors: Prevailing wages bill will raise state costs
A bill that would increase the prevailing wage for contractors making products offsite is unlikely to be heard in the House after the legislature passed the 2024 fiscal yearâs budget on Wednesday. Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 102, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend, D-Newark, would require laborers making products away from a building site to be paid …
Ramone: Pass the Seaford bill, or GOP wonât vote on bond bill
Minority Leader Mike Ramone, R-Pike Creek, said Republicans who walked out of the House Thursday night will hold the bond bill hostage until the House Democrats agree to pass a charter change for the town of Seaford. âWe’re not going to be voting until you pass reasonable bills,â he said. âThey have a lot of young people. I guess they …
Senate passes $1.4 billion for capital improvementÂ
The Senate has approved $1.4 billion in capital improvement projects, along with a bill that would ban the LGBTQ panic defense, and a bill that adds more funding for the suicide crisis hotline. Senate Bill 160, sponsored by Sen. Jack Walsh, D-Stanton, would allocate $1,409,448,938 to address capital improvement projects across the state through this year’s bond bill. Walsh said …