With the 2023 General Assembly session ending in June, educational advocates are cheering the legislature’s action on early education, mental health support and transparency relating to school boards. One leader, though, would like to see bills that focus on letting parents know clearly and precisely what’s happening in the classroom, starting with easy to find proficiency ratings. About 60 bills …
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 …
With only a week left in this year’s legislative session, a Seaford Republican plans to introduce a bill that would only allow trans athletes to participate in sports against players who match their biological sex. Sen. Bryant Richardson said he filed Senate Bill 191, which he dubbed the Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act, because it is unfair to allow transgender …
Several bills that have been making their way through the legislature are still in limbo despite being passed by committees and either the Delaware Senate or House of Representatives earlier in the session. House Bill 80, sponsored by Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown, D-New Castle, would require doula services to be covered by Medicaid starting Jan. 1, 2024. A doula provides support …
The Senate passed bills Tuesday pertaining to confidentiality for abortion providers, minority party representation on an emergency health committee and payouts for employment discrimination. Senate Bill 158, sponsored by Sen. Kyle Evans Gay, D-Arden, focuses on confidentiality rights for medical providers. The bill allows anyone who is a reproductive health care services provider or employee to apply for participation in …
Despite opposition from police reform advocates and one vocal Democrat, two bills that add accountability and transparency for Delaware police officers easily passed the House Public Safety & Homeland Security Committee Wednesday. House Bill 206, sponsored by Rep. Kendra Johnson, D-Bear, would change the Council on Police Training to the Police Officer Standards and Training Commission, and would expand it …
When the Delaware House began meeting in January, it adopted temporary rules for operations. House Resolution 3 governs how the House operates, from how bills are voted on to how parking spaces are allocated to each member. House Resolution 10, which includes the permanent rules, awaits a vote by the whole House. It received four votes on its merits …
A resolution to declare March 23 National Atheist Day failed in the Delaware House, 11 to 26, with two absent and two not voting. The resolution was sponsored in the House by Rep. Eric Morrison, D-Glasgow. “Today, atheists in America are often looked down upon and expected to remain silent regarding our beliefs,” Morrison told the House. “Many atheists are …
A bill that would establish a 17-person task force to focus on mentoring and improving literacy rates for Delaware’s youth unanimously passed the House Education Committee Wednesday. “We believe that the 18,222 children in charter schools across our state benefit not just from the educators in the building, but from the village that helps educate them,” said Kendall Massett, executive …
Three bills that would raise real estate tax credits are on the docket for the Delaware House of Representatives Education Committee. With the state now projected to have a surplus of nearly $1 billion – the third year in a row for such extraordinary income – a Democrat and a Republic representative are moving to give older residents a bigger …
